Unusual ancient Roman camp found in Armageddon

Ancient military base discovered at the site of mankind's last battle

Roman camp excavated at the site of Armageddon: archaeologists have discovered an 1,800-year-old military base in Israel on the territory designated by the Bible for mankind's last battle. The 1,800-year-old camp at the foot of Tel Megiddo housed 5,000 soldiers. The Book of Revelation says that this is where the kings will gather together for the final battle.

Photo: Yotam Tepper/IAA

A Roman camp was discovered at Armageddon – the site indicated by the Bible for humanity's final apocalyptic battle, explains the Daily Mail.

The 1,800-year-old camp housed more than 5,000 soldiers of the Sixth Armored Legion and is located at the foot of Tel Megiddo in northern Israel.

In the Book of Revelation Tel Megiddo – it is a place where demons gather the kings of the world for battle before God unleashes his terrible wrath. The site's Hebrew name, Har Megiddo, meaning «mount of Megiddo,» was translated as Armageddon in Greek, leading to its current infamous meaning, notes the Daily Mail.

The ominous site now appears to be shaped to accommodate large armies, as it was once home to the largest Roman army base ever found in Israel.

Yotam Tepper, who led the excavations for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), says the camp served the legion for almost two centuries. He says: “The camp was a permanent military base for over 5,000 Roman soldiers for over 180 years, from 117-120 until about 300 AD. The two main roads intersected in the center of the camp, and its headquarters were erected here. It was from this site that all distances along the Roman imperial roads to the main cities in the north of the country were measured and marked with milestones.»

Dr. Tepper said: «Although Roman military camps are known in Israel, they are temporary siege camps or small camps belonging to auxiliary units. Nothing compares to the entire legionary base complex discovered during archaeological excavations at Legio, near the Megiddo crossroads”.

Photo: Yotam Tepper/IAA

The base was discovered as part of an infrastructure project to widen and upgrade a nearby road by Israeli national infrastructure company Netivei. Among the finds on the territory of the camp – the remains of a large monumental public building, the podium and the main road of the camp – Via Pretoria. However, the buildings did not survive to their full height, as the stones were used by other builders in the Byzantine and early Islamic periods, the Daily Mail emphasizes.

Archaeologists also found coins, parts of weapons, pottery shards, glass shards and many roof tiles – some with the mark of the legion.

Dr. Tepper stressed that the find was not accidental, crediting past discoveries by the Jezreel Valley Research Project and the Albright Institute of Archeology in Jerusalem. Six seasons of excavations have already been carried out, during which part of the commanders' courtyard was discovered nearby. The current finds are believed to be from the northeastern part of the camp. Ground penetrating radar shows that the rest of the camp lies under the wheat fields of Kibbutz Megiddo, a modern settlement.