Editing Jericho (section)

===Hasmonean and Herodian periods===
After the abandonment of the Tell es-Sultan location, the new Jericho of the Late Hellenistic or [[Hasmoneans|Hasmonean]] and Early Roman or Herodian periods was established as a garden city in the vicinity of the royal estate at [[Tulul Abu el-'Alayiq]] and expanded greatly thanks to the intensive exploitation of the springs of the area.<ref name= Negev/> The new site consists of a group of low mounds on both banks of [[Wadi Qelt]].{{sfn|Jacobs|2000|p=691}} The Hasmoneans were a dynasty descending from a priestly group ([[Kohen|kohanim]]) from the [[tribe of Levi]], who ruled over Judea following the success of the [[Maccabean Revolt]] until Roman influence over the region brought Herod to claim the Hasmonean throne.<ref>Magnusson, Magnus (1977). ''Archaeology of the Bible''. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 219. {{ISBN|9780671240103}}.</ref>

The rock-cut tombs of a Herodian- and Hasmonean-era cemetery lie in the lowest part of the cliffs between Nuseib al-Aweishireh and [[Mount of Temptation]]. They date between 100&nbsp;BCE and 68&nbsp;CE.<ref name=Murphyp289/>

====Herodian period====
[[File:Jerycho50.jpg|thumb|right|Remains from [[Herod the Great|Herod]]'s palace]]

Herod had to lease back the royal estate at Jericho from [[Cleopatra]], after [[Mark Antony]] had given it to her as a gift. After their joint suicide in 30&nbsp;BCE, [[Octavian]] assumed control of the Roman Empire and granted Herod absolute rule over Jericho, as part of the new [[Herodian dynasty|Herodian]] domain. Herod's rule oversaw the construction of a [[hippodrome]]-theatre (''Tell es-Samrat'') to entertain his guests and new [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueducts]] to irrigate the area below the cliffs and reach his winter palaces built at the site of ''Tulul Abu el-Alaiq'' (also written ''ʾAlayiq'').<ref name=Murphyp289/> In 2008, the [[Israel Exploration Society]] published an illustrated volume of Herod's third Jericho palace.<ref>Rozenberg, Silvia; Netzer, Ehud (2008). ''Hasmonean and Herodian palaces at Jericho: final reports of the 1973–1987 excavations''. 4, "The decoration of Herod's third palace at Jericho". Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society & Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. {{ISBN|9789652210715}}. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/758612875 WorldCat website]</ref>

The murder of [[Aristobulus III]] in a swimming pool at the [[Hasmonean royal winter palaces]], as described by the Roman Jewish historian [[Josephus]], took place during a banquet organized by Herod's Hasmonean mother-in-law. After the construction of the palaces, the city had functioned not only as an agricultural center and as a crossroad, but also as a winter resort for [[Jerusalem]]'s aristocracy.<ref name=STF>[http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/012discuss.html Jericho – (Ariha)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307205816/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/012discuss.html |date=7 March 2016 }} Studium Biblicum Franciscum – Jerusalem.</ref>

Herod was succeeded in [[Herodian Tetrarchy|Judea]] by his son, [[Herod Archelaus]], who built a village in his name not far to the north, [[Archelaïs]] (modern Khirbet al-Beiyudat), to house workers for his date plantation.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

First-century Jericho is described in [[Strabo]]'s ''Geography'' as follows:

{{blockquote|Jericho is a plain surrounded by a kind of mountainous country, which in a way, slopes toward it like a theatre. Here is the [[Phoenix (plant)|Phoenicon]], which is mixed also with all kinds of cultivated and fruitful trees, though it consists mostly of palm trees. It is 100 [[stadion (unit)|stadia]] in length and is everywhere watered with streams. Here also are the Palace and the Balsam Park.<ref name=Murphyp289/>}}

====In the New Testament====
[[File:El Greco - Christ Healing the Blind - WGA10420.jpg|thumb|''Christ Healing the Blind in Jericho'', El Greco]]

The Christian [[Gospels]] state that [[Jesus]] of Nazareth passed through Jericho where he healed blind beggars ({{bibleverse|Matthew|20:29}}), and inspired a local chief [[tax collector]] named [[Zacchaeus]] to [[repent]] of his dishonest practices ({{bibleverse|Luke|19:1–10}}). The road between Jerusalem and Jericho is the setting for the [[Parable of the Good Samaritan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10&version=NIV |title=The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25 |publisher=Biblegateway.com |access-date=31 March 2011}}</ref>

[[John Wesley]], in his New Testament Notes on this section of [[Gospel of Luke|Luke's Gospel]], claimed that "about twelve thousand [[Kohen|priests]] and [[Levite]]s dwelt there, who all attended the service of the [[Temple in Jerusalem|temple]]".<ref>Wesley, J. (1754), [http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/john-wesleys-notes-on-the-bible/notes-on-the-gospel-according-to-st-luke/#Chapter+X ''Notes on The Gospel According to St Luke''] on chapter X, accessed on 31 March 2025</ref>

[[William Smith (lexicographer)|Smith]]'s ''Bible Names Dictionary'' suggests that "Jericho was once more 'a city of palms' when our Lord visited it. Here he restored sight to the blind ({{bibleverse|Matthew|20:30}}; {{bibleverse|Mark| 10:46}}; {{bibleverse|Luke| 18:35}}). Here the descendant of [[Rahab]] did not disdain the hospitality of Zacchaeus the [[publican]]. Finally, between Jerusalem and Jericho was laid the scene of his story of the good Samaritan."<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/smiths-bible-names-dictionary/Jericho Smith's Bible Names Dictionary: Jericho]. Retrieved 6 February 2017.</ref>