“TerminateandLiquidate”:HowtheMegiddoIvorieswereAlmostNotDiscovered

By Er ic H . C l ine

AttheendofthefirstweekinMay1936,JohnWilson,whohadjusttakenoverasDirectorofthe

OrientalInstituteattheUniversityofChicago,sentacabletoGordonLoudandtheteamof

archaeologistsexcavatingatthesiteofMegiddo,inBritishMandatePalestine.

Aer ia l v iew o f Meg iddo .

Gordon Loud ca . 1930 in the courtyard o f the expedi t ion house a t

Khorsabad .

regret another megiddo season impossible expedition terminating now stop

can you remain to liquidate house and equipment…

[please] advise antiquities department of termination

Alongerletterwassentthesameday.Init,WilsonexplainedthattheInstituteadministrationhad

beentryingforthreeweekstofigureawayoutofadrasticfinancialdilemma,buthadfinally

concludedthattheyhadtoclosedownalloftheirexcavationsimmediately,ratherthanallowthemto

continueforanotheryear.

Whathadhappenedwassimple,butentirelyunanticipated.Inthewakeofthesuddendeaththe

previousDecemberofJamesHenryBreasted,thefounderandlong-timeDirector,thethree

RockefellerfoundationswhichhadbeenfinancingtheInstituteanditsexcavationssincethe

beginning,askedWilsontocomeupwithaplaninwhichtheoverall$700,000annualbudgetwas

drasticallyreducedby50percentormoreandthefieldprojectssimilarlycuttotheboneorshut

downcompletely.WithBreastednolongeraroundtopersonallydefendthevariousoverseas

undertakings,Wilsonhadnochoicebuttocomply.

ForthesmallteamatMegiddo,thiswastheendoftheworldastheyknewit;itwastheirown

personalArmageddon.TherehadbeenChicagoexcavatorssurveyinganddiggingatMegiddoevery

yearsince1925,butthiswasapparentlytheendoftheroad.Morecables,someincode,flewback

andforthacrosstheAtlanticinthenextseveraldays—threefromLoudtoWilsonalone.Inthem,

LoudterselytoldWilsonthatheandtheotherswouldremainatthesiteaslongasnecessaryto

liquidateeverything.Healsoasked,plaintively,whethertheymightexcavateforonemoreseason

afterall,onashoestringbudgetof$20,000,butWilsonrepliedthatwasimpossible.

However,LoudsooninformedWilsonthatthelocalconditionsweresounsettledthatliquidatingthe

dighouseandalltheirequipmentwouldbedifficult.Hefollowedupalmostimmediatelywith

anothercable,thistimeincode,statingthatthegrowingdisturbancesactuallymadeliquidation

totallyimpossible,andthatthegovernmentthoughtthesituationcouldlastforweeks.He

recommendedthattheypostponetheliquidationuntilthefall,ifthingshadcalmeddownbythen.

Asitturnedout,the“disturbances”lastedforafullsixmonths;theymarkedthebeginningofwhatis

nowknownasthe1936–39ArabRevoltinBritishMandatePalestine.Loudrecordedsomeofthe

eventsinhisfielddiary.On19April,henoted:“TheGarstangsdropinforfiveminutesaftertea...

butallarewhiskedawayinahurrybypolice.RiotsareunderwayinJaffaandTelAviv,andthepolice

aretakingprecautionsinkeepingpeopleofftheroadshere.SofarHaifaremainsquiet.”Thenextday

hewrotethatitremainedtobeseenwhateffecttheriotswouldhaveonthemlocally.By22April,he

notedthattheriotswerequietingdownandhadnotaffectedtheirlocalworksituation.

WhatLoudandtheotherswereexperiencingatthetimewasjusttheopeningstage,whichsoon

morphedintoageneralstrikethatlastedfromMaytoOctober1936.Asecond,moreviolentand

deadlier,phasewouldbeginayearlater,inthefallof1937,afterthePeelCommissionreleasedits

findingsinJulyofthatyear,concludingthatBritishcontroloftheareacouldnotbesustained,and

proposingapartition—dividingthelandbetweentheArabs,whowouldreceive80percent,andthe

Jews,whowouldreceive20percent.ThePeelreportledtoanescalationoftheprotests,whichlasted

until1939andresultedinaneventualdeathtollestimatedat150Britishsoldiers,500Jews,and

morethan3,000Arabs.However,thatstilllayabitinthefutureatthispoint.

