Site of Armageddon

Situated at a strategic crossroads in the midst of the fertile Jezreel Valley in northern Israel, the site of Megiddo has long captivated the imagination of archaeologists, Biblical scholars and military historians. The mound of Megiddo, which rises an impressive 100 feet above the surrounding valley, has revealed layer upon layer of human occupation dating back to at least the Neolithic period. By the Early Bronze Age, Megiddo had become one of the first major walled towns of the Levantine world and, in the Late Bronze Age, the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmosis III captured the city in one of the most daring military campaigns of ancient times. During the Iron Age, successive Israelite kings built massive palaces and fortifications throughout the city, as well as an impressive system of waterworks. The site is perhaps most famous, however, for its appearance in the first-century C.E. Book of Revelation, where it is designated as the site of the final battle between the forces of good and evil.

This season, the dig directors hope to tackle a range of archaeological issues, including further exposure of the site’s famous Early Bronze Age temple, an investigation into the Late Bronze Age city levels and an important examination of the Iron Age I destruction level.