MEGIDDO, Israel — Ancient Egyptian soldiers and Greek mercenaries were stationed at Megiddo — the biblical “Armageddon” — when King Josiah of Judah was killed in 609 B.C., a new archaeological study suggests.
The findings, published January 28 in The Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, bolster biblical accounts of a clash between Josiah and Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II.
Led by Israel Finkelstein of the University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University, researchers uncovered numerous pottery fragments from seventh-century B.C. Egypt and Greece at the Megiddo site, located 18 miles southeast of Haifa. The clay type and style of the shards confirm the presence of Egyptian forces, likely accompanied by Greek mercenaries, during Josiah’s reign.
The many fragments of Greek pottery found at Megiddo suggest a contingent of Greek mercenaries were stationed there alongside Egyptian troops.
The Hebrew Bible offers conflicting accounts: the Book of Kings implies Josiah was executed by Necho, while the later Book of Chronicles describes a battle. Though the pottery supports the Egyptian occupation of Megiddo, it doesn’t conclusively prove Josiah fought there or clarify if he died in combat or as a vassal of the pharaoh. His death is said to have foreshadowed Jerusalem’s fall to the Neo-Babylonians in 586 B.C.
The many Egyptian pottery fragments found in the same place indicate Megiddo was then under the military control of a force of Egyptian troops.
Megiddo, a key ancient city on trade and military routes, has a storied history of conflict, inspiring its apocalyptic association in the New Testament. Experts like Assaf Kleiman of Ben-Gurion University note the discovery highlights a pivotal moment at the site, though the precise circumstances of Josiah’s demise remain debated.