21

Megiddo

The Untold Story

See page 329 for visitor information.

Megiddo was one of the most important cities in ancient Israel; the tel is an archaeological layer cake comprising twenty-six strata, each from a different civilization. Although Megiddo does not figure prominently in any full Bible story, it is a showcase of biblical archaeology and has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Megiddo’s claim to fame was its strategic position overlooking one of the most important intersections of the ancient Middle Eastern trade routes. The Great Trunk Road connected Egypt in the west to Mesopotamia in the east by a main highway with many divergent branches. The road came up from Egypt along the Mediterranean coast and then turned eastward via Canaan, wending through a narrow bottleneck pass that emerged at the western corner of the Jezreel Valley and the junction of two other highways. This major intersection was controlled by the hilltop city of Megiddo. In real-estate parlance, it was location, location, location.

In prebiblical times Megiddo was a Canaanite city-state under Egyptian aegis and served as an important Egyptian stronghold. It was, in fact, so strong that the Israelites were unable to overcome it until the days of the united monarchy. Although it is not mentioned explicitly, Megiddo apparently came under Israelite control when it was conquered by King David; King Solomon then refortified it and rebuilt it as one of his main citadels. After a brief reappearance of the Egyptians at Megiddo, it was again rebuilt, probably by the Israelite kings Omri and Ahab in the ninth century BCE during the time of the divided monarchy; many of the finds on view at the tel date to this period, such as the walls, the four-chambered gate, the stable complexes, and the water system.

Fig. 21. Tel Megiddo

Megiddo was conquered in 732 BCE by the Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III, who built a new gate and public buildings in the Assyrian style and made it the capital of the Assyrian province of the Galilee. After the fall of the Assyrian empire, the Judaean king Josiah probably ruled here for a while. The city was eventually conquered and settled by the Persians in the sixth century BCE and then abandoned.

At Megiddo National Park you will find:

a small museum with maps, a 3-D model of the tel, exhibits of the tel’s highlights, and an audiovisual presentation.

fabulous examples of ancient structures that appear over and over in the biblical text, such as city fortifications, gates, high places, palaces, stables, and a grain silo. Not to be missed is the ancient water system consisting of a shaft and tunnel deep in the belly of the tel that you can walk through.

So, grab your Bible, your hat and water bottle, and a brochure from the national park cashier explaining the finds at the site and conquer Tel Megiddo yourself.

Biblical References to Megiddo

Joshua 12:7, 21; 17:11

Judges 1:27; 5:19–20

1 Kings 4:12; 9:15

2 Kings 9:27; 23:29–30

1 Chronicles 7:29

2 Chronicles 35:20–24

In Christian Scripture

Revelation 16:16

Map 2. Inside the Old City of Jerusalem