Q: Was the city-wall of Jericho built in the Neolithic times the same wall mentioned in the Bible as having been destroyed by the Israelites when walking around it with the Arc of the Covenant?

A: Yes and no. Yes, archaeological findings at the site confirm that the city-wall of Jericho was constructed during the Neolithic Period (approximately 8,000 to 7,000 BC) and re-built and expanded on several occasions later during the Neolithic. Archaeology also confirms that Israel’s invasion of the city occurred at the end of the thirteenth century BC, in the Iron I period. However, the story of the Israelites destroying the city-wall may not be historically accurate as told in the Bible. Archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, who carried out extensive excavations at the site between 1952 and 1598, concluded that the Neolithic city wall of Jericho fell long before Joshua’s arrival. So, the Israelites could not have possibly destroyed the wall. Most likely when they arrived at Jericho, they found the ruins of this great monument.

Quick note: The reliability of the Old Testament as a source of accurate historical knowledge has been a subject of great scholarly debate in the twentieth century. There are two main academic movements: the Biblical Archaeology School, which believes in the accuracy of the Bible as a source of history; and the Biblical minimalistic movement, also known as The Copenhagen School of Archaeology, which believes that the Old Testament historical account was highly exaggerated. Even though improved archaeological methods in the second half of the twentieth century do not support the claims of the Biblical Archaeology School, most academics still consider the Bible as great source of historical knowledge.

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