It was common custom, years before the New Testament, for people in the Roman world to refer to Rome itself as the "city of seven hills." Tradition states that when Romulus and Remus, who founded Rome, wanted to build a city in the area of the Tibur (Tiber) River, they specially chose a site that had this unique characteristic. The city of Jerusalem, as it existed in Jesus' time, was also reckoned such a city.
Jerusalem is not the only city in the world considered or historically believed to be built on seven hills. Others include Babylon, Moscow, Mecca, Lisbon, Tehran and Amman. More than nineteen cities in the United States also lay claim to being founded on this type of unique area.
In the Bible, the city of Jerusalem is referenced using different names, titles and designations. In ancient times, the city was referred to as Salem (Genesis 14:18). The city was called Jebus (Joshua 18:28, Judges 19:10) due to the Jebusites who inhabited it before the time the Israelites entered the Promised Land. The city was conquered by King David, renamed, and made the capital of a united Israel in 1003 B.C.
Additionally, other than its reference as a city of seven hills, Jerusalem has also been referred to as Zion (1Kings 8:1, Zechariah 9:13), the city of David (2Samuel 5:7, Isaiah 22:9), the city of God (Psalm 46:4), the city of the great King (Psalm 48:2), God's holy mountain (Daniel 9:16, 20) and the holy city (Matthew 4:5) to name a few.