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Back to Megiddo, Israel Finkelstein and David Ussishkin, Biblical Archaeology Review (20:1), Jan/Feb 1994.

Tel Megiddo

Tel Megiddo. By AVRAM GRAICER – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36308008

A new expedition will explore the jewel in the crown of Canaan/Israel

Tel Megiddo is widely regarded as the most important archaeological site in Israel from Biblical times, and as one of the most significant sites for the study of the ancient Near East generally. It was inhabited continuously for more than five millennia, from about 6000 to around 500 B.C.E.

Megiddo’s military importance and long history as an international battleground is aptly reflected in the Apocalypse, the New Testament book of Revelation. 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 forces of God (Revelation 16-16). At Megiddo, the day of the Lord will bring defeat upon the armies of darkness.

Strategically located, Megiddo controlled one of the most important military and trade routes of antiquity, the Via Maris, which linked Egypt in the south with Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia to the north and east. The mound overlooks the Via Maris as it emerges from a narrow pass in the Carmel ridge leading eastward into the Jezreel Valley. Megiddo also commands a beautiful view of the valley, with Mt. Tabor, Mt. Gilboa and Nazareth in the background to the east, and with the summit of Mt. Carmel visible to the north.

Read the rest of Back to Megiddo in the online Biblical Archaeology Society Library.

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