Tel Megiddo

Tel Megiddo, the ruins of the ancient city, about 22 miles north of Shechem and 15 miles south of Haifa, on the southern edge of the Valley of Megiddo (II Chronicles 35:22; Zechariah 12:11). The oval-shaped valley, also known as the Plain of Esdraelon, is now commonly known as the Valley of Jezreel. As Megiddo lay near the point of entry into the Jezreel Valley of the most important pass through the Carmel range, Nahal `Iron (Wadi `Ara), it controlled the "Way of the Sea" or Via Maris. This important highway was the ancient trade route between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Thus, in addition to invading armies, traders from all over the known world passed by its walls and probably through its gates. Today, a modern kibbutz settlement bearing the name of Megiddo is located a short distance southeast of the tell. Its presence reveals that the strategic importance of this place has not changed. Although the two settlements are separated by millennia, the new settlement continues to fulfill the same role as its more famous namesake. History & Archaeology Megiddo was among the first sites excavated in Palestine. Extensive excavations of the mound, revealing not less than 25 strata, commenced in 1925 with work continuing until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. One of the most significant finds was the water system, consisting of a vertical shaft 120 feet deep connected by a tunnel 215 feet long to a spring located outside the city walls, built during the mid-9th century BCE to protect the city's water supply war time. Although first fortified in the Chalcolithic Period, the oldest surviving record of its name appears in the Temple of Karnak where Thutmose III (1479-1426) of Egypt caused an account of his battle at Megiddo in 1468 BCE inscribed on the walls. Thutmose led his army through the narrow 'Aruna pass to take the Syrian army by surprise. The defeat of the Syrians fall of the city, after a seven month siege, enabled Thutmose to annex Canaan into his New Kingdom empire as a vassal province. This victory initiated a period of Egyptian suzerainty in Canaan in which Megiddo played an important role for hundreds of years. Later six of the Armana Tablets (comprising the diplomatic archive of the late 18th Dynasty of Egypt) were letters sent by Biridiya, king of Megiddo, to pharaoh Amenhotep IV (Akhetaton, 1353-1336) in the 14th century BCE. In these letters, Biridiya consistently reaffirmed his loyalty to his Egyptian overlord. He pleaded also for Egyptian military assistance (100 archers!) in order to repel 'Apiru bands which were active in his vicinity. Further mention of the town appears in the records of the Egyptian 19th Dynasty pharaohs Seti I, Rameses II and Merneptah. In the 13th century Deborah and Barak overcame Sisera near the site (Judges 4).