By Beryl Ratzer*
Appearing in the Book of Revelation, Megiddo is the setting for a future battle between the forces of good and evil. For archaeologists, it is perhaps the most important site in Israel dating from biblical times.
For visitors to Israel from South Africa, particularly first-time visitors, Megiddo is usually on the “must see” list. For Christians, it is particularly fascinating in that it spans human history from virtually the dawn of civilization to the cataclysmic Armageddon or Apocalypse as revealed to John in the New Testament.
Megiddo is one of the best known excavated tels in Israel. What is a tel you may ask. A tel is an ancient site, which began as a low hill but over the years increased in height mainly due to the many levels of occupation. The earliest levels can go back more than five thousand years when the homes were mud bricks. In the later levels, buildings were stone and often there were massive walls and gates. Archaeologists peel away the levels, identifying them mainly by the pottery they uncover.
Excavations show that Megiddo has more than twenty layers of occupation. The Early Bronze Age I (3500–3100 BCE) temple is considered to be one of the most impressive constructions of that period.
Battle after Battle
Throughout the millennia, Megiddo has remained strategically important as it controls the Via Maris – the ancient trade route connecting Egypt with the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia and Asia Minor – overlooking the Jezre’el Valley.
According to Egyptian inscriptions on the Temple of Karnak describing Thutmose III’s (1479–1425 BCE) campaign to quell a revolt by the Canaanite kings, the routed armies regrouped to stop his progress northward at Megiddo.
His generals knew that there were three routes to Megiddo of which the direct route via the Iron Valley was the most hazardous and thus not recommended. Thutmose calculated that the Canaanite alliance would not expect him to use this approach so he did, surprising and defeating them.
To force the surrender of those who had sought refuge at Megiddo in 1457 BCE, the Egyptians laid siege to Megiddo. The remarkable thing is that the Egyptians never discovered the amazing Canaanite water system, which brought water from a spring outside the city walls into the city.
This aqueduct, designed and constructed by the early Canaanites before the discovery of iron, continued in use for hundreds of years, undergoing alterations and expansion, until settlement at Megiddo came to an end. Remains of Canaanite walls and gates have also been uncovered.
Although supposedly conquered by Joshua (Josh 12:21), there do not appear to be clearly defined remains from this period. The wall and impressive gates which have been excavated are the subject of a debate between archaeologists. Were they built during the period of the United Kingdom of Israel by King Solomon (I Kings 9:15) or later, after the split, by King Ahab?
Did Megiddo serve as a chariot city where the king’s horses were housed? Were the long rectangular buildings, where many rock hewn troughs were found, stables, or store-rooms where the heavily laden animals were loaded or off-loaded?
Was the large granary built by the early Canaanite kings, or the later Israelite kings?
When the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 723 BCE and the ten tribes sent into exile, the Megiddo junction remained strategically important but the city was a mere shadow of itself.
By 609 BCE, when the next documented battle of Megiddo took place, the Assyrian Empire was fading, and the Babylonian Empire was in ascendancy. When the Assyrian ally, Pharaoh Necho II was on his way northwards to assist them, he had to pass through the Kingdom of Judah.
King Josiah, who tried to prevent the Egyptian advance, was killed in battle at Megiddo and brought to Jerusalem for burial (II Kings 23:29). While the failure of his plan led to Egyptian control of Judah, it also brought about the final demise of Assyria.
By 586 BCE, with the conquest of Judah by the Babylonians, little remains of Megiddo. But its reputation as the site of major battles remained and in the Christian tradition, the battle at the ‘end of days’ will take place at Armageddon, which is the corruption of Ir Megiddo, city of Megiddo, or Har Megiddo, hill of Megiddo. (Rev 16:16)
In modern times, two major battles have been fought in the same area. The first was in 1918, during World War I, between Allied troops, led by General Edmund Allenby, and the defending Ottoman army. The second was in 1967, during the Six Day War, between the Israeli and Jordanian armies.
Megiddo is thought to be the basis for James Michener’s epic novel: “The Source”. Highly recommended!
*Born and educated in South Africa, Beryl Ratzer is an Israeli Tour Guide, who combines her knowledge of Israeli archaeology, geography and history with her great love of the Land of Israel to enrich the tourist and the historian alike in their Holy Land adventure.
She is the author of ‘A Historical Tour Of The Holly Land’
A concise history of the Holy Land with photographs and illustrations, history comes alive as you read – Hebrew scriptures, and learn about the Canaanites, Israelites, First and Second Temples, Greeks, Romans, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Crusaders, Mamelukes culminating in the State of Israel.
www.ratzer-holyland.com
