The oldest part of the city, known as Tell es-Sultan, lies just north of modern Jericho. Excavations at the site reveal human activity dating as far back as, 9000 B.C., during the Natufian period.

Interim excavation report (Vicino Oriente XXIX, 2024) links a ninth-century BCE inscription and two Bronze-Age fire layers to the Judges and Exodus narratives.

Object Details Author Archaeological Institute of America Contents Introduction / James B. Pritchard -- Archaeological Periods of the Holy Land Before the Bible : The dawn of history in southern ...