Wikipedia information on Jezreel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezreel
Biblical history
In addition to the settlements of Jezreel and Megiddo, the valley has played host to a number of other important historic places. The largest modern settlement in the Jezreel Valley is the city of Afula (Hebrew: עפולה, Arabic: عفولة), also known as the "Capital of the Valley" (בירת העמק) where archaeological excavations have indicated near continuous settlement of the place through the Ghassulian culture of the Chalcolithic Age (c. 4500-3300 BCE) to the Ayyubid periods of the 11-13th centuries.[4] It is regarded to have been the Biblical city of Ophrah, which the Book of Judges identifies as the home of Gideon.[5] The valley formed an easier route through the Levant than crossing the mountains on either side, and so saw a large amount of traffic, and was the site of many historic battles; the earliest battle for which, the Battle of Megiddo, has a surviving detailed account to prove that it was fought in the valley. Due to the surrounding terrain, Egyptian chariots were only able to travel from Egypt as far as the Jezreel valley and the valley north of Lake Huleh.
According to the Bible, the valley was the scene of a victory by the Israelites, led by Gideon, against the Midianites, the Amalekiltes, and the Children of the East[6], but was later the location at which the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines[7]. According to textual scholars, the account of a Philistine victory at Jezreel derives from the monarchial source, in contrast to the republican source, which places the Philistine victory against the Israelites at Gilboa[8][9]. In Christian Eschatology, the part of the valley on which the Battle of Megiddo was fought is believed to be destined to be the site of a final battle, between good and evil, known as Armageddon (a word derived from Megiddo).
As recounted in 2Kings 9:1-10, after Jehu kills King Jehoram, he confronts Jezebel in Jezreel and urges her eunuchs to kill the queen mother by throwing her out a window. They comply, tossing her out the window and leaving her in the street to be eaten by dogs. Only Jezebel's skull, feet, and hands remained.
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