Jericho: The Ancient City with the First Walls

The geographical setting of Jericho reflects the profound relationship between environment and human development that characterized the Neolithic revolution, as the combination of abundant freshwater, fertile alluvial soils, and strategic location created conditions that enabled some of humanity's earliest experiments in permanent settlement and agricultural production. The Ein es-Sultan spring, which produces approximately 1,000 cubic meters of water per hour, created an oasis in the otherwise arid Jordan Valley that could support year-round habitation and intensive cultivation, making it one of the most attractive locations for settlement in the entire Levantine region.

The earliest evidence of human presence at Jericho dates to the Natufian period around 12,000 years ago, when hunter-gatherer groups began establishing semi-permanent settlements near reliable water sources as they developed new strategies for exploiting local resources and managing seasonal variations in food availability.