Megiddo

Megiddo, also known as Tel Megiddo, Har Megiddo, Tell el-Mutesellim, Campus Legionis, Legio, el-Lejjun, and Megiddon was a fortified city located in Israel and is one of the most famous battlegrounds in the world. Napoleon fought a battle there. In 1918, the British fought the Turks at Megiddo.

History
Megiddo is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is located a few miles southeast of Haifa. It is located on the top of a mountain. Some historians think that more battles have taken place here than anywhere in the world; Megiddo has approximately 26 levels of occupation. Excavators worked from 1925. The reason Megiddo was so important is that traders from all over the known world probably passed by its walls and probably through its gates. One led from the Mediterranean Sea to the fertile plains of central Israel. The other road led from Egypt all the way to the countries of Assyria, Persia, and Babylon, so the ruler of Megiddo would control the crossroads of the Middle East. It also was a site of great importance in the ancient world because it guarded the western branch of a narrow pass and ancient trade routes. These trade routes connected the lands of Egypt and Assyria. This location was strategically the crossroads of several major routes.

The Bible mentions Megiddo many times like in which states; "Deborah and Barak led the Israelites to victory over the Canaanite armies of Sisera by the waters of Megiddo," and in,  which states; "Joshua killed the king of Megiddo during the Conquest." There are many more verses that have to do with Megiddo, most of these are in Revelation dealing with the end times.

The word Armageddon is derived from the words meaning "Mountain of Megiddo". There is no known "Mountain of Megiddo" but it is assumed to refer to the valley called Megiddo. The word Armageddon was only used once in which states: "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon".

Popular Culture
Because of its fame, Megiddo is featured in a lot of places: movies, games, novels, etc.


 * Megiddo is also featured in the Game Boy Advance game, Golden Sun: The Lost Age as a special move usable when the Sol Blade is equipped.
 * In the Square-Enix game Final Fantasy VIII, the most powerful monster in the game (Omega WEAPON) casts a spell called "Megiddo Flame".
 * In the Sega game series Phantasy Star, the most powerful offensive technique is known as Megido. It transforms the user's anger into pure destructive energy.
 * The evangelical Christian motion picture Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 is an apocalyptic thriller released theatrically in 2001.