Ancient Jericho: The History and Legacy of One of the World’s Oldest Cities

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures*Includes a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contentsPeople associate the story of ancient Jericho with walls, and for those who are Biblically inclined, they think of the walls that God brought tumbling down to the sound of trumpets. For historians who are more archaeologically oriented, it may suggest the prehistoric walls uncovered by Ernst Sellin and Carl Watzinger between 1907 and 1911.To modern societies, walls suggest the division between people and defenses erected out of hatred and mistrust. However, while the story of Jericho does indeed involve walls, they represented something far different than that. More than anything else, ancient Jericho was a point of convergence between cultures, kingdoms, religions, and societies. The reality of that ancient city, possibly the oldest city in human history, was nothing like the story presented in the The History and Legacy of One of the World’s Oldest Cities examines the knowns and unknowns about the ancient city, along with its long history over nearly 12,000 years. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Jericho like never before.

Genres: History

44 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2021

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Christine]

This short book presents a good overview, including a look at the Biblical story vs what the archeological record indicates.

[Jerry Jares]

Jericho is one of the oldest settlements in the world and is of great archeological significance. Since about 1907, archaeologists have been digging and studying. It is believed that the area was settled as early as 10,500 BCE. There are a few spectacular photos of the area.

First, this book tries to explain Jericho's significance as an ancient city, mentioned in the Bible. It talks about the known tribes or kingdoms who moved in and out of the area over thousands of years. The author tries to explain the wall around Jericho and a tower (built before towers were a known entity in the ancient world). Unfortunately, archaeologists are all over the map when it comes to explanations.

Then the author takes on the unhappy task of trying to compare archaeological evidence vs. Bible verses. This is even more difficult. However, there are some scientists who are convinced that there could have been seismic activity that caused the walls of Jericho to fall.

Finally, the book gives an overview of the known history of the area. Jericho was often in the crosshairs of geopolitical unrest. Even though most of the inhabitants of the time took care of agriculture and domestic animals, Jericho was an early (and successful) trade route stop-off point.

This book gives a very clear explanation of the forced deportations the Jews experienced in their early history. This book clearly stated what was surmised versus what was known. However, I was glad that the author put this together so readers can learn about the ongoing research and study going on in Jericho, and its environs.

[Blake Boehm]

Listened to this on the car ride home from Milwaukee. This is my introduction into the Middle East and very early settlements. I chose this book because I wanted to learn about Jericho the first city and how it came about. I plan to read and learn more about the cities surrounding Jericho during that time which will give me a better understanding of this book as there were times I was quite lost; the only other city I remember knowing prior to listening was Jerusalem.

[Cheryl Bennett]

Not completely accurate

[Elizabeth]

Garbage that sounds like it was written by a grade-schooler. If you want to read something about actual Levantine archaeology, don't bother with this.