Tel Yokne'am: Where Joshua fought (and won!)

A few weeks ago, I got to visit Tel Yokne'am in the Jezreel Valley. Have you ever heard of it?

It is a hill about 200 ft high and 10 acres around in the Jezreel Valley. It has an incredible view, but what's inside is even more amazing.

Inside Tel Yokne'am are the ruins from almost 4,000 years of civilization-all the way down to the one Joshua led an army against in Joshua 12:22. This hill was one of Manasseh’s tribal cities and a Levite city. And who knows… there could even be more below that layer!

Today, at the top of the tel are Crusader ruins, dating back to around 1000 AD. The remains of an old Byzantine church from the 600s still stand, ready for visitors to explore and enjoy the view.

It fascinates me, the juxtaposition of the old and new here. I was standing on this ancient battleground, looking over the valley of Megiddo, as referenced in Revelation as where armies will gather before marching on Jerusalem (Rev. 16:16), when my eyes caught on a series of lights in the distance: an air base’s runway, directly across the valley… today’s warriors in view of where their ancient heroes fought for victory. The ancient and the modern just steps (and thousands of years) apart; close enough to be captured by a camera. 

This is what I love about studying and experiencing life, culture, and history in Israel!

Akko: Exploring the world of the Knights Templars

This is part 2 of a series about Akko. Honestly, we didn't have enough time while we were there to see everything, so I can't wait to go back. That's the great thing about studying here—I can really take my time and savor everything about this incredible country!

As I said last week, Akko is one of the most continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to 3,000 BC. And, as with many ancient cities, whenever a civilization came through and conquered one, they built right on top of the old. So there are layers upon layers of archeological treasure there, likely still to be explored!

One of the coolest things we did was walk through the underground tunnels and the world of the Knights Templars. We were literally walking the streets, looking at homes, seeing the hospital, church, and the great hall—all underground! 

And there was one place where they dug past the foundation and found the remains of a building of the civilization before the Crusaders! 

The tour itself was very interactive. There was translation available in many different languages, as well as signs written in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. It was everything from looking at artifacts to walking the tunnels and rooms, watching video reels projected onto stone walls, even playing games just like the ones people of the time would have played. 

It was SO COOL and made this history nerd SO HAPPY!

If you are ever in Northern Israel, I highly recommend a day at Akko. Or more than one. I know I will need to go back!

More New Discoveries in Israel!

Just in time for Hannukah—last month, the ruins of a fortress, burnt wooden beams, and coins were found in Israel's Lachish forest! 

The fortress was from the Hellenistic period, burned and destroyed by the Hasmoneans. It had 7 rooms and a staircase, and was in the line of defense for the Seleucids. The building's destruction shows that the Hasmonean army was victorious here, and this find further proves the Hannakuh story! Amazing!!

You can read more about it here.

Also, last month, an 11-year-old girl who was volunteering at an archeological site in Jerusalem found a coin made of pure silver dating back to almost 2,000 years!

The coin, discovered by Liel Krutokop as she was sifting dirt from an ancient road that connected the Pool of Siloam to the Temple, has an inscription that dates it to around 68-69 AD, right before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. 

Finding a coin is incredible enough, but this isn't just any coin. It's pure silver, and the inscription on it shows that it was likely minted by an actual priest at the Temple, meaning it is likely "one of the only items we can hold today that originated in the Temple itself," said Dr. Robert Kool, head of the Coin Department of the IAA. 

WOW!!!!

For more about this story, click here!