Page 109 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

Megiddo

Megiddo

A modern road cuts through the

ancient Megiddo Pass. The ruins of

Megiddo (above) still stand guard

over the intersection of major

highways!

Based on the number of battles fought over it, Megiddo is the
most desired city in the ancient world.

To understand why Megiddo was such a prized possession for
world leaders, it’s important to understand how trade functioned
before modern times. For traders to do international business,
they had to move goods from one country to another. Some
would use ships to cross the Mediterranean, though sea travel
had obvious risks. A few might try crossing the great deserts east
of Israel. But the easiest path for land travel was to send caravans along roads that had plenty of water
nearby. For overland traders from Africa, Europe, or Asia doing business with one another, this meant
traveling through Israel.

While Israel is already a very narrow strip of land, measuring about 50 miles across at its widest point,
there are places where a selection of good roads becomes extremely narrow. The most obvious example
of this is in the Lower Galilee, where the Carmel and Gilboa mountain ranges form a horizontal barrier
for all overland traders.

The best pass through these mountains is called the Megiddo Pass. If a leader like Solomon had an army
powerful enough to control all who sought to use the pass, he could become very wealthy through tolls
or taxes. Indeed, Solomon did control the city (1 Kings 4:12). From a military standpoint, controlling
traffic at Megiddo meant a king could also create and enforce treaties with other nations for their use of
the narrow road. Control Megiddo, it could be said, and a man could control the world.

Not surprisingly, more battles have been fought on the land around Megiddo than any other place in the
world. Author Eric Cline has documented some 34 battles that have been fought for control of the pass,
including several in modern times. In biblical times, Egyptian pharaohs, Israelite kings, Philistine rulers,
Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman emperors all demanded control of the pass.
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