Armageddon's Earthquakes

Abstract

Although the effects of earthquakes in destruction found in archaeological excavations have been recognized for decades, their importance remains controversial. New measurements of motions and analysis of earthquakes on active geological faults substantially improve the explanation of often-observed, but rarely understood, repeated destruction revealed by these excavations. Ancient Armageddon (Megiddo), the single most excavated archaeological site in Israel, is a fascinating example of this. It is situated next to the Mt. Carmel-Gilboa fault system, which, according to recent geophysical measurements, is seismically active. Its past activity: (a) has created, over time, the topography that made Megiddo strategically so important; and (b) through episodic earthquakes destroyed Megiddo's walls and buildings repeatedly. The accumulated fault motion created the Nahal Iron Pass, which controlled ancient traffic between Syria and Egypt. Megiddo's strategic location at this pass led to some of the greatest ancient battles fought in this region and was the reason for the maintenance of its fortifications. The recurrence of damaging earthquakes, possibly 3 to 4 per millennium, however, explains the repeated destruction of Megiddo–sometimes attributed, for lack of a better explanation, to unproved battles: e.g., King David's often assumed conquest and mindless destruction of Megiddo was actually a destructive earthquake in northern Israel that occurred at ∼1000 B.C. Another earthquake at ∼1400 B.C., which damaged many parts of the country, also destroyed Megiddo at that earlier time. Finally, the earthquake during the battle of the Apocalypse at Armageddon (Revelations 17:8-18) may well be a simple retrospective prophecy.