Coded cab le sent f rom Loud to Wi lson on 11 May 1936 .

On12May,LoudmadehiswaydowntoJerusalem.ThenextmorninghewenttoseeErnest

Richmond,thedirectoroftheDepartmentofAntiquities.SinceRichmondwasunavailable,Loudmet

withRichardW.Hamilton,theactingdirector,andtoldhimthattheywerefinished,notjustforthe

season,butforever.ThemessageresonatedwithHamilton,forhehadbeenamemberoftheMegiddo

teamforafewweeksbackin1929.AhandwrittennotethatHamiltonpennedtoRichmondlaterthat

samedaycapturesLoud’sreluctantmessage:“TheOrientalInstitutehasofficiallycloseddownthe

expeditiontoMegiddo.Theyarepackingupeverythingexceptpictures,plants,etc.Mr.Parkerwill

returnintheautumntowinduptheiraffairs....Mr.Loudwishestokeepthematteroftheclosingof

thedigconfidentialforthepresent.”

However,theexpeditionreversedcoursefrompotentialterminationsoquicklythatworddoesnot

seemtohavespreadfar,ifatall.Wilsondecidedthattheywouldbeabletoallocate$28,000towarda

fieldseasonatMegiddofor1936–37afterall.First,though,theyhadtomakecertainthattheycould

getpermissiontodigagain.InearlySeptember,LoudsentletterstoRichmond,inhisroleasthe

directorofantiquities,andtothechiefsecretaryinJerusalem.Heexplainedthatrecentdevelopments

hadmadeanotherseasonatMegiddopossibleafterall,andthattheywouldliketopostponethe

liquidationandinsteaddigagainbeginninginNovemberorDecember.

Richmondrepliedpositively,sotheonlythingthatLoudhadtodonowwaswaittoseewhetherthe

generalstrikewouldeventuallycometoanend,allowingthemtobeginwork.Hesentcablesto

Richmondinquiringabouttheconditionsinmid-OctoberandthenagaininlateOctober,finally

receivingapositivereply:“asatpresentadvisedworkresumeabledecember.”Richmondalsosenta

licenseforLoudandtheOItodig,validforoneyear(asperusual),throughtheendofDecember

1937.

Thedigofficiallybeganagainon19December,lessthansixmonthsafterithadbeenscheduledfor

terminationandliquidation.Itwaslaterintheyearthantheyhadeverbegunbefore—inprevious

yearstheywouldhavebeenclosingdownaroundthistimeforthewinterbreak,butnowtheywere

justgettingstarted.

Aer ia l v iew o f Meg iddo in 1937 .

Itwasalsoaverysmallstaff:Loudasfielddirector,alongwithGeoffreyShiptonandHarryParker,

whohadbeenwiththeexcavationsincetheearlydaysofPLOGuyalmostadecadeearlier,andtwo

relativenewcomers,CharleyandAliceAltman,whohadpreviouslyworkedwithLoudatKhorsabad

inIraq.Thatwasit.TheMegiddoexpeditionwasbackdowntothesamesmallsizethatithadbeen

duringtheveryfirstexcavationseason,inthespringof1926.AsLoudtoldWilsonafewweekslater,

“Thefiveofusfairlyrattleaboutinthislargehouse.”

Onthebrightside,theyfoundthemselveswithaplethoraoflaborandweresoonoverseeingmore

thantwohundredworkerseachday,inlargepartbecausethelocalshadbeendriventotheedgeof

povertybythegeneralstrike,whichhadonlyjustendedinOctober.Loudsaidthattherewerestill

bitterfeelingsthroughoutthecountry,buttheirpropertyhadsufferednodamagewhiletheywere

away,andthelocalvillagershadbeenlookingafteritoftheirownaccord.

Meg iddo excavat ions . Courtesy o f the Ober l in Co l lege Arch ives .

Mending pot tery a t Meg iddo . Courtesy o f the Ober l in Co l lege Arch ives .

Po t tery rooma t Meg iddo . Courtesy o f the Ober l in Co l lege Arch ives .

Itwasnowdangeroustotravelatnight,though,forfearofbeingheldupbybandits,andtripsto

Jerusalemcouldbedonesafelyonlyinbroaddaylight.Asitturnedout,althoughWilsoncontinuedto

beconcernedaboutthepoliticalsituation,Loudandtheothersseemtohavehadnoproblemsduring

theentireseason—oratleastnonethattheyreported.

