Eric Cline

So...

Schumacher found great stuff, but he also missed great stuff.

If we knew which level he had found that inscription in, we would know which level Shashank had captured.

And therefore, since we know Shashank was just after Solomon, we would know what level at Megiddo is Solomon's.

But we don't know any of that.

So we're still searching for Solomon.

So anyway, Schumacher did a pretty good job, better than Schliemann at Troy.

Let's put it that way.

But then when he ended in 1905, the site just lay there for 20 years until Chicago came and started excavating in 1925.

Breasted had just started the Oriental Institute at Chicago.

Now it's the Institute for the Study of either Ancient Cultures or Ancient Civilizations.

It's ISAC.

Breasted started it in 1920, and he immediately started looking around for an excavation.

And in fact, he went to Lord Allenby and asked Allenby where he should dig.

Why did Breasted and Allenby have a relationship?

because when Allenby fought his battle at Megiddo in 1918, he had gotten explicit instructions from London as to how to conduct the campaign.

But Allenby looked at the geography and realized that he was camped, and there were three ways to get to Megiddo.

There was the Central Way, which was narrow but most susceptible to ambush.

There was the Northern Route.

There was the Southern Route.