Megiddo is a tell (an ancient hilltop settlement) in northern Israel overlooking the Jezreel Valley in Lower Galilee. Known for its historical and theological importance, especially under its Greek name Armageddon (“Battle of the End of Days”), the city was strategically located on an ancient trade road, the Via Maris, linking Egypt and Damascus. In ancient times Megiddo was an important city-state and assumed a prominent role. Excavations have unearthed 25 layers of ruins representing every single period of ancient history in the Land of Israel.
Meggido was first inhabited in the 6th millennium BC during the Neolithic period, although the first significant remains date to the Chalcolithic period (4500–3500 BC). Later, during the beginning of the Early Bronze Age (ca. 3300 BC), a temple was constructed on the tell, described by its excavators as “the most monumental single edifice so far uncovered in the Early Bronze Age Levant“. By the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC, Megiddo was already a fortified city with massive walls, and a thousand years later, it became a centre of Egyptian rule over Canaan. Because of its strategic location, Megiddo was the site of several historical battles. The first reference to Megiddo in a written source dates from 1479 BC. It is a detailed account (the first recorded battle in history, The Battle of Megiddo) of the campaign of the pharaoh Thutmose III to reassert Egypt’s dominion over the territories in Canaan.
Megiddo was taken by the Israelites at the time of King David, and the city reached its peak under King Solomon in the 10th century BC. Solomon rebuilt Megiddo as a royal city, administering the northern part of the kingdom. Several structures dating to the reign of Solomon have been identified, such as palaces, fortifications, stables, administrative buildings and a water system. These structures, however, were destroyed in the late 10th century BC, possibly by Pharaoh Shoshenq I, but the city was rebuilt. In 732 BC, the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III took the city and destroyed it. After 720 BC, a new city was built at Meggido, and it became the capital of an Assyrian province named Magiddu. The city was abandoned after the Persian period. A small garrison known as Legio was stationed nearby during the Roman era.
The Canaanite city gate dates to the Late Bronze Age period (1150-1150 BC); the gates were faced with ashlar blocks, some made of basalt.The Israelite Gate city gate dates to the Iron Age period (9-10th century BC). This gate was built by King Solomon (10th century BC), according to some scholars) or Ahab (9th century BC) or Jeroboam II (9th century BC).The north Stables and Palace dating from the 8/9th century BC Israelite period, it belongs to the “Chariot city” of King Solomon.The Sacred Area, which served as a focus of worship for over two thousand years, was the religious focal point of the city.The Sacred Area. The first temple was built during the first part of the Early Bronze Age. The round altar, nine metres in circumference, was probably used for animal sacrifices.The Granary, a 7m deep pit which used to be a grain silo from the Assyrian period (8th century BC), it had a capacity of 450 cubic metres.The Southern Stables. They had five units and could accommodate 150 horses (9th or 8th century BC). Each unit consisted of a rectangular building divided into three sections by two rows of alternating pillars and troughs.The southern stables.The southern stables.The ruins of the Assyrian city. In 732 BC, the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III conquered the northern part of the Kingdom of Israel; Megiddo became the capital of the province of Magiddu.The Water System was built in the 10th century BC; it was an 80m tunnel which led to the spring under the bedrock.Megiddo, the “Chariot city” of King Solomon.
Beit She’an, also known as Scythopolis or Nysa, is one of the oldest cities in Israel. Nestled in the Galilee region, it sits at the convergence of the Harod Valley and the Jordan Valley, a mere 27 kilometres south of the Sea of Galilee and 5 kilometres east of the Jordan River. This unique location has played a pivotal role in the city’s history, making it a fascinating archaeological site with a rich past.
Beit Sh’ean, located at an important crossroads, was first settled in the 5th millennium BC. Its location south of the Harod Stream, in a region with fertile land and abundant water, made it a desirable place to live. During the Late Bronze Age, Beit She’an became the centre of Egyptian rule over Canaan. A basalt tablet dating back to 1290-1279 BC mentions Beit She’an. Later, a Canaanite city was built on top of the Egyptian centre, followed by the Israelites and the Philistines during the Old Testament period. The Bible mentions Beit She’an several times, and it is most famous for being the place where King Saul and his sons were hanged from the city walls.
