Archaeology & the Exodus
Extremely Rough Draft Short-on-Time version
1250 BCE — Joshua leads Israel into Canaan
There is strong archaeological evidence for the Conquest of Canaan. There is evidence of destruction and fire at numerous sites around Canaan all dating to around the same time. The archaeological evidence is consistent with the main thrust of the Book of Joshua. There are some details that are not, and it is these that secular scholars harp upon endlessly in their war against Scripture.
These "destruction layers" at archaeological sites around Canaan begin appearing, suddenly and frequently, at layers (in the archaeological excavations) that correspond to 1250 BCE, and continue to appear at layers that correspond to 1200 BCE.
Thus, Joshua and the Israelite tribes must have begun their conquest of Canaan in 1250 BCE.
1295 BCE — Moses leads Israel out of Egypt (the Exodus)
If Israel entered Canaan in 1250 BCE (as archaeology says), and if Israel spent 40 years in the Desert Wilderness before entering Canaan (as the Bible says), then Israel must have dwelt in the Desert Wilderness from about 1290 - 1250 BCE.
To this we may need to add some time to account for the Israelite tribes reaching the Desert Wilderness from Egypt, and for their journey from there to Canaan. Thus, the Exodus must have occurred some time around 1295-1290 BCE.
In 1295 BCE, the last Pharaoh of Dynasty XVIII (18) died. The new Pharaoh, Rameses I, was the first Pharaoh of Dynasty XIX (19). Rameses I reigned briefly for less than 2 years, when his son Seti I immediately began attacking Shasu Bedouins in Canaan. These Shasu bedouins worshipped the god Joh or Yaw, and seem to correspond with the tribes of Midian (cf. Jethro and his daughter Zipporah) who worshipped YHWH.
Thus, the Exodus occurred in about 1295 BCE and is associated with the transition from Dynasty XVIII to XIX. Indeed, this is precisely the testimony of Manetho, who places the Israelite Exodus at exactly this time.
1350 - 1320 BCE — Joseph, Akhenaten, and the Amarna Period
Dynasty XVIII is most famous for its monotheistic Pharaoh Akhenaten. He worshipped the sun-god Aten, and composed hymns in Aten's honor. The famous Great Hymn to the Aten shows remarkable parallels to Psalm 104, with which it is frequently compared. And the very word Aten is related to the Hebrew Adonai meaning "Lord" and referring to YHWH-God. Finally, Akhenaten was allied with the Apiru people in Canaan, who are thought to be the Biblical Hebrews. Akhenaten's monotheistic reforms were opposed by the ancient Priesthoods, who drove Akhenaten from power and ultimately toppled Dynasty XVIII altogether.
Moreover, Akhenaten's immediate predecessors had a powerful Asiatic court official named Yuya. He married into Egyptian nobility, and was related to succeeding Pharaohs like Akhenaten. His name shows clear signs of being foreign and non-Egyptian, as do his facial features seen on his surviving mummy. Yuya, whose name is also spelled Yaa or Ya, and his Asiatic heritage seem to connect to the Bedoiun Shasu who worshipped Yah. Ahmed Osman, in his groundbreaking book Stranger in the Valley of the Kings, assembles strong evidence that Yuya is none other than the Patriarch Joseph (Yu-seph, with Yu-ya as a pet form). Yuya thrived around 1380 BCE.
Finally, it is precisely at this time that Egyptian Pharaohs began to be interested in dreams and Dream Interpretation, a central theme of the story of Joseph. For example, Tothmoses II erected his famous Dream Stela between the paws of the Sphynx describing a dream in which the sun-god promised him the throne.
We have tied Moses and the Exodus to 1295 BCE at the transition between Dynasty XVIII, whose Pharaoh Akhenaten instituted monotheism, and Dynasty XIX which brought back the old gods and their ancient priesthoods. And we have further linked the monotheistic Dynasty XVIII to dream interpretation and a powerful Semitic courtier named Yuya, whom we have identified as the Patriarch Joseph. Also, towards the end of Dynasty XVIII, Egypt was beset by a deadly plague, reminiscent of the 10 Plagues of the Exodus account.
Indeed, the Bible says that the Israelites spent 4 generations — about 80 years — in Egypt. Since we have placed the Exodus at 1295 BCE, we should expect to see Joseph arriving in Egypt around 1375 BCE, which is just when the amazing courtier Yuya appears in the archaeological record.
Sources:
Osman, Ahmed. Stranger in the Valley of the Kings.
