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The Fir§t Tonms

Once people began to farm and to settle in
permírnent villages, the worldos population
grew rapidly. Towns grew up with a more
complex way of life. More houses were built
and services were established for the
people of the town to use, such as roads,
drainage systems and shops. j
;§

Trade also grew between the towns, as

neighbouring farmers bought and sold any surplus produce. |.

Specialistcraftworkersproducedclaypots,jarsandcooking
vessels.otherscarvedfigurinesandfinejewelleryforuseby
the town's people and for trade. Little is known about the first
towns. The ruins of two ancient towns, however, have proüded
*t
archaeologists with a fascinating glimpse into the past--Jericho in
Jordan in the Near East, and Qatal Hüy-uk in Turkey. t"
Dating from about 8000nc,Jericho was one of the oldest towns j
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to be examined by archaeologists. The town was constructed near

a natural spring, which was ideal for watering farmers' fields.
wheat and barley were grown, with sheep and goats raised for A The ruins of
Hisham's Palace in
üeir meat. Jericho also stood on an important trade route and
Jericho. Peo|lll huue lit,..
quickly grew wealthy. Among the goods traded were obsidian (a lou, n o/ Jei rhu con l i )t t(,,,,,
rolcanic, glassy rock), shells and semi-precious stones used to |lb()ut B()U0 br lu lltc
Pti, .

Hiúam'.s Pttlurr t|o5 u l

make necklaces. To defend itself from envious neighbours, the
httttlittg torlgl. buitl itt tl-'.
town was surrounded by massive stone walls, some 3m thick and rcnlur.\,ad h; lhl .4ntl,j,
more than 5 m high, with a great, circular watch tower 9 m tall. CtlliPh Hisham ibn Abtl tl ,'.'
The Palarl ll1ű: nlu?t rn,,,
Inside the walls stood small, circular houses made of mud bricks,
and J()r tltun;, 1,utr.s. lu,,tl':
shaped by hand and left to bake hard in the sun.
Jericho's walls tlsed it (ls a qu(lrr) oJ'cLLt ;
24
 lö
20,000ec l 0,000 sc 5000 sc
ryrö

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,
THE FIRST 1,6141195'',:,i,
c, 9000 sc A shrine stands on lhe
' -1 site of ancientJericlro in the:
-I ; Near East.
c. 8000 nc.|ericho gl,ows into a
}-*- thriving town of some 2000 -"-T
p.,,ple. It is orrc of the
' oldest knrlrvn towrrs, built on ,]
M lhc wcst harrk of the rirer
'r
.}ordzrn. The íirst bricks are
a
1

made bvJerichols people. . i

_'-r']-
J , c. 7000rc.|ericho is destroved by, .
h- -.E §_i:: b-, an earihquake. btrt the l()wlr.*x
:
it, &
_ *\,j: i i. lot.. rebrrilt. The Trrrkish
' trltvn of Qatal Hüfik is
fourrded. By 6500 ec, it is a
L florrrishing place u.ith a
poprrlation ol .-1000 people.
F' c. 6500 nc The r lldcst knou n
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l,.
f,: i* textiles are macle in Qatal
ia/ ' Hü),rik. Tlrev are linen, made ,
"

F
,'

\ frtlrn tlre fibres oí'the flax

i_ plarrt. artd servn itttrl clotltes.

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,' uremony on the le,ft of this

:
! Picture, the tlriests are disguised
! *J ':,. as uultures. The
Peotlle oJ'Qatal
t', Hüytit< Probab\ exPosed thdr
_ *i]

i : rlead on
Platforms for the
é;-t*"
''-'&§ ;_ uultures lo hich llte boncs rlean.
-Were destroyed ína;rly l _,_
- 3,j-.
--,,
times, but not by invading
enemies. Instead they were
toppled by a series of
earthquakes. At one time, up
to 2000 people lived inJericho.
The people of Qatal Hüy-tlk
t&
rt' were also successful farmers. Thanks
to the town's position on a fertile river
plain, its people grew wheat, barley and
'*!
vegetables, altlrough the town's wealth was also This skull ttf tt ),()ung
- ,i cllt trade and cattle-breeding. The to\vn controlled the !,bloman u(l,., found in.[ericho.
."The features haue been mor],elkrJ
:r irr obsidian, fbr making tools ancl weapons, which was
..from Painled Pla.stn and lht
.r1 l]earby. By 6500nr;, Qatal Hiiyük was flourishing and some L?ys spl uith rouic shplk. Il
l people lived there. For saf'ety, they livecl in interconnecting, 4u&,maj haue been userJ in religious
+',
rituak, as Part clf .some form of
_,.]lgtllar houses, with no doors. People entered their horrses ', anrpslor uorshiP.'l'he rest ol the
igh l-roles in the roofs, reached by long, wooclen ladders. The ' unmutt'.s shclclon uas buied
l_(rps also acted as streets, If the town was attacked, the laclders Ít-,
: clrrickly clrarvn up, leaving no obvious means of entry.
t,."!|"d;n,h,
::?,",::," .,
25