InlateJanuary,LoudsentalongmissivetoWilson,whichbeganwithhisblatantlystateddesirethat

theywouldfindsomethingsensationalsoon:“YourdesireforthesensationalfromMegiddoisno

greaterthanmine,”hewrote.“Somethingstartlingwouldcertainlybeabighelp.Mygreatestdesire

forthemoment,however,isforabreakontheweathersothatwemightdigtothepotofgold,

whateverformitmaytake.”

Asitturnedout,Loud’sletterwishingforthe“sensational”wasprophetic.Thecloudseventually

parted,thesuncameout,birdsstartedsinging,andsoforth,andtowardtheendofFebruary,Loud

wasabletowritetoWilsonsayingthatthenortharea,whichhehadpreviouslyperceivedasdulland

troublesome,“nowtakesitsfullshareofinterest.”Ashedescribedit,theLateBronzeAgepalacewas

provingtobebothextensiveandmagnificent,withwallsstandingashighasfourmetersinsome

placesandcoveredwithpaintedmudplaster.

Therewasalsoa“floorofshellswhichgivestheappearanceofamosaicpavement.”Furthermore,the

teambeganfindingpiecesofcarvedivory,somewithincisedEgyptianhieroglyphicsandothers

decoratedwithelaboratedesigns.Soontheseinitialpieceswouldbejoinedbyahostofadditional

artifacts,intheformofahoardofgoldobjectsfollowedimmediatelybyatreasuretroveofivory

objects.Allwerefoundwithinjustafewroomsofthepalaceinthenorthareaandmadethis“amost

successfulseason,”asWilsonlaterputit.InearlyMarch,Loudwrote,“Therecannolongerbeany

doubtoftheimportanceofthismound.”

TheyfoundthefirstpiecesonthefirstdayofMarch.Inhisfielddiaryentrythenextday,Loudwrote:

“Fullworkthepastthreedays,butsomanyextrastoattendtothatnon-essentialsmustslide.Allthis

largelyduetowhatisprobablythefindoftheseason—ahoardofgoldjewelry,vessels,etcin3100—

anouterroomofthenorthpalace.Sorich,sovaried,andsofragilearethefindsthatthereisinfinite

workinremovingandcleaningthem.Itbeganyesterdaymorningwhenashell-shapeddishinwhich

wasagreenstonejarcappedwithgoldfirstappeared.”

Stra tumVI I I go ld hoard under f loor o f Room3100 .

Fourdayslater,hesentacodedcabletoChicago,announcingthefind.Whendecodedontheother

end,themessageread:

stratum eight palace produces magnificent egyptian gold hoard:

—fluted shell-shaped bowl, perfume jars, jewelry, etc.

18th dynasty context [but] style suggests partly middle kingdom origin. unparalleled this country.

Loudalsosentamuchlongerletterlaterthatsameday,withallofthedetails.Itbegan:“DearJohn:In

oneofyourletters,youaskedforthesensational.IfI’mnotverymuchmistaken,Ithinkthisisnowa

faitaccompli.”Specifically,theyhadfoundahoardofgoldandivorytreasuredeliberatelyburied

underthefloorinthesouthwestcornerofasmallroom(3100)locatedatthenorthernendofthe

palace.Thepieceswereamazing,“amagnificentcollection,absolutelyuniqueinPalestine.”

However,allofthatwasjusttheappetizer.Themaincoursewasyettocome,foritsubsequently

turnedoutthattherewasmorethanjustthegoldhoardinthispalace.Infact,whattheyfoundnext

eclipsedthehoardalmostentirely,atleastintermsofdiscoveriesthataretodaymostfrequently

citedanddiscussedwhenitcomestoMegiddo.

InthesameletterthathesenttoWilsoninearlyMarch,Loudreportedthattheywereclearingthree

otherrooms,whichwereturningouttobe“veritablemines”ofivoryobjects.Injustonecornerof

oneroom,theyfound“combs,spoons,plaques,medallions,etc.allhelterskelterwithskeletonsofa

childandayoungcamelplusanotherhumanskull,andmorecamelskull!”Oneofthenicestpieces

wasstillhalf-buried,hesaid,butseemedtobepartofacuporgobletwithanexquisitelycarved

designofpomegranatesandscrolls.

