We know from 15th century BC cuneiform tablets and from artifacts of distinctive painted pottery unique to Jericho found during excavations, that the walled city of Jericho was inhabited from before 1700 BC to around 1400 BC.
Archaeological excavations at Jericho have recovered a near continuous series of Egyptian royal scarabs. These scarabs are from pharaohs all the way from the 18th century BC to the beginning of the 14th century BC, or from the Egyptian 13th Dynasty to the middle of the 18th Dynasty.
Found in tombs, these discoveries include: 1) a rare scarab of the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, an artifact only manufactured and used during her reign (which we know because of her unpopularity following her death); 2) one scarab and one seal of her coregent and successor Thutmose III (a rare and unique two-sided seal, also only made and used in his reign because of the difficulty in producing it); and 3) two scarabs of Amenhotep III.
The two scarabs of Amenhotep III, whose reign bridged the 15th and 14th centuries BC, are extremely important because Amenhotep III is the last pharaoh whose artifacts were found in the ruins of the Bronze Age city of Jericho. As such, these artifacts place the fall of Jericho during his reign.
One of the two Amenhotep III scarabs is of particular interest. The inscribed, flat side of the scarab contains the cartouche of the pharaoh with his “throne name,” Neb Maat Ra. The scarab exhibits extremely fine Egyptian craftsmanship, indicating that it was manufactured in Egypt and exported to Canaan. To the left of the cartouche appears an early form of an icon of the Aten sun disk with its outstretched rays. The iconography of Aten would continue to develop as Aten increased in prominence in Egypt. Interestingly, Amenhotep III was often referred to as “the Sun” in the Amarna Letters. (You can read more about the Amarna Letters here)
Since later generations in Egypt would see religious reforms of extreme Atenism or the even later reversion to Amun worship, early iconography. helps pinpoint the age of the scarab.
Summary
Evidence strongly indicates that this scarab of Amenhotep III found at Jericho was contemporary with his reign. This, in turn, provides strong support that the destruction and abandonment of Jericho occurred around 1400 BC, which is the date range that can be ascertained from a chronological analysis of the Biblical books of Numbers, Joshua, and Judges.
