THE SITE FOR ARMEGEDDON, CAESAREA, AND MORE FERMENTED GRAPES

From the cliff cusped bowl of Mt. Precipice in Nazareth, it is almost 26 kilometers exactly to the legendary ancient site of Meggido – better known from the Book of Revelations in The Bible as “Armageddon.”   This is the scene predicted by St. John of Patmos for the final battle between Good and Evil.

Few pieces of real estate on the planet have a resume like this one.  It is a veritable tapestry of historical depiction, chronicling for the ages that rich crossroads of perpetual conflict that is the Mideast.  Meggido was inhabited starting earlier than 7000 years ago.  It has been built, attacked, conquered, razed and rebuilt 25 times.  It was abandoned 586 years before the time of Christ, and is the only site noted in the historical annals of every Mideast power.  It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Though from a distance Meggido appears to be a hill, it is actually a tel – a mounded accumulation built up from successive layering of habitation from constant building and rebuilding on a naturally attractive geographic site.  In Meggido’s case, this attraction came from its spring fed source of water, rich agricultural soils, and proximity to the Via Maris military artery connecting Mesopotamia, Egypt and the land of the Canaanites.

Meggido’s layers numbered 26.  Their height rose to about 60 meters above the plain.  Its total area today measures about 48 acres.  Most of the site has yet to be excavated.  The layers contained settlements at various depths that were Hittite, Canaanite, Egyptian, Syrian, Jewish, Persian, Greek, and Roman (among others).  The first recorded battle in history took place outside its walls between the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III and a consortium of Canaanite and Kadesh kings in 1478 BC.

Megiddo has been excavated three times in depth. The first excavations were carried out between 1903 and 1905 by the German Society for the Study of Palestine. Techniques used were rudimentary by later standards.  In 1925, digging was resumed by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (financed by John D. Rockefeller), continuing until the outbreak of World War II.

The Institute initially intended to completely excavate the whole tel, layer by layer, but the effort eventually ran out of money. Today excavators limit themselves to a square or a deep trench on the basis that they must leave something for future archaeologists with presumably improved techniques and equipment.

Later excavations were conducted in 1960, 1966, 1967, and 1971 for the Hebrew University.  Megiddo has since 1994 been the subject of biannual excavation campaigns undertaken by Tel Aviv University with the primary purpose of clarifying Meggido’s complex layering and chronology.

Regardless of the era in which digging took place, because of the continuous nature of the preservation work at Meggido the site has served as the cradle of Biblical archeology and a lab for modern archeological research methods.  These excavations have uncovered twenty significant points of interest on the tel, a few of which are worthy of mention.

Among those are the discovery of an extensive set of north and south stables, revealing Meggido to be an important commercial center, cavalry base, and center for chariot use.  Up to 480 horses could be housed there. A Canaanite Palace of 50 x 30 meters (immense for its time in the Late Bronze Age, approximately 1400 BC) displayed advanced building techniques and rich appointments , attesting to the status of its rulers at the time.

An engineered water system was hewn from subterranean rock during the period of the Israelite kings (approximately 1000 BC), bringing water to the city from springs outside the city walls.  A 36 meter square well shaft was first sunk to reach below spring level, and then a 100 meter horizontal connecting tunnel added that inclined backward slightly so water would naturally flow from spring to shaft.  The entrance to the spring outside Meggido’s fortifications was then hidden with a massive stone wall, and further concealed with earth so enemies laying siege to the city would not discover its location.

Nearby Caesarea (named after the Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus Caesar) was not always a Roman settlement.  This idyllic seaside complex variously went through addition, subtraction or occupation by the Persians, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Hasmoneans, Romans, Arabs, European Crusaders, Egyptians, and Turks.  But it is Rome that has clearly put its stamp on the place.  It served as the Roman capitol of Palestine starting in 6 AD.

My first impression on approaching the place is: “This will be fun.  It looks like Disneyland on the Mediterranean.”  For Caesarea was a planned city, taking roughly 12 years to build.  It offered the whole kit: crisscrossed residential and commercial streets, bathhouses, a temple and synagogue, concentrated column clusters, an open-air theatre for 4000, imposing statues and a marbled royal palace jutting into the sea.

Added to the mix were an artificial harbor with a 400 meter breakwater, markets, chariot racing hippodrome and circus seating 30,000 citizens, a pair of aqueducts with the longest bringing water from 7 kilometers away, U-shaped 50 x 250 meter arena with ocean views for 10,000 and a gated 2600 meter stone enclosure wall featuring dominant multi-story guard towers.  

The temple platform is typical of Caesarea.  In King Herod’s time just before the birth of Christ, it supported a lavish elevated podium tribute to Rome and Augustus.  In due course however, it was superseded by an octagonal Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) church, followed by a mosque in the 7^th century, and later still by a Crusader cathedral.

Conflicts between Jews and gentiles in the city were one of the primary causes of The Great Revolt of 66 AD.  Caesarea served as the base for Roman legions sent to quell the uprising, and it was in the city that commanding general Vespasian was declared the new Caesar.  After the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Caesarea became the most important city in all of Palestine.

