A tel is a hill inside which is an ancient city. A city built on top of a hill would get conquered and the new folks would build over the town, using existing walls. This cycle repeats itself until the city is abandoned. Then the structure is filled in by dust, mud and other sediments till someone digs it up.
Monday we went to the tel of Jericho, which is currently being excavated. The tel has many layers, some say as many as 23. One of the neat things archaeologists have discovered is a watch tower which dates from the Neolithic period (i.e. really old).
Then we went to see the remains of King Herod the Great's winter palace. This guy was not so great because he killed a bunch of people in his paranoia.
Lastly, we went on a short hike on a ridge overlooking St. George Monastery. The structure is built onto the canyon walls. The Greek Orthodox monastery was built here to commemorate Christ's 40 days in the wilderness.
No comments:
Post a Comment