Today we are actively studying distant planets and even intend to settle on them. And all this despite the fact that we have not yet fully explored our native Earth. Archaeologists from all over the world now and then unearth the ruins of ancient cities - for example, the oldest settlement in the world called Chatal Huyuk has been studied for over 50 years. Sometimes finding ancient cities completely changes our understanding of modern countries. So, recently, scientists have taken a fresh look at the history of Israel, because the ruins of a huge city were found on its territory. It turned out that large Israeli cities have arisen a long time ago, and their inhabitants could erect huge buildings.
For the first time about the ancient Israeli city called En Esur became known in the 1960s. At that time, archaeologists were not particularly interested in the place, but a couple of years ago, construction of a highway began on the territory of the ancient landmark. It was then that archaeologists began to find the ruins of ancient structures and at the moment they have excavated more than 40,000 square meters of the settlement. Researchers believe that they found only 10% of the area of the once existed city, so everything interesting is yet to come.
The ruins of the city of En Esur were found during the construction of the highway.
The oldest city in Israel
According to scientists, the first people appeared in this place about 7000 years ago. Already at that time, the first public buildings were erected on the studied territory, that is, the settlement was already taking on urban outlines. Then, for unknown reasons, after a while, the population of En Esur suddenly began to grow. Ultimately, the area of the city was approximately 650,000 square meters, which made it possible to accommodate about 6,000 people.
According to the head of the excavation, Yitzhak Pats, the city consisted of a network of streets and squares. The roads were paved with stone, and the walls of the structures were plastered. A two-meter wall with towers was erected around the huge settlement, in which the military sat and defended the city from enemies.
Photo from the excavation site of En Esur.
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Ancient buildings of Israel
And the enemies, by the way, could notice the city from afar, because a giant building 25 meters high at that time was erected in it. According to scientists, this structure had a religious purpose - human figures and animal bones were found inside. Most likely, the priests from time to time brought sacrifices to God in the form of all kinds of living beings. In those days, this, in principle, was a common occurrence.
Also, archaeologists have found many warehouses in which cereals and other food were stored. Based on this, they assumed that many residents of the city of En Esur were engaged in agriculture. It also follows from this that the huge city was a center for various crafts and trade. And this, as the researchers emphasized, is one of the main distinguishing features of a city from a rural settlement.
The buildings in the city were constructed from large stones.
Archaeologists were also surprised that many buildings were constructed of boulders weighing up to 15 tons. Given that there are no rocks near the city, archaeologists have suggested that the builders had to haul heavy construction materials over a distance of several kilometers.
Ramis Ganiev