Thread by @TheOnionGod

1/ Tel Megiddo.
Maybe the most famous Biblical archaeological mound in Israel & the world, and perhaps the most archeologically complex in Israel. The following, longer than usual #thread is about, #Armageddon. >>

* I participated in the 2002 & 2004 Megiddo excavation seasons.

2/ >> Gottlieb Schumacher was first to excavate Megiddo between 1903-1905. In the 1920s & 1930s, excavations were undertaken by the Oriental Institute of Chicago University. Yadin excavated there during the mid 1960's & since 1992 a Tel Aviv University expedition works there. >>

3/ >> The earliest impressive finds on the mound are from the Early Bronze Age (3200-2000 BC). From this period what stands out are the temples, two relatively small ones, and another larger one behind which, a round altar was built. >>

4/ >> The finds from indicate that in the Early Bronze Age the mound housed the ritual center of a settleent which was actually to the north of thre mound, in the fields of the Jezre'el valley. Some fortification walls dating to the Middle Bronze Age were also found. >>

5/ >> An underground, Mycenaean tomb, from the Late Bronze Age was found. It was accesed via stairs, & the lower one can be seen in the picture where Schumacher, who found it, is standing.
The tomb was re-excavated in 2004 & I was the first to enter it after 100 years. >>

6/ >> Of course, the period that arners the most interst in Megiddo are the finds from the Iron Age (1200-586 BC), the period attributed to the stories of the kings. fFrom this perios a Six Chambered gate was found, and today only half a gate is visible. >>

7/ >> Another important find is the palaces. The use of the phrase palaces can be misleading as there is no evidence that these were really palaces, but the phrase has taken root and today can not be changed. >>

8/ >> The first palace (1723), which was located in the south of the mound, was excavated by the chicago expedition. This is definitely a large building that had at least 2 floors, however, the origin of the plan of the building is under debate. >>

9/ >> The Yadin expedition revealed a large building in the north of the mound, and its northern rooms of which were part of the city wall. The building was also defined as a palace (6000), and the question arises why were there 2 palaces in the same city? >>

10/ >> There is no clear answer. The entire palace was uncovered in the excavations of Tel Aviv University in 2004, excavation in which I also participated. There is no single clear answer, neither to the source of the palace plan, nor to their dating. >>

11/ >> There is no way to explain the whole "Iron Age Debate" in this medium, but these buildings, along with buildings from other sites in the Land of Israel, are at the heart of the debate over the truth behind the stories of the kings in the Bible. >>

12/ >> There is also a Water System from the Iron Age in Megiddo, which includes a hewn vertical shaft and a tunnel leading to a spring, which still flows to this day, which means that it has been active for at least 3000 years. >>

13/ >> A few words about the stables. Two stables complexes were found at Megiddo, one in the south and one in the north. The Northern one lay above, and was thus later than, palace 6000. But the debate still rages, are these stables or warehouses? >>

14/ >> A number of ivory finds were found at Megiddo, on one there is a carving of a ruler returning from the battlefield, attending a feast, another shows a griffin with elements similar to those from the Aegean Sea, possible evidence of relations between the two places. >>

15/ >> This is just a very brief explanation of the main finds. To understand Megiddo one has to go & actually see the site, only then is it possible to understand how complex it really is.

- The End -

* 4 children of an archaeologist at the Late Bronze Age gate of Megiddo.