The city flourished in the Byzantine period, growing to over 400 acres.  It lost its political and economic influence after the Arab conquest in 640 -- most of its citizens left the city.  Caesarea revived in the 9^th century upon recovery of coastal trade and renewed growth of seaside cities.  It was conquered yet again by Crusaders in 1101, and fortified more heavily than ever.  It was subsequently conquered by Muslim Mameluks in 1265.  Caesarea was razed and finally deserted, becoming a source of lime and building material for the entire region. Archeological explorations were not initiated for another 608 years.

Today despite the lack of continuity between its isolated ruins somewhat depleting a former splendor, Caesarea remains a storied vision.  There are few distractions as fine as wandering amidst its foundation outlines, forest of columns, and surviving buildings as the Mediterranean beckons in the background.  Its display of heroic monuments from bygone civilizations remains a compelling visit.  Restaurants, beaches, impossibly scenic picnic spots, and even a diving center still await the patient visitor.

With an early morning flight on the schedule, hours remain still before Israel and I part company on the friendliest of terms.  I can think of no better way to fill them than sampling yet more of the fermented grape, this time in the wine country just north of Caesarea and a bit south of Mt. Carmel.  The highlights were Mt. Carmel Winery and Tishbi Winery.

Tishbi Winery – featuring a series of wine flights of both red and white vintages paired with chocolates of varying price strata and quality – was a dream to get lost in.  Perhaps because they are so busy, a “pour your own” practice is employed, where the first couple ounces and vintage description is offered by the staff.  After that you are free to add whatever you like to your glass.  They count on you to be modest and use your own discretion.  The chocolate is added gratis. In my wine tasting on five continents I have never experienced this level of generosity.

The wines are superb.  I remember the chardonnay as meeting my preference for a buttery presentation and a long finish.  The real prize however, was the 2004 Jonathan Tishby Special Reserve red blend.  The mix is merlot, cab, petit verdot, cab franc, and shiraz.  It resides two years on oak.  The result is complex, full-bodied, purple in color,  violet laced, herby, leather scented, and nuanced of dark chocolate.  One wine critic ranked it as #4 in the world among multi-award winning vintages.

Despite not having room in backpack or carry-on, and knowing I’d be flying out early in the morning. I purchase two bottles anyway.  I am always armed with a corkscrew.  This gives me something to while the hours away at the airport during my upcoming all-nighter.  There will be no hotel this evening.  Rooms in Israel are way too costly, especially near the coast and especially on weekends.

Part of the fun of a tasting room beyond the sampling is of course sharing banter with other wine revelers.  It is customary to compare war stories.  Then trade scouting reports (real or imagined).  And, once a certain comfort level is achieved, make fun of each other.  My target of choice was Eyal Lapidot, a 33 year-old Israeli touring for the weekend with friends. `

I soon discover there is an American (tackle style) Israeli Football League, and that Eyal plays defensive end for the Jerusalem “Big Blue Lions.”  Number 66.  We compare notes.  Which of course, always begins with injury comparisons.  A certain embellishment is always called for in this situation, and usually appreciated.  The versions are similar to “and I had to walk to school as a kid, uphill both ways, in two feet of snow, carrying my brothers’ and sisters’ books, and leaving before dawn to light the stove …”

A final visit is paid to Carmel Winery, just a few miles distant in Zikhron Yaakov.  Carmel owns the two largest wineries in Israel.  Both were built by the Baron Edmond de Rothschild of Chateau Lafite of Bordeaux starting in 1882 on.  Carmel turns out 15 million bottles a year, drawing on vineyards from the Upper Galilee to the Negev Desert to fashion vintages from balanced terroir, sun, precipitation, and temperature.

I arrive late in the day and only get to taste two wines.  The first is Carmel’s flagship wine, the Carmel Limited Edition.  It is a Bordeaux style blend made in an ‘Old World’ elegant style. The grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec and a little Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged for 15 months in small French oak barrels.  It is deep purple in color, and offers aromas of black plum, violet, and tobacco leaves. It is full bodied, and described as showing “extraordinary elegance and an excellent balance between fruit, tannins and acidity.”

The second tasting involves the Carmel Mediterranean.  Its grape varieties include rare Carignan, Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah and a little Viognier. The wine was aged for 15 months in French oak barrels. It has a deep purple color, with an aroma of black cherries, spices, leather and truffles. The wine is described as “elegant, well-balanced and made for cellaring.”

Carmel has recently won two very prestigious awards worldwide from wines I was not able to sample.  Those include the 2010 Decanter World Wine Trophy winner for its Red Rhone Varietal, and the same award for its 2011 Shiraz Kayumi in the high end classification from the same British wine magazine. With wine no longer front of mind awareness as I board the plane hours later for Turkey, I am reminded of a joke I’ve heard making the rounds in Israel.  It refers to Israeli innovation and practicality.  It seems the Israelis have developed an airport security device that eliminates privacy concerns connected with full-body scanners. It's an armored booth you step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on your person. Israel sees this as a win-win situation for everyone, with none of the political correctness concerns anguished about in the US regarding ethnic profiling. It also eliminates the cost of long and expensive trials. You're in the airport terminal and suddenly hear a muffled explosion.  Shortly thereafter, an announcement is heard: "Attention to all standby passengers. El Al is pleased to announce a seat is now available on flight 670 to London.  Shalom!"