Tel Megiddo, Israel

Tel Megiddo (lit. "Tell of the Governor") is the site of the ancient city of Megiddo whose remains form a tell (archaeological mound), situated in northern Israel near Kibbutz Megiddo, about 30 km south-east of Haifa.

Megiddo is known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance, especially under its Greek name Armageddon. During the Bronze Age, Megiddo was an important Canaanite city-state and during the Iron Age, a royal city in the Kingdom of Israel.

Late Bronze Age city gate.
At the Battle of Megiddo the city was subjugated by Thutmose III (r. 1479–1425 BCE), and became part of the Egyptian Empire.

However, the city still prospered, and a massive and elaborate government palace was constructed in the Late Bronze Age.

View of Jezreel Valley from Megiddo.
According to the Hebrew Bible, the valley was the scene of several battles with the Israelites.

In Christian eschatology, the part of the valley on which the Battle of Megiddo was fought is believed to be the destined site of the penultimate battle between good and evil (with a later, final battle taking place 1,000 years later around Jerusalem), the place being known as Armageddon, a toponym derived from the Hebrew Har Megiddo, 'Mount Megiddo'.

The Great Temple.
Megiddo's 5,000 year old "Great Temple", dated to the Early Bronze Age I (3500–3100 BCE), has been described by its excavators as "the most monumental single edifice so far uncovered in the EB I Levant and ranks among the largest structures of its time in the Near East."

The structure includes an immense, 47.5 by 22 meters sanctuary. The temple is more than ten times larger than the typical temple of that era.
The first wall was constructed in the Early Bronze Age II or III period.
It was determined that the temple was the site of ritual animal sacrifice. Corridors were used as favissae (deposits of cultic artifacts) to store bones after ritual sacrifice. More than 80% of the animal remains were of young sheep and goats; the rest were cattle.

Circular altar-like shrine from the Early Bronze Age.

Stairs leading down to the water system.
The water system consists of a square well 35 meters (115 ft) deep, the bottom of which opens into a tunnel bored into the rock for 100 meters (330 ft) to a pool of water.

Entering the water system.
The water system probably began as a reservoir in King Solomon’s day, when a path between parallel walls led to the spring outside the city walls.

Later, apparently during Ahab’s time, a more complex system was built to conceal the spring and allow people to draw water without leaving the city walls.

Down the shaft.
The system includes a 25-meter-deep shaft to bedrock.

The spring.
At the bottom, a 70-meter-long, 3-meter-high tunnel was dug. The floor of the shaft was lower than the spring, allowing water to flow from the spring to the shaft, where people could draw their water.