The name of Megiddo does not again appear in history. Herodotus mentions a Magdolus, where Pharaoh-necho conquered the Syrians in a pitched battle; by which it is probable he means Megiddo (ii. 159). The city was evidently unknown to Euse bius and Jerome, for though it is found in the Ono masticon (sr. v. Majeddo), there is no reference to its site or its existing state. These writers, how ever, frequently mention a city called Legio, which stood in that part of the plain where Megiddo must have been situated, and was the capital of a large district (Onomast., s. v. Nazareth, Camon, Thaa nach, etc.) Legio is a Roman name, and was doubtless given to an old city. Its position in the plain, and its proximity to Taanach (four miles)— with which Megiddo is almost uniformly joined in Scripture—lead to the belief that Legio was just the Roman name of the Hebrew Megiddo. This ap pears to have been first suggested by R. Parchi in the 14th century (Boy: of Tud. by Asher, it. 433); and it has since been maintained by Robinson (B. R., ii. 328, sea.), Van de Velde (Memoir, 333), and others.
The ruins of Legio are now called El-.Lejjiln. They stand on both banks of a glen which cuts through a low spur of Carmel, and consist of some heavy foundations and heaps of hewn stones among corn-fields, intermixed with columns of granite, marble, and limestone. The traces of a large khan, which was still habitable in Maundrell's day (Early Travels, Bohn, p. 430), are visible. Along the bottom of the glen winds a stream whose waters drive two or three mills ; and through the glen passes the ancient road to Sharon, Philistia, and Egypt. About three quarters of a mile north of the ruins is a large truncated tell, called Tell el Mutsellim, 'The Governor's Hill.' It is a most commanding site, affording a view of the whole plain and of the ancient cities of Shunem, Jezreel, and Taanach. The writer felt convinced, when he visited it, that upon this tell stood the stronghold of Megiddo. It has for ages been under cultiva
tion, but some few faint traces of old buildings may be seen, and the sides of the hill have evidently been scarped for the purposes of defence. Not far from the base of the tell flows, in its deep bed, the stream which passes Lejjdn. Here are doubtless the waters of Megiddoand on the level plain beyond the glen, extending away to the tell on which lie the remains of Taanach, was fought the great battle between Barak and Sisera. And when one stands on this ancient site he can understand the appropriateness of the geographical allusions in Deborah's war-song, The'kings came and fought ; then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo' (Judg. v. 19).
Von Raumer (PaRist. 402, 3d ed.) has endea voured to identify Lejjfm with Maximianopolu, as well as Legio. This seems very improbable. It would imply that two Roman names were given at the same time to the same ancient city (see Robin son, B. R., iii. I18; and in Bibliotheea Sacra, February s844). Jerome identifies Maximiano polls with Hadadrimmon (on Zech. xii. t r). Con sequently, if Raumer's theory be admitted, this ancient site had no less than four names, two Hebrew and two Roman. Van de Velde may be correct in stating that Hadadrimmon is now repre sented by the hamlet of Rummaneh at the foot of the hills four miles south of Lejjfin (Travels, i. 355 ; Memoir, p. 333).
It may be that this plain of Meggido '—this great battle-field of Israel—was before the mind of the Apostle John when he figuratively described the final conflict between good and evil, who were gathered to a place called in the Hebrew tongue Ar.Mageddon,' that is, the city of Megiddo' (Rev. xvi. 16 ; Stanley, S. and P., 330); or if we regard the aspirated ap as equivalent to the He brew nil, then the meaning will be mountain of Megiddo,' which would likewise be appropriate (Alford, in loc.)—J. L P.