Archaeological Evidence for Moses and the Israelites in the 12th dynasty of Egypt

From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

Jump to: navigation, search

1 Where does Moses fit into history?
2 When did Israel's Sojourn in Egypt begin?
3 When did the Exodus occur?
4 The Israelites made the mudbricks that went into the cores of the Pyramids of the 12th dynasty
5 A workers village built during the time of Sesostris II was discovered by Petrie at Kahun
6 Who were the Pharaohs of the Oppression?
7 Which Princess found Moses in a basket amongst the reeds of the Nile?
8 Was Moses raised to become the next Pharaoh?
9 Could Moses have ruled over Egypt?
10 Could Amenemhet IV actually be Moses?
11 Which Pharaoh did Moses flee from?
12 Which Pharaoh did Moses confront?
13 Where did Moses Cross the Red Sea?
14 Which People did the Israelites fight with before arriving at Mt Sinai?
15 Where is Mount Sinai?
16 How does this fit with the Bible?
17 References
18 Videos

Where does Moses fit into history?

Abraham to Moses - according to the Bible

When did Israel's Sojourn in Egypt begin?

The Step Pyramid of Djoser (3rd dynasty). Designed by Imhotep who is considered by many to be Joseph of the Bible. The Step Pyramid was the first pyramid that was constructed. It was made entirely of limestone and so it has not suffered as much erosion as the pyramids of the Middle Kingdom which had a core of mudbricks and a limestone veneer. The Israelites sojourned in Egypt for 430yrs. The Exodus took place in the 13th dynasty (Neferhotep) around 1446BC. (see Egyptian chronology)

While the Biblical Chronology can be determined fairly reliably from the Biblical account, there are two schools of thought regarding the length of time that Israel was in Egypt. This would affect the dates prior to the Exodus by 230 years depending on whether there was a long or a short Sojourn of Israel in Egypt. This article assumes a long Sojourn in Egypt. The Chronology of Egypt is constantly being revised as we under stand more about how the dynasties were ordered. The Egyptian Pharaohs practiced co-regency and reigned together for a while at the beginning and end of their reigns. At certain periods in Egypt's history, there were different dynasties running in parallel in the North and the South. This results in a significant shortening of the Egyptian chronology compared to the traditional chronology which was based on the erroneous understanding that there was only one dynasty at a time and the pharaoh's reigns of that dynasty did not overlap. This modern understanding of the Egyptian dynasties allows a better alignment of Egyptian dynasties with the Bible. (see David Down)

When did the Exodus occur?

It is recorded in the Bible that Solomon began to build the Temple 480 years after the Exodus (1Kings 6:1). The date that Solomon commenced building the Temple (966BC) is not disputed even by secular archaeologists.

Archaeologists and scholars generally agree that the Exodus occurred in 1446BC, 480 years before Solomon began building the temple (1Kings 6:1).

The Israelites made the mudbricks that went into the cores of the Pyramids of the 12th dynasty

Amenemhet III pyramid at Hawara - Made during the 12th dynasty when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. The pharaoh's of the oppression made the Israelites make mudbricks for the inner core of their pryamids. The pyramids of the 12th dynasty had an inner core made from mudbricks and a limestone veneer. The 12th dynasty pyramids have not stood the test of time as well as the Pyramids of the Old Kindom which were made of solid limestone. The outer limestone veneer of the 12th dynasty (Middle Kingdom) pyramids has fallen away over the centuries revealing the inner core made from mud bricks. Perhaps it was God's will that the Israelite's role in building the pyramids be forgotten until now. All things will be revealed in God's perfect time. The Amenemhet III pyramid at Hawara was the last of the Great Pyramids of Egypt. After the Israelites left Egypt (The Exodus of Israel), there was not enough slave labor to build pyramids any more.

The Amenemhet III pyramid at Hawara showing the mudbricks of the inner core, the limestone blocks that were part of the external veneer and the considerable erosion that has occured over the centuries. This was the last of the Great Pyramids of Egypt. The Israelites were slaves in Israel during the 12th dynasty when this pyramid was made. Moses was brought up by Amenemhet III. It is quite likely that the millions of mudbricks that went into building this pyramid were made by the Israelites. When the Exodus of Israel occured, there was not enough slave labour to make pyramids anymore and so the 'Pyramid Age' ended.

