Megiddo Ivories
A Canaanite king's treasure showing the world Israel entered
Found 1937 — Gordon Loud, Oriental Institute (University of Chicago) expedition, 1935–39
Where Tel Megiddo, Jezreel Valley (Israel)
Dates from c. 1300–1130 BCE (Stratum VIIA) · Late Bronze IIB · Conquest and early Judges
Now at Divided between the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly Oriental Institute) Museum, Chicago
How Megiddo Ivories was found
Found in a basement treasury of the Stratum VIIA palace beside the city gate, destroyed by fire in the mid-12th century. More than 380 carved ivories lay together, including combs, boxes, game boards, and a plaque showing a king on a sphinx throne receiving captives.
What it is
Carved elephant and hippopotamus ivory plaques, boxes, and furniture inlays in Egyptian, Hittite, Mycenaean, and local Canaanite styles. One pen case carries the cartouche of Ramesses III, dating the hoard's end to after c. 1180 BCE.
Why it matters for the Bible
The ivories show what a Canaanite royal city looked like at the very time the Bible puts Israel in the hills: international, wealthy, and still standing. Yehoshua 12:21 lists a king of Megiddo among the defeated, yet Shoftim 1:27 admits Megiddo was not taken, and the archaeology agrees that the city survived into the 12th century. Its final Late Bronze destruction (c. 1130 BCE) came after Egypt's withdrawal and near the era of Devorah's (Deborah's) battle 'by the waters of Megiddo.'
The Hebrew word: shayn
שֵׁן
שֵׁן is pronounced shayn and means tooth; ivory (Strong's H8127).
People this discovery connects to
- Deborah — דְּבוֹרָה (de-vo-RAH) — bee
Places
- Megiddo — מְגִדּוֹ (me-geed-DOH) — place of troops (uncertain)
Events
King of Megiddo in the list of defeated kings (Joshua 12:21) · Canaanites remain in Megiddo (Judges 1:27) · Song of Deborah: 'by the waters of Megiddo' (Judges 5:19)
Megiddo Ivories in Scripture
Joshua 12:21 First mention of Megiddo in Scripture.
Judges 1:27 Israel could not take Megiddo; the ivories show a rich Canaanite palace surviving into the 12th century.
Judges 5:19 Kings fought 'at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo'; the Stratum VIIA palace belonged to such a king.
Questions people ask
What is Megiddo Ivories?
Carved elephant and hippopotamus ivory plaques, boxes, and furniture inlays in Egyptian, Hittite, Mycenaean, and local Canaanite styles. One pen case carries the cartouche of Ramesses III, dating the hoard's end to after c. 1180 BCE.
When was Megiddo Ivories discovered?
It was found in 1937 by Gordon Loud, Oriental Institute (University of Chicago) expedition, 1935–39, at Tel Megiddo, Jezreel Valley.
Where is Megiddo Ivories today?
Divided between the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly Oriental Institute) Museum, Chicago.
Which Bible verses does Megiddo Ivories relate to?
Joshua 12:21, Judges 1:27, Judges 5:19.
Related discoveries
- עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְSeal of Shema, Servant of JeroboamA roaring lion and the name of a royal official of Jeroboam II, from Megiddo
- מִזְבֵּחַMegiddo Round Altar and Early Bronze TemplesA stepped stone altar and a row of temples in Canaan's oldest sacred area
- פַּרְעֹה נְכֹהMegiddo Area X: Necho's Army and the Death of JosiahA layer of Egyptian and Greek pottery from the time Pharaoh Necho killed King Yoshiyahu (2025)
- מְגִדּוֹMegiddo Shoshenq Stele FragmentA piece of Pharaoh Shishak's monument found in the city his list names
- אֻרְוֹתMegiddo Pillared StablesRows of stone-pillared buildings for hundreds of horses in Israel's chariot city
- מְגִדּוֹMegiddo Stratum II and the Death of JosiahThe fortress where Pharaoh Necho II killed Judah's reforming king on his way to the Euphrates
Sources
- G. Loud, The Megiddo Ivories, OIP 52 (1939)
- Wikipedia: Megiddo ivories