He was also a member of the megiddo expedition, in israel, excavating at biblical armageddon for ten seasons over a 20year period, from 1994 to 2014. Megiddo, named in the book of revelation as the setting for a future battle between the forces of good and evil, is for archaeologists perhaps the most important site in israel dating from biblical times. Megiddo place of crowns was in a very marked position on the southern rim of the plain of esdraelon, on the frontier line of the territories of the tribes of issachar and manasseh, 6 miles from mount carmel and 11 from nazareth. History of megiddo megiddo began to dominate the surrounding countryside in the 4th millennium b. Israeli prison to join armageddons list of ancient ruins. In a very real sense, the megiddo gallery encapsulates the history of ancient israel. Overview of the jezreel valley from megiddo chandler collins. Megiddo, israel reuters the end is nigh at armageddon at least for an old israeli prison near the ancient ruins of megiddo, by tradition the site of the apocalyptic biblical battle between. Briefing book home israel overviewmore on archaeology archeology provides a invaluable link between israel s past and present. Megiddo, an impressive site in the lower galilee region of northern israel was once. How the excavation of megiddo found evidence of a biblical. Megiddo megiddo, an impressive site in the lower galilee region of northern israel was once an ancient city was critical that dominated the aruna pass wadi ara or megiddo pass the entrance to one of the few passes through the carmel mountains.
Rewriting tel megiddos violent history discover magazine. During the bronze age, megiddo was an important canaanite citystate and during the iron age, a royal city in the kingdom of israel. While the spectators among the throngs saw the now famous dan. Megiddo s history up to the time of solomon is quite hazy. Biblical accounts of the ancient clashes at megiddo that remained vivid long after the.
The israelites eventually took megiddo, along with other cities of the area, and king solomon rebuilt the city as a military centre. Megiddo is known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance, especially under its greek name armageddon. It commanded one of those passes from the north into the hill country which were of such critical importance on various occasions in the history of judea. It guarded the western branch of a narrow pass and trade route connecting ancient egypt and assyria. Megiddo seal biblical archaeology in ancient israel. Armageddon is a place in israel tel megiddo duration. That means that while at some points in history, the city was attacked and destroyed, it was furthermore paved over. According to the book of revelation in the new testament of the christian bible, armageddon. According to the book of revelation, this the place where the last great battle.
Bible history online megiddo seal jeroboam inscription the megiddo seal was discovered in 1904 by an archaeological team led by gottlieb schumacher. The haas and schwartz megiddo gallery honors two families albert bud and cissy haas, and maurie and lois schwartz, whose. The book is full of archaeological information of the 10 civilizations that have existed on the site, and the pictures of the ruins are both interesting and beautiful. Tel megiddo is the site of the ancient city of megiddo whose remains form a tell archaeological mound, situated in northern israel near kibbutz megiddo, about 30 km southeast of haifa. The megiddo seal with the jeroboam inscription is of great importance in biblical archaeology, it mentions one of the kings of the northern kingdom of israel.
They made it through the first three levels before concentrating the work on certain areas. The project is run by the university of haifa and the george washington university assaf yasurlandau and eric h. Due to israel s long and rich prehistoric and ancient history, and its small size, the country maintains the highest ratio of ancient sites per area in the world. The word armageddon, greek for har megiddo mount megiddo in hebrew, had never been mentioned before revelation. History of megiddo megiddo began to dominate the surrounding countryside in the 4 th millennium b. Tel megiddo is considered one of the most ancient settlements in the middle east. At the ancient site of megiddo, archaeologists unearth new scientific insights that. The jezreel valley in israel, also known as the valley of megiddo where according to bible prophecy the battle of armageddon will take place. Israel megiddo is better known to some by its greek name of armageddon, which some christians believe will be the site of the endtimes battle prophesied in the book.
Megiddos long history is related to its strategic position overlooking the via maris. Tel megiddo simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Megiddo, a hidden paradise of history and greenery in the. It is known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance. It is the site of historys first re liably recorded battle, when in 1457 bc egyp tians under pharaoh thutmose iii defeated a coalition of canaanite tribes. The best part of the book in my opinion is the pictures, particularly the pictures of the ancient ruins. Following this, megiddo continued to be canaanite and then ruled for a short time by philistines before the israelites finally conquered and inhabited the city. By opening the belly of megiddo, he is challenging the narrative of the bible, upending ancient israeli history and derailing what we thought we knew about the iron age in this. A mutilated inscribed stele records the occupation of megiddo by sheshonk i, who became king of egypt about 935 bce. The discovery was determin ed to be a seal belonging to a.
Megiddo is not only an important historical site, but has also become israels. Today the site of megiddo is one of the crown jewels of israeli archaeology. David ussishkin taught archaeology and ancient art for many years at tel aviv university until his retirement. Photo about battle, view, revelation, area, terrain, foretold, history, excavations, book, israel, important, jezreel, testament, trade, valley, site. Commanding an army of workers bearing chisels and brushes, the iconoclastic israel finkelstein, a tel aviv university archaeologist and director of the megiddo expedition, orchestrates an upheaval of his own. Eric cline describes the story behind the excavation of the site.
