JERICHO, an ancient town of importance in the Dead sea valley, 5 m. N. of the Dead sea. According to the account given in Joshua it was the first Canaanite city to be attacked by the Israelites. The view has recently been put forward, based on the excavations, that Jericho was destroyed in the 14th century B.C. and that it was already a heap of ruins in the time of Joshua. Its refortification was due to Hiel, a man of Bethel (I Ki. xvi. 34), and is depicted later as the headquarters of a prophetic school (2 Ki. ii.). Elisha cured the poisonous waters of its spring, now known as 'Ain es-Sultan. It was at Jericho that the Babylonians scattered Zedekiah's army (2 Ki. xxv.) and brought to an end the kingdom of Judah. In the New Testament Jericho comes to mind in the stories of blind Bartimeus, the publican Zacchaeus of small stature, and the good Samaritan. Bacchides and Aristo bulus took it and Pompey encamped here on his way to Jerusalem. Herod and Vespasian severally caused panic amongst the inhabit ants and flight at their approach. Herod made it his winter resi dence, built a palace, baths, theatre and a fortress, and in Jericho he died. The city changed its site several times. The mound of
Tell es-Sultan, excavated by Sellin 1907-09, covers the site of the Canaanite city. The Roman, Herodian and Crusaders' cities were on different sites.
See C. F. Lehmann-Haupt, "Jericho," Klio. 14 (1914) 264; C. Wat zinger, "Jericho: Die Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen" (z. D.M.G.) (1926), 131 seq., W. J. Phythian-Adams, "Israelite Tradition and the Date of Joshua," Pal. Expl. Fund Quart. Stat. (1927) 34 seq.
(E. Ro.)