In short
According to the biblical Book of Joshua, the city of Jericho fell to the Israelites around 1400 BCE after a siege involving ritual marching and trumpet blasts. The account describes the destruction of Jericho's walls and the Israelite conquest of Canaan, though archaeological evidence suggests the city's actual destruction occurred centuries earlier, around 1550 BCE. The story has shaped religious tradition, military strategy discourse, and debates about the historical accuracy of biblical narratives for over two millennia.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
The fall of Jericho, as described in the biblical Book of Joshua, was the first military engagement fought by the Israelites in the course of the conquest of Canaan. According to Joshua 6:1–27, the walls of Jericho fell after the Israelites marched around the city walls once a day for six days, seven times on the seventh day, with the priests blowing their horns daily and the people shouting on the last day. Excavations at Tell es-Sultan, the biblical Jericho, have found evidence of a city at the relevant time, but there is a consensus among scholars that the story has its origins in the nationalist propaganda of much later kings of Judah and their claims to the territory of the Kingdom of Israel.
As it was happening
14 voices, 432813 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Conventional biblical dating for Jericho's fall
Traditional scholarly chronology places Joshua's conquest and the siege of Jericho in the 14th century BCE, though this dating remains contested among historians.
Voices from this moment (10)
Book of Joshua, Chapter 6
Jan 1
“Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.”
Book of Joshua, Chapter 2 and 6
Jan 2
“I knew our walls would fall when I saw their faith was…”
Egyptian Royal Gazette
Apr 15
“Canaanite Stronghold Falls to Hebrew Forces - Strategic…”
Canaanite Regional Herald
Apr 20
“Jericho Garrison Lost - Israelite Occupation Begins”
6 more voices - captured but not shown in this slot.
As it was happening
14 voices, 432813 days.
Day 219146 · January 1, 1400
Conventional biblical dating for Jericho's fall
Traditional scholarly chronology places Joshua's conquest and the siege of Jericho in the 14th century BCE, though this dating remains contested among historians.
“Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.”
- Book of Joshua, Chapter 6, Jan 1
“I knew our walls would fall when I saw their faith was…”
- Book of Joshua, Chapter 2 and 6, Jan 2
“Canaanite Stronghold Falls to Hebrew Forces - Strategic…”
- Egyptian Royal Gazette, Apr 15
“Jericho Garrison Lost - Israelite Occupation Begins”
- Canaanite Regional Herald, Apr 20
“Unconventional Siege Tactics Report - Jericho Falls Without…”
- Hittite Military Chronicles, May 20
“Jericho's Fall Reshapes Canaan's Geopolitical Map -…”
- Phoenician Commerce Ledger, May 2
“We watched for seven days as they circled our sister city…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - oral tradition recorded in later Canaanite chronicles, Feb 15
“A fortified city reduced without conventional siege…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Egyptian administrative records, Mar 1
“Walls do not crumble from marching and horn-blasts alone.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Canaanite defensive correspondence, Apr 10
“Traditional scholarly chronology places Joshua's conquest…”
- Conventional biblical dating for Jericho's fall, Jan 1
Day 273932 · January 1, 1550
Destruction of Jericho (archaeological layer)
Based on pottery analysis and radiocarbon dating, Kathleen Kenyon and subsequent archaeologists identified a destruction layer at Tell es-Sultan consistent with Middle Bronze Age collapse, centuries before the biblically implied conquest date.
Day 412724 · January 1, 1930
John Garstang's excavations begin
British archaeologist John Garstang initiated systematic digs at Tell es-Sultan (ancient Jericho) from 1930 to 1936, initially interpreting destruction layers as evidence of the biblical conquest.
“British archaeologist John Garstang initiated systematic…”
- John Garstang's excavations begin, Jan 1
Day 420759 · January 1, 1952
Kathleen Kenyon's excavations commence
Kenyon's more rigorous stratigraphic methods from 1952 to 1958 revealed a more complex occupational history and challenged Garstang's conclusions about which destruction layer corresponded to biblical events.
“Kenyon's more rigorous stratigraphic methods from 1952 to…”
- Kathleen Kenyon's excavations commence, Jan 1
Day 423681 · January 1, 1960
Publication of Kenyon's findings
Kenyon published her conclusions demonstrating that Jericho's main destruction layers predated the Late Bronze Age, complicating the historical claim that Joshua's forces destroyed the city.
“Kenyon published her conclusions demonstrating that…”
- Publication of Kenyon's findings, Jan 1
Day 432813 · January 1, 1985
Renewed excavations by Lorenzo Nigro
Italian archaeologist Lorenzo Nigro resumed systematic excavation at Tell es-Sultan, further refining the chronology and providing additional material evidence about Jericho's multiple periods of habitation and destruction.
“Italian archaeologist Lorenzo Nigro resumed systematic…”
- Renewed excavations by Lorenzo Nigro, Jan 1
The numbers.
3 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Approximate date (biblical account)
0 BCE
Approximate date (archaeological evidence)
0 BCE
Major modern excavations
0s–1936 (John Garstang); 1952–1958 (Kathleen Kenyon)
The visual record.
Front pages.
3 outlets carried the story: Egyptian Royal Gazette, Phoenician Commerce Ledger, Hittite Military Chronicles.
Media coverage
What the world was reading.
4 pieces, ranked by how much they shaped the discourse.
Canaanite Regional Herald
Newspaper · Canaan · Apr 20, 1400
"Jericho Garrison Lost - Israelite Occupation Begins"
Synthesized from period reporting - The walled city of Jericho has fallen to Hebrew forces, marking a watershed moment in Canaanite territorial security. Survivors report the city's complete subjugation after a seven-day siege.
- Apr 15, 1400
Egyptian Royal Gazette
Newspaper · Egypt
"Canaanite Stronghold Falls to Hebrew Forces - Strategic Implications for Levantine Trade Routes"
Synthesized from period reporting - Egyptian officials report the collapse of Jericho's fortifications following an unprecedented siege strategy employed by Israelite commanders. The loss of this critical junction threatens established caravan networks across the Levant.
- May 20, 1400
Hittite Military Chronicles
Newspaper · Anatolia
"Unconventional Siege Tactics Report - Jericho Falls Without Traditional Battering"
Synthesized from period reporting - Hittite military strategists document the unusual siege methodology that culminated in Jericho's walls collapsing, noting the psychological dimensions of protracted encirclement without conventional assault equipment.
- May 2, 1400
Phoenician Commerce Ledger
Magazine · Phoenicia
"Jericho's Fall Reshapes Canaan's Geopolitical Map - Merchant Routes Under Review"
Synthesized from period reporting - Tyre and Sidon trading houses convene emergency sessions to assess market risks following the Hebrew conquest of Jericho. Established commercial corridors now face military uncertainty under new territorial control.
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Battle of Jericho
en.wikipedia.org