Ancient Jericho: The First Walled City In History
Jericho, also known as Arīḥā in Arabic, is a West Bank town. Perhaps founded as early as 9000 BC, Jericho is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Jericho’s long history has been proven by archaeological digs. The location of the city holds significant archaeological value as it showcases the initial stages of permanent settlement development and the progression towards civilization. Carbon dating back to approximately 9000 BC, remnants of Mesolithic hunters have been discovered, along with a prolonged period of habitation by their offspring. By 8000 BC, the settlers had developed into a cohesive group capable of building a substantial stone wall around the settlement, which was at one point reinforced by a colossal stone tower.
The term “town” is appropriate given the size of this settlement, which indicates a population of about 2,000–3,000 people. Thus, during the course of these 1,000 years, people have transitioned from a hunting to a fully settled lifestyle. This suggests the evolution of agriculture, and grains of cultivated wheat and barley have been discovered. Thus, one location that offers proof of extremely early agriculture is Jericho. It is very likely that irrigation had been developed in order to supply enough land for cultivation. Palestine’s initial Neolithic culture was an entirely indigenous creation.
A second, non-native group succeeded these around 7000 BC, bringing with them a Neolithic culture that continued to lack the ability to make pottery. This occupation most likely marks the entry of newcomers from one of the other centers where the Neolithic agricultural way of life had developed, perhaps in northern Syria. By 6000 BC, this second Neolithic stage came to an end. The next millennia at Jericho are mostly devoid of evidence of human habitation.
Jericho did not begin to exhibit the effects of northern developments until approximately 5000 BC. At that time, an increasing number of Neolithic villages—marked by the use of pottery—had begun to appear. Nonetheless, the earliest ceramic users in Jericho were rudimentary in comparison to those who came before them, residing in uncomplicated underground huts. Most likely, they were pastoralists in the main. Over the next 2,000 years, occupation was sparse and possibly intermittent.
Like the rest of Palestine, Jericho saw the emergence of an urban culture again around the end of the fourth millennium BC. Jericho was once again a walled town, having had its walls rebuilt numerous times. The urban life again broke down around 2300 BC. The newcomers, who were nomadic and comprised of several groups, were most likely the Amorites. Their descendants, who shared a culture throughout the Mediterranean littoral, were the Canaanites, who lived around 1900 BC.
Excavations have revealed evidence of Canaanite houses and domestic furniture, which were discovered in their tombs as the deceased’s possessions in the afterlife. The Canaanites brought town life back to their homeland. These discoveries have indicated the nature of the culture that the Israelites found when they infiltrated into Canaan and that they largely adopted.
In biblical history, Jericho is well-known for being the first town that Joshua’s Israelites attacked after crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 6). The biblical story states that after the Israelites destroyed it, it was abandoned until Hiel the Bethelite settled there in the ninth century BC (1 Kings 16:34). The Bible makes multiple references to Jericho. Herod the Great built a winter home in Jericho, where he passed away in 4 BC. The 1950s and 1951 excavations uncovered some information about Herodian Jericho: a stunning façade by the Wadi Al-Qilṭ is most likely a remnant of Herod’s palace, and its design reflects Herod’s adoration for Rome.
This area, roughly one mile (1.6 km) south of the Old Testament town, became the center of Roman and New Testament Jericho. Traces of other fine buildings can be seen in this area. A mile east of the Old Testament site, on a third site, was the Crusader city of Jericho, where the modern town would eventually grow.
Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related
These are the mugshots of Will West and William West, and they are not related. They were both sent to Leavenworth Prison at the same time, in 1903, and after some confusion, the staff understood they had two different prisoners with the nearly same name, who looked exactly alike. They are part of the reason fingerprints are now used as identification.
The unbroken seal on King Tutankhamun's tomb until 1922
The unbroken seal of Tutankhamun's tomb before it was opened in 1923, it was unbroken for over 3000 years.
Shizo Kanakuri’s 1912 Olympic Marathon Finished 54 Years
At the 1912 Olympics, a marathon runner quit and went home to Japan without telling officials and was considered a missing person in Sweden for 50 years. In 1966, he was invited to complete the marathon. His time: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.379 seconds.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
Juliane Koepcke: The Teenager Who Fell 10,000 Feet And Trekked The Jungle to survive
In 1971, a high school student was sucked out of an airplane after it was struck by lightning. She fell 10,000 feet to the ground while still strapped to her chair and survived. Only to endure a 9-day trek to the nearest civilization.
Ea-Nasir: world's oldest written customer complaint
This clay tablet, written in cuneiform, is the oldest known written customer complaint about the delivery of poor quality copper ingots. Originally from ancient Babylon, the tablet dates back to 1750 BCE, and it was written by a customer named Nanni to a merchant named Ea-Nasir. It is currently housed in the British Museum.
