ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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The Tower of Jericho

From the Neolithic stone tower and its plastered skulls to the layers of later settlement and the biblical traditions that surround them.

Chapters

0:07 Foundations of a Neolithic Fortress
2:10 Life Inside the Early Settlement
3:19 Biblical Jericho in Tradition
4:19 Interpreting the Layers

On-screen text

0:07 Foundations of a Neolithic Fortress
0:14 Foundations of a Neolithic Fortress
0:31 Neolithic stone tower, 10 m high Historical record · Kathleen Kenyon, Excavations at Jericho (1952‑1958)
0:49 Thick stone wall surrounding tower Historical record · Kathleen Kenyon, Excavations at Jericho (1952‑1958)
1:07 Plastered skulls inside tower Historical record · Kathleen Kenyon, Excavations at Jericho (1952‑1958)
1:25 Tower built c. 9000 BCE The Institute's interpretation · Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from Jericho, published in Radiocarbon 1970
1:43 Impressed‑ware pottery layer Historical record · John Garstang, Jericho Excavations (1930‑1936)
2:01 Earthquake may have toppled wall The Institute's interpretation · R. L. Schick, “Jericho: The Collapse of the Neolithic Wall”, Palestine Exploration Quarterly 1992
2:10 Life Inside the Early Settlement
2:17 Life Inside the Early Settlement
2:34 Middle Bronze Age mud‑brick wall Historical record · Avi Gopher, “Jericho in the Middle Bronze Age”, 1995
2:52 Fortifications protect crops The Institute's interpretation · Ian Morris, The Archaeology of the Early Levant, 2003
3:10 Stone basin collects spring water Historical record · Kathleen Kenyon, Excavations at Jericho (1952‑1958)
3:19 Biblical Jericho in Tradition
3:26 Biblical Jericho in Tradition
3:52 Jannaeus rebuilds Jericho Tradition / scripture · Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 6
4:19 Interpreting the Layers
4:45 Morris: communal effort protected surplus The Institute's interpretation · Ian Morris, The Archaeology of the Early Levant, 2003

Sources

Historical record: Kathleen Kenyon, Excavations at Jericho (1952‑1958) · John Garstang, Jericho Excavations (1930‑1936) · Avi Gopher, “Jericho in the Middle Bronze Age”, 1995 · Eusebius, Onomasticon, entry for ‘Iericho’ · Dead Sea Scrolls, Cave 4, fragment 4QJer · Amarna Letter EA 382, correspondence with the ruler of ‘Jericho’, ca. 1350 BCE

Tradition / scripture: Book of Joshua, Chapter 6 · Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 6

The Institute's interpretation: Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from Jericho, published in Radiocarbon 1970 · R. L. Schick, “Jericho: The Collapse of the Neolithic Wall”, Palestine Exploration Quarterly 1992 · Ian Morris, The Archaeology of the Early Levant, 2003

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 219 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (22) — the next things to make

The tower is shown with a broad stone wall curving around it; a few workers carry baskets of stone blocks.
An archaeologist in a canvas tent brushes away soil from a shallow pit, pulling out a coarse pottery shard.
An animation shows a seismic wave shaking the stone wall, cracks spreading across its surface.
An animation shows a seismic wave shaking the stone wall, cracks spreading across its surface.
Workers channel water from a spring into a stone pool beside the wall, water glistening in the sun.
Workers channel water from a spring into a stone pool beside the wall, water glistening in the sun.
A stylized illustration shows Israelites circling a city wall with trumpets, the wall cracking open.
A stylized illustration shows Israelites circling a city wall with trumpets, the wall cracking open.
Flames lick the broken walls as figures with torches rush into the city.
Flames lick the broken walls as figures with torches rush into the city.
A Roman‑dressed pilgrim stands beside a bubbling spring, pointing to a low mound in the distance.
A scribe unrolls a papyrus fragment, ancient Hebrew letters spelling “Jericho” are visible.
A low sunrise illuminates the ancient mound of Jericho, its terraces faint against the horizon.
Archaeologists brush away dust, revealing distinct soil layers, each marked by different colored sediments and stone fragments.
A translucent giant spirit looms beside the collapsed wall, embodying the ancient community’s protective guardian.
A clay tablet with cuneiform marks rests on a wooden table, the inscription glows faintly.
A simulated tremor shakes a scale model; cracks spread through the wall, suggesting seismic collapse.
Excavated pits reveal stored barley sheaves, their husks preserved, indicating surplus agriculture.
The ancient mound rises beside a modern village, the layers of time visible in the terrain’s contours.
Ceramic shards with geometric patterns are laid out, their designs echoing ancient symbolic language.
A researcher writes notes, sketching each stratigraphic layer, the page filling with careful diagrams.
The sunrise crowns the mound, each layer shimmering, suggesting past lives converging into present understanding.