Megiddo's 'Area X' arial shot © MEGIDDO EXPEDITION

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Story by Emilia Randall, 19 July 2025

Archaeologists have unearthed "incredible" artefacts that suggest a Biblical king was vanquished by a formidable Egyptian army millennia ago.

The team of researchers has stumbled upon astonishing evidence pointing to the defeat of a renowned Biblical monarch by an immense Egyptian force, as indicated by remnants of Egyptian pottery found in the Levant region. The recent findings support the theory that Josiah, the last illustrious ruler of Judah, met his demise at the hands of Pharaoh Necho II.

Around the 10th-9th century BCE, Megiddo was part of the Kingdom of Israel, though there is ongoing debate about whether Megiddo and other territories were previously part of the so-called David and Solomon's reign and if the united Israelite monarchy depicted in the Bible truly existed, reports the Mirror US.

What is certain is that Megiddo served as a significant hub for at least two centuries. Around 732 BCE, Megiddo was seized and the Israelite capital of Samaria fell shortly after. Renamed Magiddu, it became the capital of a new Assyrian province in the Levant. Following the fall of the northern kingdom, Assyria faced challenges from emerging powers in Mesopotamia and Iran, namely the Babylonians and the Medes.

"Scholars believed Megiddo completely changed socially, that the ratio of the local population was very low or non-existent, but we show it must have been higher than what was previously believed," explained Kleiman. "There must have been a significant component of Levantine population in Megiddo at the time, and we see this, for example, in the cooking pots, which are very important cultural and social indicators. The pots we found tell us the population at the site cooked like their parents and grandparents, in the same local traditions."

However, the Book of Chronicles suggests that Josiah had tried to halt Necho's progress, leading to a catastrophic battle in which the Judahite king was slain.

The ancient city of Megiddo, mostly excavated in the 1920s by a University of Chicago expedition, has revealed new secrets in an area previously unexplored, known as 'Area X'.

The team led by Finkelstein uncovered a paved courtyard dating back to the mid-seventh century BCE, with pottery sherds that tell a story of cultural continuity amidst change. Amongst the discoveries were fragments from local cooking pots, alongside serving vessels showing Mesopotamian influence.

"Scholars believed Megiddo completely changed socially, that the ratio of the local population was very low or non-existent, but we show it must have been higher than what was previously believed," explained Kleiman. "There must have been a significant component of Levantine population in Megiddo at the time, and we see this, for example, in the cooking pots, which are very important cultural and social indicators. The pots we found tell us the population at the site cooked like their parents and grandparents, in the same local traditions."

The most significant discovery was the Egyptian pottery found predominantly in Area X. "When we opened the boxes of finds from the dig at my lab in Ben-Gurion University, I told my students to put the Egyptian pottery on the tables, and table after table got filled," Kleiman revealed.

"The number of Egyptian vessels is double or even triple the amount found in the entire Levant for that period.

"This is not decorated fine tableware, so it's very hard to argue that someone at Megiddo, a deportee or a surviving Israelite, all of a sudden acquired a taste for sub-par Egyptian pottery and decided to import it into his house."

A mosaic found on the floor © Getty Images