The Treasury (3073) v iewed f rom the south .

Comple te an imal ske le ton and ivor ies in the western ha l f o f the nor thern

roomo f the Treasury , look ing eas t .

I vory pen case w i th car touche o f Ramses I I I .

Loudrarelyusedexclamationmarksinhisletters,sohemusthavebeentrulyexcitedwhenhewrote

allofthis.HelaterexplainedtoWilsonthathehadbeentemptedtosendacableaboutthediscovery

oftheivoriesaswellbuthadrefrained“lesstheshockofsomuchfromMegiddomightbetoomuch

foryou.”HealsotoldHowardMatthews,whowasinchargeoffinancialmattersattheOriental

Instituteatthetime,thatsincesendinghiscableaboutthegold,whichMatthewshadbeentheoneto

decodebackinChicago,theivories“havesofarsurpassedtheoriginalfindthatthey,ratherthanthe

gold,nowtakefirstplace.”

TheyhadfoundthefamousMegiddoivories.

Ittookthemmorethanamonthofwork,from6Marchuntil7April,justtocarefullyexcavateand

removealloftheivories,allthewhileentertainingvisitorswhocametoseetheirfinds,including

someofthebest-knownarchaeologistsworkinginthearea,fromthereveredSirWilliamMatthew

FlindersPetrie(BritisharchaeologistandEgyptologistextraordinaire)toNelsonGlueck(later

presidentofHebrewUnionCollege),EliezerSukenik(laterrenownedforpurchasingandtranslating

thefirstthreeDeadSeaScrolls),OlgaTufnell(whowasexcavatingatLachishwithJamesStarkey),

andGeraldLankesterHarding(directoroftheDepartmentofAntiquitiesofJordanatthetime).

Removingtheivorieswasanelaborateandtime-consumingprocessthatinvolvedusingcelluloidto

hardenorpiecetogetherthefragments;applyingsolventtosoftenthedirtthatremainedattached;

andoccasionallystickingpapertothefragments,againusingcopiousamountsofcelluloid,which

couldlaterbeeasilypeeledoff.

Earlyon,Loudestimatedthatthereweremorethanahundred“first-classpieces.”Infact,thereare

closertofourhundredpiecesalltold,includingitemsthatLoudthoughthad“Egyptian,Syrian,

Cretan,andAssyrianmotives.”Hewascorrect—laterscholarshaveconfirmedtheinternational

natureofthiscollection,detectingHittite,Mycenaean,Egyptian,Ugaritic,Canaanite,andAssyrian

motifs.TheyfoundsomanyivoriesthatLoudhadtohireaphotographernamedG.EricMatson,from

theAmericanColonyinJerusalem,tohelpoutwithallofthedocumentation.

Thegoldhoardandtheivorytreasurefoundduringthespringof1937turnedouttobethehigh

pointofLoud’sfourseasonsofexcavation,intermsofglitteringitemsthatwouldcatchthepublic’s

imagination.However,hisfinalseasonsprovedtobejustasimportanttotheoverallaimsandgoals

oftheexpedition.Itwasduringthattimetheywereabletofinishdiggingallthewaydownto

bedrockinAreaBB—theireastdig—andtocompletetheirreconstructionoftheentireoccupational

sequenceofMegiddo,fromtheearliestindicationsofinhabitationinStratumXXtothefinal

abandonmentofthemoundafterStratumI.

Alongtheway,though,inthesefinalseasons,theyhadtodealwiththecontinueddangersthatcame

withlivinginBritishMandatePalestineduringtheArabRevolt,whichhadbegunwiththegeneral

strikein1936andwasnowenteringitsfinalandmostviolentphase.FortheteamatMegiddo,this

includedadeaththreatagainstLoud,theattemptedassassinationoftheirgoodfriendHarryIliffe

fromtheAntiquitiesDepartment,andthemurderofanarchaeologicalcolleague,JamesStarkey,the

excavatorofLachish,whowasenroutetotheofficialopeningofthenewPalestineArchaeological

Museum.

Butthosearestoriesforanothertime.

Eric H. Cline is Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology at

the George Washington University.

This excerpt is from Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon (Princeton

University Press, 2020). Footnotes or references can be found in the published book. Archival

material and quotations are reproduced by permission of the Oriental Institute at the University of

Chicago and the Israel Antiquity Authority, as described in greater detail in the book.