The Book of Exodus is one of best known pieces of scripture in the world. It tells the story of how the Jewish people, with some divine assistance, escape from Egypt and make their way to the land of Israel.
Whether this migration really happened is deeply controversial and is something that I’m not going to get into in this article.
Instead what I’m going to talk about is some intriguing research, done by Professor James Hoffmeier of Trinity International University, which suggests that the events may be set in New Kingdom times – specifically the era of the Ramesside kings. His work also adds some insight into the exact route the Israelites took in the story.
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“We should be open to the possibility that the memory preserved in the exodus tradition has one that goes back to a much earlier date than perhaps some people have thought.”
It’s long been a common stereotype that Akhenaten was a pacifist, someone who avoided warfare when possible. If you read Heritage Key’s article on Nazi Egyptology you will see that the Nazis hate him for that precise reason.
But recent research, presented this weekend at an Egyptology symposium in Toronto, shows that the Amarna leaders – including Akhenaten, King Tut and Nefertiti - all supported a sizable fortress in the Sinai desert.
Located at Tell el-Borg it was a formidable bastion. It was 120 meters east-west by 80 meters north-south. The walls were four meters thick (at the base) and it was at least partially surrounded by a moat.
Located in the North Sinai desert, just east of the Suez Canal, this site contains two ancient Egyptian fortresses. One of them dates to the Amarna Period (18th dynasty) and was used continuously throughout this time-frame. This fort was 120 meters east-west by 80 meters north-south.
It contained a dry-moat that may not have been completed. Its purpose would have been to serve as a barrier to attackers trying to destroy the fort.
There would have been more than 250 men serving in its garrison, including a chariot unit. Wine and other supplies were sent by the rulers of Egypt.
The walls of the structure are about four meters at the base. It was abandoned at the end of the 18th dynasty when a new fortress was constructed beside it. The moat was filled in with stone from what appears to have been a destroyed building – possibly an Aten temple.
The new fortress was smaller and did not have a moat. It appears to have been in use until sometime in the 20th dynasty when it was attacked and abandoned. It’s possible that the Sea People were the attackers.
Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology
Professor James Hoffmeier is Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology at Trinity International University. He holds a doctorate in Ancient Near Eastern Studies from the University of Toronto.
He was born and raised in Egypt, living there until he was 16. He is the author of several books including Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition and, Israelin Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition.
He is drector of the Tell el-Borg Archaeological Project. The site is located in the North Sinai Desert. His team has found the remains of two forts, one dating to the 18th dynasty – the Amarna period, when Akhenaten, King Tut and Nefertiti reigned. They have also found a second fort dating to the Ramesside period (19th and 20th dynasties). Fieldwork is now complete and the team is in the process of publishing their results.
I’m going to be filing more detailed blogs at the end, once I have the time to do a proper write-up of all the research.
For now here are some news-briefs that I want to fill you in on.
-The Seila Pyramid is flat! No – it is not a step pyramid. It is a true pyramid. Professor Kerry Muhlestein of Brigham Young University, presented the latest research.
A team of engineers, using GPS equipment, completed a 3D model of the pyramid recently. Combined with (unpublished) excavation results it is now clear that it is not a step-pyramid.
Anyone with internet access can now view one of the earliest known copies of the bible in the world. The Codex Sinaiticus, a 1,600 year old bible, written in Greek, which contains one of the oldest known copies of the New Testament, is now entirely available online. The only other copy of the New Testament, which dates from this time, is the Codex Vaticanus, which is held in Rome.
The project brings together the various pieces of the book that are now scattered in four different places around the world. The bulk of the surviving codex, 347 leaves (leaves are sheets of written material), is in the British Museum. Forty-three leaves are in the University of Leipzig, parts of six leaves are at the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg and 12 leaves (plus 40 fragments) are in the Saint Catherine monastery in the Sinai desert.
Submitted by Stephen Byrne on Fri, 04/24/2009 - 13:13
Jewels of the Nile
The fertile Nile delta, which represents less than six percent of the land mass, is the bread basket which has sustained Egypt for five thousand years, and the birthplace of the world's greatest civilisation. It could be said that geography, more than any other factor, determined the growth and evolution of Ancient Egypt - and this is what King Tut Virtual's 'Life on the Nile' recreates in vivid colours.
The dominant feature of the Nile with its reliable annual flooding created the perfect environment for a sustainable and rich agricultural community. The barren wastes of the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert and the Sinai Desert even further east serve to protect the area. The inhospitability of these areas presented a formidable obstacle to invasion by aggressive neighbouring states. This security led directly to the political stability of the civilisation for a period of time unequaled before or since. The deserts also provided the ancient Egyptians with incredible mineral wealth - most notably, with gold.
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Their observation of nature led to an intimate understanding of animal and plant life.
The Book of Exodus is one of best known pieces of scripture in the world. It tells the story of how the Jewish people, with some divine assistance, escape from Egypt and make their way to the land of Israel.
It’s long been a common stereotype that Akhenaten was a pacifist, someone who avoided warfare when possible. If you read Heritage Key’s article on 
The Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities, and the 
Anyone with internet access can now 