Titanoboa cerrejonensis, fossils of the world’s largest species of snake
In 2009 in a coal mine of Columbia, scientists discovered fossils of the world’s largest species of snake. The species is called “Titanoboa cerrejonensis,“and it is from around 60 million years ago. It would have had measured about 48 feet long and weighed about 2,500 pounds
The worst blizzard in recorded history: the 1972 Iran blizzard
The deadliest snowstorm ever recorded occurred in Iran in 1972. It lasted for a week, burying areas in 26 feet of snow and killing over 4,000 people, including the entire populations of three villages.
The Tragic Story Of Mary Ann Bevan, The ‘Ugliest Woman In The World’
After the death of her husband, Mary Ann Bevan had no income to support herself and her children. She then decided to enter a contest where she won the title of “ugliest woman” and was later hired by a circus. She endured this ridicule from the world to provide for her family.
How European Rabbits Took over Australia
In 1859, wealthy settler Thomas Austin released 13 wild rabbits on his Australian estate. By 1920, their population grew to 10 billion.
how Ferris wheel invented
In 1891, Chicago challenged engineers to create a structure to surpass the Eiffel Tower for the World's Columbian Exposition. George Washington Gale Ferris jr. responded with the original Ferris Wheel, a giant rotating structure elevating visitors above the city. This invention became an iconic attraction at the fair.
Why was the Eiffel Tower almost demolished
The Eiffel Tower was intended to be a temporary structure for the World's Fair in 1889, but it was nearly dismantled and sold for scrap metal. It was saved because of its potential use as a radio antenna, and it now serves as a tourist attraction as well as a working broadcast tower.
William James Sidis: The smartest person yet forgotten by people
William James Sidis, who was only 11 years old when he enrolled in Hardvard, finished his primary and secondary schooling in less than a year. He knew eight foreign languages by the age of eight and even invented his own language, "vedergood."
Underground Railroad to Mexico freed thousands of slaves in 1829
Slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829. Slaves were escaping to Mexico, and slaveholders in the US were aware of this. The US attempted to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, which would have required Mexico to send back escaped slaves to the US. But, Mexico refused, arguing that slaves were free as soon as they set foot on Mexican soil.
Poto And Cabengo: The Secret Language Of Twins
Poto and Cabengo, as the two girls called each other, communicated in their own language. The twins were ignored by their parents and secluded from the outside world because their father felt they were developmentally retarded, and their unique language evolved as a result of that neglect.
Inside China’s Footbinding Tradition: The Painful Ritual of Lotus Shoes and Bound Feet
In China, Lotus shoes were used to bind women's feet to keep their feet small
The 440-pound bear named Wojtek and his World War II battle against the Nazis
Polish troops raised an orphaned bear cub during WWII. He enjoyed drinking beer, and was trained to salute. He became officially enlisted as a member of the forces, and helped carry artillery during battle.
History of Treadmill, punishment for prisoners
Treadmills were originally a punishment used to harness human power on a giant wheel used to grind grains, hence the name "treadmill." The History of Treadmill
The history of Flour sack clothing fashion
After Kansas mill owners found women reused flour sack materials into apparel in the 1920s and 1930s, they started applying patterned designs to give families with more fashionable patterns and material.
3 men lived on top of a billboard in tents for almost 9 months
From 1982-1983, three men in Allentown PA competed in a radio contest in which they lived on top of a billboard in tents. Whoever stayed up longest would win a house. Due to economic pressure from the recession, none of the contestants wanted to give up, so the contest lasted almost 9 months.
During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.
Iranian inmate dies from happiness after finding out he will not be executed
An Iranian man who was convicted of murder reportedly died from happiness after learning that his death sentence was being commuted.
George Dantzig solved two famous “unsolved” problems in statistics mistakenly as assignment
In 1939, George Dantzig arrived late to his statistics class. On the board were two famous “unsolved” problems in statistics written as an example by his professor. Dantzig mistook the examples for homework assignments. He solved the “unsolved” problems and submitted the homework to his professor a few days later. His solutions earned him a doctorate.
Nordlingen, The Town Inside A Meteorite Crater With Millions Of Meteorite Diamonds
The German town of Nördlingen is embedded with 72,000 tons of microscopic diamonds. About 15 million years ago, a meteorite hit this region, and the impact created a massive depression and formed rocks containing diamonds, glass, and crystals. The town was built in the impact crater sometime around 898 CE.
Roller Coasters were First Invented to Distract People from sin
Roller coasters were invented to distract Americans from sin. In the 1880s, hosiery businessman LaMarcus Thompson didn’t like that Americans were going to places like saloons and brothels and created the first roller coaster on Coney Island to persuade them to go there instead.
