CITY
359
CITY
they were citiea in every sense of the tenn. Hie name Kiijathaim, " doable city" (Gesenius, Thetaur, Heb, p. 1236X indicates an existing city, and not a site only. It may be added that the remains of civic boildings existing in Moab are evidently very ancient, if not, in some cases, the same as those erected by the aborig- inal Emim and Rephaim. (Compare also the name Avith, "rains," Gesenius, ib. p. 1000 ; Gen. xix, 1, 29 ; xxxvi, 85 ; Isa. xxiii, 13 ; see Wilkinson, Anc, Egjfpt. 1,808; Layard, iVtn. osMJ £ci(. p. 582 ; Porter, />ama»- ow, i, 309 ; ii, 196 ; Rawlinson, Oui&nei ofAssyr. Hist. p. 4, 5.) Bat though it appears probable that, what- ever dates may be assigned to the building of Babylon or Nineveh in their later condition, they were in tact rebuilt at those epochs, and not founded for the first time, and that towns in some form or other may have occupied the sites of the later Nineveh or Calah ; it is quite clear that cities existed in Syria prior to the time of Abraham, who himself came from *' Ur," the " dty** of the Chald»ans (Gesenius, t&. p. 55 ; Bawlin- 8on, p. 4).
The earliest description of a city, properly so called, is that of Sodom (Gen. xix, 1-22) ; but it is certain that from very early times cities existed on the sites of Jerusalem, Hebron, and Damascus.' The last, said to be the oldest city in the world, must, fh>m its un- rivalled situation, have always commanded a oongpre- gated population ; Hebron is said to have been built seven years before Zoan (Tanis) in Egypt, and is thus the only Syrian town which presents the elements of a date for its foundation (Num. xiii, 22 ; see Stanley, Pak$t. p. 409; Josephus, AfU.i,B,i; Conybeare and Howson, St, Paul, i, 94, 96). But therer can be no doubt tliat, whatever date may be given to Egyptian civilization, there were inhabited cities in Egypt long before this (Gen. xii, 14, 15 ; see Martineau, Eastern Uft, i, 151 ; Wilkinson, i, 807 ; Smith, Diet, of Class, Gtog. 8. V. Tanis). The name, however, of Hebron, Kiijath-Arba, indicates its existence at least as early as the time of Abraham, as the dty, or fortified place of Arba, an aboriginal province of Southern Palestine (Gen. xxiii, 2 ; Josh, xiv, 15). The "tower of Edar," near Bethlehem, or "of flocks," indicates a position fortified against marauders (Gen. xxxv, 21). Wheth- er ^ the city of Shalem" be a site or an existmg town cannot be determined ; but there can be no doubt that tile situation of )6hechem is as well identified in the present day, as its importance as a fortified place is plain from the Scripture narrative (Gen. xxxiii, 18 ; zxxiv, 20, 26 ; see Robinson, iii, 114). On the whole, it seems plain that the Canaanite, who was "in the land" before the coming of Abraham, had already built cities of more or less importance, which had been largely increased by the time of the return from Egypt. Even before the time of Abraham there were cities in Sgypt (Gen. xii, 14, 15; Num. xiii, 22; see WUkin- 8on, i, 4, 5). The Israelites, during their sojourn there, were employed in building or fortifying the *' treasure <^es" of Pithom (Abbasieh) and Raamses (Exod. i, U; Herod, ii, 158; see Robinson, i, 79); but their pastoral habits make it unlikely that they should bnfld, still less fortify, cities of their own in Goshen (Gen. xlvi, 84 ; xlvii, 1-11). Meafewhile the settled inhabitants of Syria on both sides of the Jordan had grown in power, and in number of " fenced cities." In the kingdom of Sihon are many names of cities pre- ttrved td the present day ; and in the kingdom of Og, m Bashan, were sixty "great cities with walls and brazen bars," besides unwalled villages; and also twenty-three cities hi Gilead, which were occupied, and P«rhap8 partly rebuilt or fortified, by the tribes on the east of Jordan (Num. xxi, 21, 82, 88, 85; xxxU, 1-8, f , 42; Deut. iii, 4, 5, 14; Josh, xi, xiii ; 1 Kings iv, « ; 1 Chron. ii, 22 ; see Burckhardt, Sifria, p. 811, 457 ; Sorter, Damascus, ii, 196, 196, 206, 269, 275). On the ^^ of Jordan, whilst 81 "royal" cities are enumera- ^ (Josh. xii),. hi the district assigned to Jndah 125
"cities" with villages are reckoned (Josh, xv); in Benjamin, 26; to Simeon, 17; Zebulun, 12; Issachar, 16; Asher, 22; Kaphtali, 19; Dan, 17 (Josh, xviii, xix). But from some of Uiese the possessors were not expelled till a late period, and Jerusalem itself was not captured till the thne of David (2 Sam. v, 6-9). From this time the Hebrews became a city-dwelling and agricultural rather than a pastoral people. David enlarged Jerusalem ; and Solomon, besides embellish- ing hb capital, also built or rebuilt Tadmor, Palmyra, Gezer, Beth-horon, Hazor, and Megiddo, besides store- cities (2 Sam. v, 7, 9, 10 ; 1 Kings ix, 15-18; 2 Chron. viii, 6). To Solomon also is ascribed by Eastern tra- dition the building of PersepoUs (Chardin, Voyage^ viii, 890 ; Mandelsk), i, 4 ; Kur&n, c xxxviii). The works of Jeroboam at Shechem (1 Kings xii, 25 ; Judg. ix, 45), of Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi, 5-10), of Baasha at Rama, interrupted by Asa (1 Kings xv, 17, 22), of Omri at Samaria (xvi, 24), the rebuilding of Jericho in the time of Ahab (xvi, 84), the woriu of Jehosha- phat (2 Chron. xvii, 12), of Jotham (2 Chron. xxvii, 4), thtf rebuilding of Jerusalem, and, later still, the works of Herod and his family, belong to their re- spective articles.