Tell es-Sultan
 Shown within the Palestinian territories
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| Location | Jericho, Palestine |
|---|---|
| Region | Levant |
| Coordinates | 31°50′16″N 35°20′55″E / 31.83778°N 35.34861°ECoordinates: 31°50′16″N 35°20′55″E / 31.83778°N 35.34861°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 10000 BCE |
| Abandoned | c. 900 BCE |
| Cultures | Natufian, Canaanite |
| Official name | Ancient Jericho: Tell es-Sultan |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, iv, vi |
| Designated | submitted 2012 (Tentative) |
| Reference no. | 5704 |
| State Party | State of Palestine |
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
Tell es-Sultan (Sultan's Hill) is a UNESCO-listed archaeological site in the West Bank, located two kilometres north of the centre of Jericho. The tell was inhabited from the 10th millennium BCE, and has been called "the oldest town in the world", with many significant archaeological finds; the site is also notable for its role in the history of Levantine archaeology.
The first permanent settlement on the site developed between 10,000 and 9000 BCE. During the Younger Dryas period of cold and drought, permanent habitation of any one location was impossible. However, Tell es-Sultan was a popular camping ground for Natufian hunter-gatherer groups due to the nearby Ein as-Sultan spring; these hunter-gatherers left a scattering of crescent-shaped microlith tools behind them. Around 9600 BCE the droughts and cold of the Younger Dryas stadial came to an end, making it possible for Natufian groups to extend the duration of their stay, eventually leading to year-round habitation and permanent settlement. Epipaleolithic construction at the site appears to predate the invention of agriculture, with the construction of Natufian structures beginning earlier than 9000 BC, the very beginning of the Holocene epoch in geologic history.
The Pre-Pottery Neolithic A phase at Tell es-Sultan (ca. 8500 – 7500 BCE) saw the emergence of one of the world's first major proto-cities. As the world warmed up, a new culture based on agriculture and sedentary dwelling emerged, which archaeologists have termed "Pre-Pottery Neolithic A" (abbreviated as PPNA), sometimes called the Sultanian era after the town. PPNA villages are characterized by small circular dwellings, burial of the dead under the floor of buildings, reliance on hunting wild game, the cultivation of wild or domestic cereals, and no use of pottery yet.
The PPNA-era town, a settlement of around 40,000 square metres (430,000 sq ft), contained round mud-brick houses, yet no street planning. Circular dwellings were built of clay and straw bricks left to dry in the sun, which were plastered together with a mud mortar. Each house measured about 5 metres (16 ft) across, and was roofed with mud-smeared brush. Hearths were located within and outside the homes.
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