The Haas and Schwartz Megiddo Gallery at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois

The Haas and Schwartz Megiddo Gallery at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
The Haas and Schwartz Megiddo Gallery features artifacts from the Oriental Institute’s excavations at Megiddo, modern Israel (ancient Armageddon), including the famed Megiddo ivories, whose artistic style is evidence for early internationalism. The excavation of the mound at Megiddo is documented by objects such as lamps, weapons, and pottery arranged in stratigraphic order to illustrate how archaeologists could recreate the culture from 5000 to 600 BC. Other objects trace the rise of the Israelites and the royal city of Megiddo. Artifacts of special interest include a gold-covered statue of the Canaanite god El, a fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls – one of few on permanent display in the United States – and a cast of the Moabite Stone.


Image: Ivory game board inlaid with gold and blue paste, for the game of 58 holes, excavated at Megiddo, Stratum VIIA, dated to the Late Bronze Age II, 13th century B.C.E. Image courtesy of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.

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