A workers village built during the time of Sesostris II was discovered by Petrie at Kahun

The floor plan of Kahun, drawn by Petrie 1897

The pyramid of Sesostris II

Flinders Petrie, discovered a workers village at Kahun, just south of Hawara in Egypt in 1897. He found numerous tools and artifacts in the village. He even found boxes containing the remains of babies up to 3 months old under the floors of the houses in the workers village at Kahun. There were numerous boxes sometimes containing the skeletons of 3-4 babies in many of the houses in the village. He suspected that these may be the remains of Israeliete Babies that were killed on Pharaoh's orders around the time of Moses' birth. He drew a floor plan of the village and documented the artifacts that were found there. Many of these artefacts are now in the Petrie Museum. Various scarabs and other artifacts that were found in the village indicate that it was constructed during the time of Sesostris II and was occuppied up until the time of the 13th dynasty.

Who were the Pharaohs of the Oppression?

Sesostris III, 5th Pharaoh of the 12th dynasty of Egypt. Father of Amenemhet III. He reigned for 37 yrs but seems to have had a long co-regency with his son Amenemhet III of perhaps 20yrs.

Amenemhet III, 6th Pharaoh of the 12th dynasty of Egypt. Father of Sobekneferu. He reigned for 56 yrs and had a co-regency with Amenemhet IV for up to 9yrs.

Which Princess found Moses in a basket amongst the reeds of the Nile?

Sobekneferu, the last Pharaoh of the 12th dynasty. She was probably the Princess that found Moses and adopted him; raising him as her own.

Was Moses raised to become the next Pharaoh?

Could Moses have ruled over Egypt?

The Bible says that Moses was 40 yrs old when he fled to Midian. Prior to this, Moses lived in Pharaoh's house and was raised by the Princess Sobekneferu as her own. It was more than likely that Moses would have been groomed to be the next Pharaoh as Amenemhet III did not have any sons and Sobekneferu was childless.

Moses could have been a junior co-regent with the Pharaoh of the day (Amenemhet III) and this would be entirely consistent with the Bible.

Could Amenemhet IV actually be Moses?

Amenemhet IV is the most likely candidate for Moses. His father was not recorded in Egyptian records. He did co-reign with Amenemhet III for 9 yrs according to the Turnin king list. He suddenly disappeared before Amenemhet III died. Sobekneferu, the princess who found him and raised him as her own, became Pharaoh after Amenemhet III died.

Which Pharaoh did Moses flee from?

Amenemhet III - 6th Pharaoh of the 12th dynasty of Egypt

Which Pharaoh did Moses confront?

Neferhotep of the 13th dynasty

Where did Moses Cross the Red Sea?

In 1978, Ronn Wyatt found two pillars with inscriptions on them indicating that they were left by Solomon to mark the site of the Red Sea crossing. It is quite conceivable that Solomon would do this as the Bible actually records that Solomon commenced building the temple 480yrs after the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (1Kings 6:1 ) and Solomon built his ships in the Red Sea (1Kings 9:26 2Chron 8:17 ).

Wyatt found the pair of pilars, (with Solomon's name still inscribed legibly on one) on opposite sides of the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba. The pilars were found at the Gulf of Aqaba (The Red Sea) - one on the Egyptian side (at Nuweiba) and one on the Saudi side not far from the Real Mount Sinai which is in Arabia. It is thought that King Solomon, who had a fleet of ships that were based at the Red Sea (1Kings 9:26 2Chron 8:17 ) left the pilars to mark the site of the Red Sea Crossing. This would make sense as the Bible links and references the date that Solomon began building the Temple to the date of the Exodus (1Kings 6:1 ) .

These pilars are strong evidence not only that this is the site of the Red Sea crossing, but also that the Exodus occurred in 1446BC (480 yrs before the building of the temple in 966BC).

The bible also records that there was a 'pilar to the Lord erected at Egypt's border' (Isaiah 19:19 )