TEL MEGIDDO

Tel Megiddo is a mound made up of 25 layers of civilization which has been built up over thousands of years. Strategically located on the border of the Jezreel Valley where ancient highways converged & intersected, the most prominent of which being the via Maris that connected Egypt to Assyria. Endowed with a natural water source & arable land, Megiddo has been inhabited since the 5th century B.C.E. Consequently the city was fortified & jealously guarded againts external threats.

Mentioned in Egyptian documents from the 15th, 14th, & 13th century B.C.E. The king of Megiddo was one of the the 31 kings defeated by Joshua (Josh 12:21). An important city during King Solomon's reign, ( 970-930 B.C.E.) it was both an administrative centre (1 Kings 4:12) and a fortified chariot city ( 1 Kings 9: 15-19 ). King Solomon managed to maintain the peace for 40 years by adopting two strategies . A strong army as evidenced by the arsenal of 450 chariots stationed at Megiddo and marrying the daughters of potential enemies. King Solomon is reputed to have had 1000 wives which in my opinion, is a very high price to pay for keeping the peace & makes him a very brave man. In addition, a 1000 wives are accompanied by a 1000 mother-in-laws which in most cases would be regarded as a negative development, but, I had a wonderfull relationship with my mother-in-law so perhaps it was not such a negative scenario.

With King Solomon's death in 930 B.C.E. the United Kingdom transformed into the Divided Kingdom - The Kingdom of Judah & the Kingdom of Israel. The Kingdom of Judah included the Jerusalem area plus all land to the south & was inhabited by the tribes of Judah & Benjamin. The Kingdom of Israel comprised of all land to the north of Judah which included Megiddo & housed the 10 remaining Jewish tribes.

In 920 B.C.E. Megiddo was destroyed by Shishak 1, king of Egypt, but later rebuilt by King Ahab ( 874-853 B.C.E.) - the 7th king of the kingdom of Israel. The city was again destroyed by Hazael, king of Aram in 815 B.C.E. but later restored by Jeroboam 2 ( 782-753 B.C.E.) - the 13th king of the kingdom of Israel. In 722 B.C.E. the Assyrians destroyed the kingdom of Israel and took the 10 resident Jewish tribes into captivity - referred to as the 10 lost tribes.

With the destruction of the 1st Temple in 586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians, Megiddo lost its importance & never attained its former glory.

Megiddo does however rise to prominance in 1918 when the British forces under the leadership of general Allenby defeated the Turkish armies & Allenby was given the title " Lord of Megiddo".The last battle to take place in the area occurred during the 1948 War of Independence when the Israel Defence Force defeated Kaukji's Arab Liberation Army.

Believed by many Christian denominations to be the location of the final battle between good and evil. ( ( (Revelations 16 : 13-16). Har in Hebrew means a hill. The word Armageddon meaning arena, battleground or frontline is derived from Har Megiddo (Hill of Megiddo).

Many archaeological remains from different periods occupy the sight and include the following :

A two chambered gate & circular alter from the Canaanite period ( 3200 – 1200 B.C.E). A three chambered gate, stables and drinking troughs attributed to King Solomon ( 970 – 930 B.C.E). A water well, initially constructed by the Canaanites but expanded by both king Ahab ( 874-853 B.C.E). & king Jeroboam 2 ( 782-753 B.C.E). A grain silo constructed by Jeroboam 2 ( 782-753 B.C.E ). Remains of basalt slabs, a hard volcanic rock not from the area & used to pave roads.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect). Website : rontraub-tours.com Photo's : Rimonah Traub.