Chapter 2: Cities Rise from the Dust

Years passed. Then generations.

Five cities rose from the plain — Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Each had its own king. Each had its own walls. But two cities towered above the rest.

Sodom, ruled by King Bera, became the seat of power. Its workers shaped millions of mud bricks and stacked them into walls five meters thick. A four-story palace rose at its center, and from its rooftop, Bera looked down on an empire. The city had something no other could boast — two springs inside its walls, one warm and one cold, channeling water directly into the homes.

KING BERA“Let the other cities trade and farm. Sodom rules.”

Gomorrah, ruled by King Birsha, became the heart of commerce. Its markets stretched for blocks, filled with merchants from Egypt, Babylon, and beyond. Caravans arrived daily carrying spices, textiles, and silver. What Sodom had in power, Gomorrah had in wealth.

KING BIRSHA“Every road in the valley leads to my gates. Every coin eventually passes through my hands.”

The three smaller cities — Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar — served their larger neighbors. They grew the grain. They raised the livestock. They depended on the protection of Sodom and the trade routes of Gomorrah.

Together, the five cities formed a kingdom of plenty. Three harvests each year. Storehouses overflowing. Life was easy.

Perhaps too easy.