The city of Shiloh served as the Israelites’ early center of worship, and the original tabernacle rested there for over three centuries (roughly 1399–1075 BC). This Iron Age I handle dates to that period.

Built by Herod the Great in honor of Caesar Augustus, Caesarea Maritima provides a case study in Herodian policy and royal exploits

Megiddo is a 30-acre fortress that dates back to about 5,000 BC, located on the southwest side of the Jezreel Valley at the foot of Mount Carmel. The city commands entrance by a major pass—Nahal ‘Iron—through the Mount Carmel range. The strategic nature of the city is evidenced by the words of Thutmose III, “… for the capturing of Megiddo is the capturing of a thousand cities.

Megiddo is mentioned among the cities conquered by Joshua (Josh 12:21). During the reign of Solomon, Megiddo was fortified along with Gezer and Hazor (1 Kgs 9:15).

Archaeologists believe that most of what we see at Megiddo today dates from the time of King Ahab. Scholars debate whether the tripartite buildings discovered on the site were Solomon’s stables or storage rooms. When they were discovered at Megiddo, the presence of stone mangers led archaeologists to conclude that the buildings were stables for Solomon’s chariot force (1 Kgs 10:26). The discovery of nearly identical buildings at Beer-sheba with storage jars inside raised questions about the earlier conclusion. It seems best to conclude that buildings with the same architectural style could have been used for either stables or storage depending on the needs of the community.

What’s a tel?

The term “tel” (or “tell”) comes from Arabic and means “hill” or “mound.” It appears in many place-names, like Tel-Miqne and Tel Dan. In archaeology, a tel is a mound that has formed from the debris accumulating at a site where people lived for hundreds or thousands of years.