Tower of Jericho
Encyclopedia
The Tower of Jericho is an 8.5 metres (27.9 ft) stone structure, built in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A
period around 8000 BCE. It is among the earliest stone monuments of mankind.
The Wall of Jericho was discovered by John Garstang
during the excavations of 1930 to 1936, which he suggested were those described in the Book of Joshua
in the Bible
and dated to around 1400 BC. Kathleen Kenyon
discovered the tower outside the wall during resumed excavations between 1952 and 1958, in trench I. Kenyon provided evidence that both constructions dated much earlier, to the Neolithic
stone age
, and were part of an early proto-city
. The tower highlights the importance of Jericho
for the understanding of settlement patterns in the Sultanian period in the southern Levant
.
Recent studies by Ran Barkai from Tel Aviv University
and Roy Liran have suggested astronomical and social
purposes in the construction of the tower. Showing an early example of archaeoastronomy
, they used computer modelling to determine that the shadow of nearby mountains first hit the tower on the sunset of the summer solstice
and then spread across the entire town. Noting that there were no known invasions of the area at the time of construction, the defensive purpose of the tower, wall and ditch at Jericho has been brought into question. No burials were found and suggestions of it being a tomb have been dismissed. The tower was constructed with an internal staircase of twenty two steps and is almost 9 metres (29.5 ft) in diameter at the base, decreasing to 7 metres (23 ft) at the top with walls approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) thick. The construction of the tower is estimated to have taken eleven thousand working days. Discussing in the Jerusalem Post, Barkai argued that the structure was used to create awe
and inspiration to convince people into a harder way of life with the development of agriculture
and social hierarchies. He concluded with, "We believe this tower was one of the mechanisms to motivate people to take part in a communal lifestyle."
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A denotes the first stage in early Levantine Neolithic culture, dating around 9500 to 8500 BC. Archaeological remains are located in the Levantine and upper Mesopotamian region of the Fertile Crescent...
period around 8000 BCE. It is among the earliest stone monuments of mankind.
The Wall of Jericho was discovered by John Garstang
John Garstang
John Garstang was a British archaeologist of the ancient Near East, especially Anatolia and the southern Levant....
during the excavations of 1930 to 1936, which he suggested were those described in the Book of Joshua
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and dated to around 1400 BC. Kathleen Kenyon
Kathleen Kenyon
Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon , was a leading archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She is best known for her excavations in Jericho in 1952-1958.-Early life:...
discovered the tower outside the wall during resumed excavations between 1952 and 1958, in trench I. Kenyon provided evidence that both constructions dated much earlier, to the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, and were part of an early proto-city
Proto-city
Proto-city is a term usually used to describe large villages or towns of the Neolithic Period such as Jericho and Catal Huyuk, but also any prehistoric settlement which has both rural and urban features, in an attempt to distinguish them from cities in later periods. Predynastic Egypt and Ubaid...
. The tower highlights the importance of Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
for the understanding of settlement patterns in the Sultanian period in the southern Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
.
Recent studies by Ran Barkai from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
and Roy Liran have suggested astronomical and social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
purposes in the construction of the tower. Showing an early example of archaeoastronomy
Archaeoastronomy
Archaeoastronomy is the study of how people in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky how they used phenomena in the sky and what role the sky played in their cultures." Clive Ruggles argues it is misleading to consider archaeoastronomy to be the study of ancient astronomy, as modern...
, they used computer modelling to determine that the shadow of nearby mountains first hit the tower on the sunset of the summer solstice
Summer solstice
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
and then spread across the entire town. Noting that there were no known invasions of the area at the time of construction, the defensive purpose of the tower, wall and ditch at Jericho has been brought into question. No burials were found and suggestions of it being a tomb have been dismissed. The tower was constructed with an internal staircase of twenty two steps and is almost 9 metres (29.5 ft) in diameter at the base, decreasing to 7 metres (23 ft) at the top with walls approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) thick. The construction of the tower is estimated to have taken eleven thousand working days. Discussing in the Jerusalem Post, Barkai argued that the structure was used to create awe
Awe
Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful. Awe is defined in Robert Plutchik's Wheel of emotions as a combination of surprise and fear...
and inspiration to convince people into a harder way of life with the development of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and social hierarchies. He concluded with, "We believe this tower was one of the mechanisms to motivate people to take part in a communal lifestyle."
See also
- JerichoJerichoJericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
- Wall of Jericho
- List of megalithic sites
- World's tallest structure