Jericho
After Jerusalem, Jericho is the most excavated site in Israel. In 1868, explorer Charles Warren sank several shafts into the ground, but concluded that nothing was to be found -- he missed the now-famous Neolithic tower by only a foot! Germans Sellin and Watzinger excavated in 1907-13, Garstang in 1930-36 and Kathleen Kenyon in 1952-58. Since 1997 an Italian-Palestinian team has been digging in Jericho.
Some of the key archaeological sites in Jericho include:
- The fallen walls -- Kenyon’s work was the most detailed. On the west side of the tell, at the base of the retaining, or revetment, wall, she found, "fallen red bricks piling nearly to the top of the revetment. These probably came from the wall on the summit of the bank and … the brickwork above the revetment." An Italian team excavating at the southern end of the mound in 1997 found exactly the same thing.
- Rahab's home -- The German excavation of 1907–1909 found that on the north part of the ancient city of Jericho, a short stretch of the lower city wall did not fall as everywhere else. A portion of that mudbrick wall was still standing to a height of more than eight feet. Houses had been built against the wall -- and it is possible that this is where Rahab’s house was located (Joshua 2:12-21).
- The Neolithic tower -- Discovered and excavated by Kathleen Kenyon, the Neolithic tower was built and destroyed in Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, which Kenyon dated to 8000-7000 B.C. The 8 meter diameter tower stands 8 meters tall and was connected on the inside of a 4 meter thick wall. After the discovery of this tower, archaeologists claimed that Jericho is the "oldest city in the world."
- Grain Storejars -- Both Garstang and Kenyon found dozens of store jars full of grain from the last Canaanite city of Jericho. These were from the time of the harvest when the city was burned by Joshua.
Learn more about excavations in Jericho
|
|