Dever, William. Who were the early Israelites, and Where did they come from?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hymn_to_the_Aten
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten
http://ggreenberg.tripod.com/writings/w-osar-exod.htm
Extremely Rough Draft Short-on-Time version
1250 BCE — Joshua leads Israel into Canaan
There is strong archaeological evidence for the Conquest of Canaan. There is evidence of destruction and fire at numerous sites around Canaan all dating to around the same time. The archaeological evidence is consistent with the main thrust of the Book of Joshua. There are some details that are not, and it is these that secular scholars harp upon endlessly in their war against Scripture.
These "destruction layers" at archaeological sites around Canaan begin appearing, suddenly and frequently, at layers (in the archaeological excavations) that correspond to 1250 BCE, and continue to appear at layers that correspond to 1200 BCE.
Thus, Joshua and the Israelite tribes must have begun their conquest of Canaan in 1250 BCE.
1295 BCE — Moses leads Israel out of Egypt (the Exodus)
If Israel entered Canaan in 1250 BCE (as archaeology says), and if Israel spent 40 years in the Desert Wilderness before entering Canaan (as the Bible says), then Israel must have dwelt in the Desert Wilderness from about 1290 - 1250 BCE.
To this we may need to add some time to account for the Israelite tribes reaching the Desert Wilderness from Egypt, and for their journey from there to Canaan. Thus, the Exodus must have occurred some time around 1295-1290 BCE.
In 1295 BCE, the last Pharaoh of Dynasty XVIII (18) died. The new Pharaoh, Rameses I, was the first Pharaoh of Dynasty XIX (19). Rameses I reigned briefly for less than 2 years, when his son Seti I immediately began attacking Shasu Bedouins in Canaan. These Shasu bedouins worshipped the god Joh or Yaw, and seem to correspond with the tribes of Midian (cf. Jethro and his daughter Zipporah) who worshipped YHWH.
Thus, the Exodus occurred in about 1295 BCE and is associated with the transition from Dynasty XVIII to XIX. Indeed, this is precisely the testimony of Manetho, who places the Israelite Exodus at exactly this time.
1350 - 1320 BCE — Joseph, Akhenaten, and the Amarna Period
Dynasty XVIII is most famous for its monotheistic Pharaoh Akhenaten. He worshipped the sun-god Aten, and composed hymns in Aten's honor. The famous Great Hymn to the Aten shows remarkable parallels to Psalm 104, with which it is frequently compared. And the very word Aten is related to the Hebrew Adonai meaning "Lord" and referring to YHWH-God. Finally, Akhenaten was allied with the Apiru people in Canaan, who are thought to be the Biblical Hebrews. Akhenaten's monotheistic reforms were opposed by the ancient Priesthoods, who drove Akhenaten from power and ultimately toppled Dynasty XVIII altogether.
Moreover, Akhenaten's immediate predecessors had a powerful Asiatic court official named Yuya. He married into Egyptian nobility, and was related to succeeding Pharaohs like Akhenaten. His name shows clear signs of being foreign and non-Egyptian, as do his facial features seen on his surviving mummy. Yuya, whose name is also spelled Yaa or Ya, and his Asiatic heritage seem to connect to the Bedoiun Shasu who worshipped Yah. Ahmed Osman, in his groundbreaking book Stranger in the Valley of the Kings, assembles strong evidence that Yuya is none other than the Patriarch Joseph (Yu-seph, with Yu-ya as a pet form). Yuya thrived around 1380 BCE.
Finally, it is precisely at this time that Egyptian Pharaohs began to be interested in dreams and Dream Interpretation, a central theme of the story of Joseph. For example, Tothmoses II erected his famous Dream Stela between the paws of the Sphynx describing a dream in which the sun-god promised him the throne.
We have tied Moses and the Exodus to 1295 BCE at the transition between Dynasty XVIII, whose Pharaoh Akhenaten instituted monotheism, and Dynasty XIX which brought back the old gods and their ancient priesthoods. And we have further linked the monotheistic Dynasty XVIII to dream interpretation and a powerful Semitic courtier named Yuya, whom we have identified as the Patriarch Joseph. Also, towards the end of Dynasty XVIII, Egypt was beset by a deadly plague, reminiscent of the 10 Plagues of the Exodus account.
Indeed, the Bible says that the Israelites spent 4 generations — about 80 years — in Egypt. Since we have placed the Exodus at 1295 BCE, we should expect to see Joseph arriving in Egypt around 1375 BCE, which is just when the amazing courtier Yuya appears in the archaeological record.
Sources:
Osman, Ahmed. Stranger in the Valley of the Kings.
Dever, William. Who were the early Israelites, and Where did they come from?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hymn_to_the_Aten
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten
http://ggreenberg.tripod.com/writings/w-osar-exod.htm
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