Galilee Day 4

On our final day in the Galilee region we first went to a lookout on the Nazareth Ridge. From here we could see into the Jezreel Valley. To the southeast we had a really nice view of Mt. Tabor and then over the Hills of Moreh. We could also see behind them Mt. Gilboa. Between the Hills of Moreh and Mt. Gilboa lies the Herod Valley, we couldn't necessarily see into it, but we could tell where it was. On the other end we could make out, when the clouds moved, Megiddo and the Megiddo pass entering into the Jezreel Valley. This was a good place to see Megiddo since our next stop was Tell-Megiddo.

At Tell-Megiddo we entered through the Solomonic gates. This site has a few interesting features. For instance, there is a really large grain silo with two sets of stairs going down into it; one to go down and one to come out. There is also a complex water storage system with a tunnel going under part of the city. We got to walk through it, which was nice because there was a lot of rain and this was the only dry section. There is also a raised prayer circle on this site.

We discussed the story of Thutmose III's take over of Megiddo. He came up from Egypt and had to decide which of the three passes he would take to enter the Jezreel Valley. The northern most pass comes out near Jokneam, the middle pass comes out near Megiddo, and the southern most pass comes out near Taanach. The middle pass would be most convenient, but it is also the narrowest (which makes it dangerous to bring a whole army through). Therefore, the Canaanites thought Thutmose III would take either the Jokneam pass or the Taanach pass. He, however, surprised them and caught them of guard by taking the more dangerous Megiddo pass. He was able to take Megiddo because of this, and considered this victory to be equivalent to taking a thousand cities.

Our next stop was for lunch, and then we went to Mount Carmel. It was raining pretty hard, which made our view non-existent. We just stopped for a minute to run out and see fog and then run back onto the bus. Though, at least I can say I stood on Mount Carmel, even if only for a minute.

Here we discussed the story of Elijah going up against the prophets of Baal. As you may know, Elijah proved to these priests that there is only One True God that has power. They can pray as hard as they want and try to get the attention of Baal, but since he doesn't actually exist there will be no response. God, however, does answer His children when they call. God definitely demonstrated His power through this event.

Our final stop was at Caesarea maritime. We first stopped at the impressive aqueducts built by Herod. These stretch for a very long ways down the coast, bringing fresh water to Caesarea. Some people climbed on it and saw it from the top. We then visited the city of Caesarea. Here Herod built a theater, a large storage facility, and a pier. There was also a large horse track built in the city for chariot races. I do not believe there were very many of these in Israel, but of course Herod would have one. Herod in his extravagance even had a fresh water pool basically right on the Mediterranean Sea. Why swim in salt water if you can put a pool right next to the sea? Herod was always good at putting up an impressive image.

We ended our day a little earlier than normal, due to the drive back from the coast. I enjoyed our field study, but it was also nice to be heading back to campus. Four days is a long time to spend with that many people all cooped up on a bus. Though, I think we all are still looking forward to our last field study where we get to visit Jordan.

~Jennilee~