![]() The water from spring ‘Ain Es-Sultan has been the source of the Jericho’s life since millennia and played a major role in shaping its history. Archaeological investigations documented 23 layers of ancient civilizations from the Natufian period (10th millennium BC) until the end of Byzantine period (7th century AD), comprising urban centres of the Neolithic and Bronze ages, as well as substantial occupation during later periods. It has a rich and long lasting cultural heritage, spanning from prehistoric eras, attested by diverse material culture found and still visible in the excavated trenches at the site. The ancient Canaanite name “ Ruha” was recently discovered at Tell es-Sultan on an Egyptian carved stone scarab from the second millennium BC, indicating the continuity of Palestinian heritage for millennia.Īncient Jericho/ Tell es-Sultan is one of the key places in the ancient map of the Middle East, labelled as the cradle of civilization. The current Arabic name unites both referential values of the Canaanite word, that of fragrance and the name of the moon God. Its ancient Canaanite name “ Ariha”, derived from the name of ancient Canaanite God of the moon, “ Yeriho”, and from “ Ruha”, which means “scent”, “perfume”, and “ Ar-Riha” (in Arabic). ![]() In the Neolithic periods, Jericho witnessed the development of agriculture and a complex and thriving community.Īncient Jericho, identified with Tell es-Sultan, is known by many names : the City of Palms God’s Paradise the City of the Moon the City of Giants ( Jabareen ) and the capital of the Ghor. The area’s diverse geological formation and unique tropical and sub-tropical climate zones, alluvial soil, and perennial springs made it an attractive fertile oasis to hunter-gathers, whom had settled down to a sedentary way of life in the Late Epipaleolithic period, and subsequently their descendants, the Natufians, whom might have started the domestication process during the tenth millennium BC. ![]() It is located 10 kilometres northwest of the Dead Sea and 1.5 kilometres north of the modern Jericho (Ariha) city in the lower part of the Jordan Rift Valley at 250 meters below sea level, making it the lowest ancient town in the world. Ancient Jericho/ Tell es-Sultan is one of the oldest towns in the world, dating back to more than 10,000 BP.
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