Unearthing History at Armageddon

STREAMING PROGRAM INFORMATION

• This program is part of our Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.
• Platform: Zoom
• Online registration is required.
• If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.

The ancient mound at Megiddo—also known as Armageddon—is key to unlocking biblical archaeology. From 1925 until 1939, archaeologists from the University of Chicago made stunning discoveries at this site that transformed our understanding of the ancient world.

Their expeditions made headlines around the world, unearthing biblical-era monuments including gates, palaces, stables, and temples, along with gold and ivory treasures. The discoveries raised new debates about how life was lived under ancient Israelite kings.

Eric Cline, a professor of classics and anthropology and director of George Washington University’s Capitol Archaeological Institute—who also dug at Megiddo in more recent times—draws on archival records left by the participants to present a portrait of a bygone age of archaeology.

He sets the expedition against the backdrop of the Great Depression and growing troubles and tensions in Palestine during the British Mandate, and discusses the infighting that roiled the expedition as well as its significance in expanding the scope of knowledge in biblical archaeology.

Cline’s book: Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon (Princeton University Press) is available for sale.

Book Sale Information

• Purchase your copy of Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon by Eric Cline here.
• SPECIAL NOTE: Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 in the “Coupon discount” section of Politics and Prose's check-out page.

Patron Information

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