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In the Bible:
Nu.22:1;26:3;26:63;31:12,etc.Deut.32:49;34:1;34:3; Jericho used to locate Israel’s position;
Jos.2:1,2,3;3:16;4:13,19;5:10,13, Joshua approaches Jericho;
Joshua 6:1,2,25, Joshua destroys Jericho;
Jos.6:26, curses the man who rebuilds Jericho;
7:2, 8:2, Ai;
9:3, Gibeonites;
10:1,28,30, example;
2 Sam.10:5, David’s men wait here until beards grow;
1 Kg.16:34, Hiel build Jericho;
2 Kg. 2:4-5, Elisha told to stay; 2Kg.25:5;Jr.39:5;52:8, Zedekiah captured;
Ezr.2:34, 345 men of Jericho return;
Neh.3:2, build wall;
Mt.20:29;
Mk.10:46; Lk.18:35;19:1, Jesus walks through on way to Jerusalem, heals blind, eats with Zacchaeus;
Lk.10:30, Good Samaritan |
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Jericho is the lowest city on earth at 846 feet below sea level and the oldest whose occupation began in 10,000 BC. It is built around a powerful spring of water producing 1,000 gallons/ minute. This spring has always caused an oasis to grow in this desert/wilderness and the water still flows today being used to irrigate Jericho. Occupation ended in 586 BC.
Jericho became a private estate of the reigning ruler in Alexander’s day (336 BC). With no real city growth, the Syrians built it up as a defensive fort in 100’s BC. Herod leased it from Cleopatra who received it from Mark Antony. Octavian (Caesar Augustus) gave it to Herod the Great who built a palace, hippodrome/ theatre. Herod Archelaus built a village for his date plantation workers. Vespasian moved siege equipment up roads that Rome built to attack Jerusalem from Jericho. Byzantines settled Jericho. Muslims of the Umayyad dynasty built a luxury hunting palace there in 700 w/ mosaics still visible. Crusaders took Jericho but when they were defeated by Saladin in 1187 AD Jericho was abandoned and overrun by Bedouin raiders which left it a miserable village overrun by the desert. After WWI order was restored. |
| This photo was taken on top of the tel (remains) of the ancient city of Jericho. |
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This is the outside base (retaining wall) of one of two walls going around Jericho.
The wall that collapsed in Joshua day would have been built straight up on top of this angled retaining wall.
This retaining wall would have itself been higher than the remains show. |
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The same base retaining wall that supported the actual wall of Jericho.
This is the outside wall.
There was another larger inside wall to the left of this photo.
The mud bricks on top of this wall fell down and infront of this retaining wall so that Joshua men would have used the rubble as steps to "go up into the city" and to go "straight in" to the city as Joshua 6:20 says. |
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Cross section of the walls of Jericho.
This image was taken from HERE
In the picture below Galyn stands on the retaining wall that supported the protective wall around the outside of the city of Jericho. |
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| Galyn standing on Jericho's outer wall. This is the retaining wall that would itself have been higher. This wall served as the base to the actual wall that surrounded the city. There is a second inner wall that is to the right of this photo. |
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An illustration showing the falling of the walls of Jericho.
This drawing is by Gene Fackler and labeled by Galyn Wiemers. This was taken from this location |
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Rooms infront of Jericho's outside retaining wall.
This could be Rahab's house in the city wall.
Excavatioin revealed that the city had been destroyed by fire but that the walls had fallen down first. |
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Pottery in Jericho's rooms by the wall.
The city was filled with grain which indicates two things:
1) the city was not plundered since grain was very valuable as a trade commodity and would normally have been taken
2) the city did not under go a long siege which normally included months of being trapped in the city and starved. This city fell to its enemies suddenly. |
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| A view of the very large tel of Jericho. |
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| More of the unexcavated tel of Jericho. |
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| On top of the remains of the city of Jericho. |
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| Walls in Jericho that date to 2200 BC. |
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| The walls from 2200 BC and the excavation around them. |
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This the base of a tower in Jericho from the Neolithic period from 8300-8000 BC.
There have been over 20 cities built on top of each over since 9000 BC at this location. This makes Jericho the oldest inhabited city on earth. |
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A close up of the blocks used to build the tower in Jericho 10,000 years ago.
This tower stands 28 feet high today and is 25 feet wide. |
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| The natural water source that flows into Jericho makes it an oasis in the wilderness. |
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Jericho was called the "City of Palms" in Judges 3:13. Here the modern city of Jericho, with the ancient tel of the city in the forefront of the picture, is still covered with palm trees and vegetation.
I bought a fresh box of dates at a fruit stand here. Now I now I don't like dates, but they looked good. |
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| The wilderness just outside of Jericho |
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| The remains of the ancient city in the lower front of the picture with the dry wilderness in the background. |
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Visit Dr. Carl Rasmussen's site to view Jericho HERE |
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