A grisly Bible story about an ancestor of Jesus may be true, jaw-dropping new evidence from Armageddon suggests.

In the Book of Revelation, Armageddon is where the apocalyptic final clash between good and evil takes place before a new world is born.

Today known as Tel Megiddo, the site is also where King Josiah, an ancestor of Jesus, was slain by the Egyptian pharaoh, Necho II, according to the Bible.

Now the first archaeological evidence has been found to support the tale, after excavations revealed proof of an Egyptian presence at the site during Josiah’s time.

Assaf Kleiman of Ben Gurion University, co-author of a new study about the discoveries, said the findings were a ‘big surprise’ for archaeologists.

He said: ‘Our recent excavations near the administrative quarter of Megiddo revealed the remains of a large structure dated to the late seventh century BC.

‘Within this building, we have found high quantities of crude and straw-tempered pottery vessels imported from Egypt, as well as a few East Greek vessels.

‘The exposure of these findings was a big surprise for our team, as these were not unearthed thus far at Megiddo.’

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that a grisly story from the Bible concerning Jesus’s ancestor may be true. New discoveries at Armageddon, known today as Tel Megiddo (pictured), point to the reality of a biblical battle 

In the Book of Revelation, Armageddon is where the apocalyptic final clash between good and evil takes place before a new world is born. The name ‘Armageddon’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘Har Megiddo’ meaning ‘hill of Megiddo’

The Greek vessels offer a tantalising clue, archaeologists believe.

Dr Kleiman’s co-author, Israel Finkelstein of the University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University, said: ‘The Greek pottery is usually considered as representing Greek mercenaries.

‘From sources such as Herodotus and the Assyrian King, Ashurbanipal, we know that Greeks from Anatolia served as mercenaries in the Egyptian army.

‘This scenario may be linked to the biblical account about the killing of King Josiah of Judah by Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo in 609 BC.’

Josiah, who’s been called the last good king of Judah, is described as a religious reformer in the Bible, ending the worship of any god but Yahweh.

He’s also listed as a paternal ancestor of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

The Old Testament gives varied accounts of his death.

Dr Finkelstein said: ‘The Bible recounts the death of Josiah at Megiddo in two places.

The city of Tel Megiddo (pictured) is where King Josiah, an ancestor of Jesus, was slain by the Egyptian pharaoh, Necho II, according to the Bible.

Archaeologists have now found Greek pottery which might have been used by Greek mercenaries in Necho’s army 

‘He’s killed by Necho during an encounter at Megiddo in the Book of Kings, and killed in a battle with the Egyptians in the Book of Chronicles.

‘Kings gives close to ‘real time’ evidence while Chronicles represents centuries-later thoughts.

‘On this background, the new evidence for an Egyptian garrison, possibly with Greek mercenaries, at Megiddo in the late seventh century BC, may provide the background to the event.

‘Moreover, in two places in prophetic works, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, the Bible hints that west Anatolians – Lydians – were involved in the killing of Josiah.’

The site’s Hebrew name, Har Megiddo – meaning Mount Megiddo – was rendered as Harmagedon in Greek, leading to the modern name, Armageddon.

Why Josiah was killed there is debated.

Some say he and his army blocked the path of Necho II, who was en-route to Syria with his troops.

Others say he was summoned as a vassal and executed after failing to pay sufficient tribute to Egypt.

The discovery of pottery fragments in the area suggests that Necho’s military forces may have been in the area of Tel Megiddo, or Armageddon, during the time described by the Bible 

Most of the city of Megiddo (pictured) has already been excavated, but this new discovery suggests there could be truth to the biblical account of the battle 

It’s even been suggested that Josiah’s death there is the reason for its apocalyptic reputation.

While this new evidence does not tell us much about the details of Josiah’s death, it does point to Necho’s military presence at Armageddon around that time.

‘It would make sense to place the [final] battle out there due to Israel’s history of that location,’ argues Hope Bolinger at Christianity.com.

Dr Kleiman, Dr Finkelstein, and their colleagues Matthew Adams and Alexander Fantalkin published their study in the Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament.