Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Digging at Armageddon

The city gate of Megiddo in northern Israel.

Hundreds of volunteers – students, construction workers, housewives and others – are helping archaelogists explore the site believed to be Armageddon, the reputed site of the forthcoming battle to end all battles.

Known today as Tel Megiddo, the large mound of dirt already has been the site of a number of ancient decisive battles between Hebrew, Egyptian and Assyrian peoples. 

“Megiddo is one of the most interesting sites in the world for the excavation of biblical remains,” says Prof. Israel Finkelstein, noted archaeologist from Tel Aviv University. “Now volunteers and students from around the world can participate in the dig, which lets them uncover 3,000 years worth of history – from the late 4th millennium B.C.E. to the middle of the first millennium C.E.”

While some come to Tel Megiddo because of the New Testament prophecy that it will be the site of a Judgement Day apocalyptic battle, others are interested in the research because Tel Megiddo also may provide clues related to the reign of the Old Testament’s King Solomon. The city was destroyed around 1130 B.C.E.

“There has been an important revolution in biblical history in the last decades,” says Prof. Ze’ev Herzog, head of the archaelogy institute at Tel Aviv University. “We’re now uncovering the difference between myth and history, and between reality and ideology of the ancient authors. This is the role of our generation of archaeologists – to unearth the real, historical reality to find out why and how the biblical records were written.”

Click here for complete article in Science Daily.



Within the walls of Megiddo was a palace 260 feet long and 100 feet wide- a huge building for it's time. Pictured here is a replica of biblical Megiddo, around 1000 BCE.


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