Armageddon is mentioned in the bible only once, in the revelation. Har megiddo is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location. Hill of megiddo, in the new testament, place where the kings of the earth under demonic leadership will wage war on the forces of god at the end of history. The reader will be amazed at all the action that took place in israel that is not made known in most history books. Megiddo s history as the scene of crucial battles is also reflected in johns apocalypse where the battle of the great day of the almighty at the culmination of history is said to take place beside armageddon. But the idea does suddenly appear in prophetic books penned after the. There will be a multitude of people engaged in the battle of. John, in revelation, tells us that the last battle of history will take place on the plains of armageddon. Megiddo s military importance and long history as an international battleground is aptly reflected in the apocalypse, the new testament book of revelation. Megiddo is an ancient city whose remains form a tell archaeological mound. Megiddo, a hidden paradise of history and greenery in the heart of.
Inhabited from the chalcolithic period, megiddo has approximately 26 levels of occupation. The worlds great armies have waged 34 known battles across the terrain surrounding the base of tel megiddo, the hilltop settlement dating from 7000 bc. The city subsequently became a center of culture and politics. This location in northern israel has existed for 5,000 years and has a wealth of secrets. This valley is also a jewel for bible archeology, since its history covers more than 7 millennia of contacts and conflicts between great powers that dominated the region like egypt, syria, babylon and persia. The present book summarizes the history of megiddo and its archaeological findings in clear and simple language. Today its monumental architecture provides the most impressive evidence of the rise of the first cities in the region. Archaeologists digging at tel megiddo in israel in 2018. Includes picturesincludes descriptions of the ruins and their importanceinclude. First appearing in the new testament book of revelation, the word armageddon derives from the hebrew har megiddo, referring to the mound or tel of the ancient fortresscity of megiddo. Studies in the history and archaeology of ancient israel in honor of israel finkelstein. Scholars once attributed these stables to solomon, but they are actually from the 8th century b. The book of revelation mentions an apocalyptic battle at armageddon.
In 1948, the year israel was founded, the expeditions dig house was looted and accidentally burnt down. During israels war of independence in 1948, the mishmar haemek. It is also known alternatively as tel megiddo hebrew and tell almutesellim arabic. The word armageddon comes from the greek rendering of the hebrew name har megiddo the hebrew prefix har means hill or mountain. American excavators from the oriental institute worked from 1925 with the ambitious goal of excavating every level in its entirety. After 400 years of bondage, the israelites were led to freedom by moses who, according to the biblical narrative, was chosen by god to take his people out of egypt and.
Megiddo, a hidden paradise of history and greenery in the heart of israel megiddo is not only an important historical site, but has also become israel s central park with. The word armageddon comes from a hebrew word harmagedone, which means mount megiddo and has become synonymous with the future battle in which god will intervene and destroy the armies of the antichrist as predicted in biblical prophecy revelation 16. He began as a volunteer and rose up through the ranks, ultimately. Geoarchaeological investigation in a domestic iron age quarter, tel megiddo, israel. Megiddo is known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance. This could very well have been related to an event during the time of deborah, who is believed to have lived and judged israel around this time period. Create a free account to continue reading welcome to mosaic.
Bible history online megiddo seal jeroboam inscription. Megiddo was a major israelite city that was transformed into a horse training center, with large stables and arenas where the palaces once stood. In the new testaments book of revelation, armageddon witnesses the ultimate. My book is a detailed history of the 34 battles that we know have been fought at megiddo or in the surrounding jezreel valley over the past 4000 years from 2350 bc right up until the 1973 war. A birds eye view of the biblical city of tel megiddo. Armageddon a corruption of the hebrew har megiddo the mount of megiddo is where, at the end of days, demons will gather the hosts of the nations for the ultimate battle against the. Revelations associates megiddo in northern israel with the end of days, but as the struggle over jerusalem threatens to bring the apocalypse closer, we may want to revisit that assumption. Aug 29, 2012 during the miracle of the sun, which took place at the cova da iria, fatima, on th october, 1917, the three shepherd children saw something very different from the spectacular solar miracle witnessed by the rest of the vast crowd which had assembled there. It is near the modern settlement of megiddo, known for theological, historical and geographical reasons in ancient times, megiddo was an important city state. The site was inhabited from approximately 7000 bce to 586 bce though the first significant remains date to the chalcolithic period 45003500 bce. For twenty years he was codirector of tel aviv universitys ongoing excavations at tel megiddo. The history of the famous archaeological site and prophesized battle of armageddon was interesting. Remains of more than 25 cities, representing every period of ancient history in the land of israel, have been uncovered. Revelations associates megiddo in northern israel with the end of.
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