The First Towns

Once people began to farm and to settle in permanent villages, the world’s population grew rapidly. Towns grew up with a more complex way of life. More houses were built, services such as roads, drainage systems and shops were established, and trade between towns flourished.

Little is known about the first towns, but the ruins of two ancient towns – Jericho in Jordan and Catal Huyuk in Turkey – have given archaeologists a fascinating glimpse into the past.

Jericho dates from about 8000 BC, and is one of the oldest towns to have been excavated. It was built near a natural spring that was used by farmers to water their fields. Wheat and barley were grown, and sheep and goats raised. Jericho stood on an important trade route and quickly grew wealthy. Among the goods traded were obsidian (a volcanic, glassy rock), shells and semi-precious stones. Massive stone walls, some 3 metres thick and more than 5 metres high, were built to keep out enemies.

A lookout was kept from a 9-metre tall circular watchtower. Inside the walls were small, circular houses made of mud bricks. At one time up to 2,000 people lived there. Jericho’s walls were destroyed many times, but not by invading enemies: they were toppled by a series of earthquakes.

Catal Huyuk was built on a fertile river plain. Its people grew wheat, barley and vegetables, bred cattle and traded in obsidian. By 6500 BC, some 5,000 people lived there. They lived in rectangular houses, interconnected with no outside doors. People entered through holes in the roofs, reached by ladders. If the town was attacked, the ladders were drawn up, leaving no obvious means of entry.

The town of Catal Huyuk in about 6000 BC. Rooms were painted with vultures and headless men, and contained plaster bulls’ heads and statuettes of mother goddesses. The men shown dressed as vultures (in the centre) are priests. It is thought that the dead were put on platforms for vultures to pick clean.

People have lived in the ancient town of Jericho continuously since about 8000 BC. In the 8^th century AD, the Arabic ruler Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik started to build a place there, for use as a royal hunting lodge. Hisham’s Palace was never completed, but its ruins are still standing.