From
the stone age to early civilization
Findings from the Paleolithic and Neolithic show the presence of hunter gatherers in the hills that were to become Jerusalem, dating back to perhaps more than a million years. One of the earliest representations of the human form was discovered in the Golan Heights (Venus of Berekhet Ram) and Jericho (35 km east of Jerusalem) is the site of one of the oldest fortified cities ever excavated (c. 11000 years old).
Chalcolitic (4500-3300BCE)
Potsherds found around the Gihon Spring are the first signs of settlement around the South Hill of the later city. While Jericho, Ai, Lachish, and Megiddo were fortified cities situated along important trade routes or near fertile agricultural developments, Jerusalem was located in remote mountainous territory unattractive to such urban development.
Early Bronze Age (3300-2200BCE)
Tombs found on the South Hill point to a rural settlement.
Middle Bronze Age (2200-1550BCE)
Egyptian execration texts from the period of Pharao Sesostris III (1878-1842) mention the names of enemies in Canaan (Eg. retenu) written on vessels that were subsequently smashed in a rite of sympathetic magic.
One of the places mentioned by name may be deciphered as rushalimum, meaning "founded by shalem." This deity is known from ancient Syrian myths where it is associated with the setting sun (dusk) or the evening star. Judging by the name, the city was dominated by a culture related to Ugaritic mythology which is similar to the Canaanite religion of the time.
Until recently, it was thought that the city mentioned in the Egyptian texts was relatively small and insignificant. The South Hill was fortified with a wall (discovered in 1961 by British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon), and the Gihon Spring and its adjacent pool seemed to have been accessible through a narrow vertical crevice in the rock discovered in 1867 and since called Warren's Shaft. Recent discoveries have thoroughly challenged this picture. (Click the link to "Warren's Shaft" to read more.)
