The destruction of Stratum VIA is described by Israel Finkelstein in Adams et al. (2013, Vol. 3:1336–1337) as total, with evidence present “in every area excavated by our team and by our predecessors,” including Levels H-9 and M-4. Kleiman et al. (2023:3) similarly note that Megiddo in Stratum VIA “was destroyed by a fierce conflagration, followed by a short gap of occupation, radical change in material culture and a cessation of activity in the lower settlement,” and emphasize that the destruction debris—“one of the most reliable stratigraphic anchors at Megiddo”—is marked by a massive accumulation of burnt mudbrick collapse, sometimes exceeding 1 m in thickness, with restorable vessels and ash debris. In Area Q, Kleiman et al. (2023:15) report that Level Q-7a, equivalent to Stratum VIA, contained Iron I pottery sealed by Level Q-6b, whose ceramic assemblage “exhibits distinctive characteristics of the Iron IIA traditions, such as red-slipped and hand-burnished vessels” (Kleiman 2022: 937). They further note that a radiocarbon study based on a larger sample set placed the destruction in the range of 985–935 BCE (Toffolo et al. 2014), while a more recent model dates the event to the early 10th century BCE (Finkelstein and Piasetzky, in press). While Marco et al. (2006) suggested that it was “probable but not conclusive” that the destruction of Stratum VIA resulted from an earthquake, Israel Finkelstein in Adams et al. (2013, Vol. 3:1336–1337), drawing on radiocarbon results from seven nearby sites, argued instead that the destruction stemmed from “early steps in the rise of a north Israelite territorial entity—the expansion of the highlanders into the northern valleys.” Kleiman et al. (2023:24) likewise favor human agency, suggesting that “the available evidence hints that this was probably the culmination of a process which included a siege, rather than a sudden and unexpected military attack.” At the same time, Kleiman et al. (2023:19, 22) observe that “over the years, scholars have remained undecided regarding the cause of Megiddo VIA’s destruction,” with interpretations divided between seismic and human agency. Cline (2011:55) notes that as early as 1935, P. L. O. Guy proposed that “Megiddo VIA had been destroyed by an earthquake,” and traces the subsequent development of this debate. Examining the Megiddo IV excavation reports, Cline (2011) argues for a seismic origin, citing collapsed mudbrick walls and ceilings, folded and tilted walls, vertical wall cracks, tilted floors and debris, fire damage, and human remains. He further notes that “not a single arrowhead, spearhead, or other implement of war” was recovered in or near the skeletal remains from this stratum and only a single bronze spearhead and a two-headed bronze axe (which need not have been a weapon) were found elsewhere (both by Schumacher) in Stratum VIA.