Scythopolis later expanded into a large Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine town. The city’s name comes from Greek Mythology, which tells us that Dionysos, the god of wine, buried his nurse, Nysa, in the town where he settled with his Scythian personal guards. Scythopolis became the largest of the cities in the regional alliance known as the Decapolis. It peaked after the Bar Kocha Revolt under Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161) and Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180). Many temples, bathhouses, a theatre, an amphitheatre, and other monumental buildings were constructed during this time. Scythopolis continued to prosper from the 4th to the 7th century, but the pagan structures were converted to other uses since the majority of the population was Christian.
The large city was levelled by a massive earthquake in the 8th century AD and was in ruins until recent archaeological excavations uncovered eighteen layers of remains dating from the Late Neolithic period (4500 BC) through the 12th century AD. The ancient city ruins are now protected within a national park known as Bet She’an National Park.
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The Roman theatre was built at the time of the Severan emperors on the remains of a 1st-century AD theatre. It could seat about 7,000 spectators. It is the best-preserved ancient theatre discovered in Israel.The Roman theatre had eight arched entrances called vomitoria, which led to the seating area.The reconstructed section of the scaenae frons. The 21-metre high stage building comprised a two-storey structure of white marble columns and two-storey lateral structures of red granite columns.The Roman theatre was built at the time of the Severan emperors on the remains of a 1st-century AD theatre. It could seat about 7,000 spectators.Palladius Street is a 150-metre collonaded street that crosses the city from the slopes of the Tel to the theatre. It was built during the Roman period and renovated at the beginning of the Byzantine period.The collonaded portico along Palladius Street is paved with intricate mosaics and lined with marble-faced shops.The Corinthian capital bears the head of Dionysus, the god of wine and the patron of the city. According to myth, the city was founded by Dionysus, who lived there. His wet nurse Nysa, who breastfed him, was buried in the city, so it was named Nysa-Scythopolis.Statue of Dionysus unearthed at Beit She’an/Scythopolis, 2nd century AD, Israel Museum.Exedra (semi-circular building) with twelve small rooms and a portico opening onto a courtyard built in the 6th century AD on the western side of Palladius Street.A mosaic with a representation of Tyche, goddess of fortune, is found in the semicircular exedra off Paladius Street at Scythopolis (Beit She’an). Israel Museum, Jerusalem.Statue of Tyche holding the cornucopia, unearthed in Beit Sh’ean/Scythopolis, 3rd century AD, Israel Museum.Exedra (semi-circular building) with twelve small rooms and a portico opening onto a courtyard built in the 6th century AD on the western side of Palladius Street.The entrance gateway leads to the Western Bathhouse.The Western Bathhouse was built in the 4th century AD.Remains of two pools in the Western Bathhouse built in the 4th century AD.The collonaded exercise yard of the Western Bathhouse had a mosaic pavement decorated with geometric patterns.Scythopolis.Silvanus Street crosses the city in a north-south direction.The ruins of the Round Temple attest to the ferocity of the 749 AD earthquake. The Temple was perhaps erected for the worship of Dionysus or his wet nurse, Nysa.The ruins of the Roman Nymphaeum were originally built in the 2nd century AD.Overview of Silvanus Street.View on the Tel from the Agora.The public latrines of the Northern Bathhouse with an open courtyard paved with a mosaic floor.Overview of Scythopolis from the top of the Tell.On the top of the hill are the ruins of an Egyptian governor’s house dating back to the 12th century BC. During the late Bronze Period and the beginning of the Iron Age, the city became a centre of the Egyptian imperial administration in northern Canaan.The Egyptian governor’s house. Above the door of the house (lintel) was a stone tablet bearing the governor’s name and title: Ramses-User-Khepesh. The image depicts the governor kneeling before the name and attributes of Pharaoh Ramses III.Basalt statue of Ramses III depicted seated on his throne, found at Beit She’an, 1184-1153 BC. Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem.The Hippodrome was constructed in the 2nd century AD and used for horse and chariot races. It was later converted into an amphitheatre, which hosted gladiatorial combats. The amphitheatre ceased to function in the second half of the 4th century AD because the city’s Christians disapproved of its activities.The Hippodrome/Amphitheatre, situated beyond the city limits, had ten or twelve rows accommodating 5,000-7,000 spectators.The ruins of the Roman bridge, a triple-arched bridge crossing the Nahal Harod.
Scythopolis later expanded into a large 
following hadrian photography 