CLASS FIVE EGYPTIAN HISTORY - THE NEW KINGDOM - PART ONE THE PROBLEM WITH HISTORICAL RESEARCH EXAMPLE THE EXODUS – PART TWO THE WONDERFUL THINGS OF EGYPT

Joe Boisvert Adjunct Professor Gulf Coast State College Fall 2011 and Spring 2012

Moses and the Exodus from Egypt the Problem with Dating the Event

Moses and the Exodus

Moses, the first prophet, was the leader of the Israelites in the Exodus from Egypt through 40 years of wandering in the Sinai wilderness to Canaan, and transmitter of the Decalogue and Torah to the people at Mount Sinai. According to tradition, he wrote the entire Pentateuch, except for the last section describing his death and burial, which was written by his successor, Joshua.

According to the Pentateuch / Torah the Exodus occurred in 1447 B.C. and since Ramses was mentioned.

It was assumed that Ramses II was the oppressive Pharaoh of the Exodus. Gigantic monuments of Ramses’s time fortified this view in the eyes of Victorian scholars.

It was assumed that the Exodus must have occurred during his time (1279-1213 B.C.).

However, there is no historical evidence to support this view. Nor is there any sign of the catastrophic period mention in the Pentateuch. Ramses is also mentioned during the time when Joseph was vizier.  This was hundreds of years before the Exodus.

MOSESEXODU

S

Rames Battled the Hittites not the Hykos

Ramses II battled with the Hittites and almost lost his life, but so do the Hittites. In reality it was a stalemate, so they both signed a treaty

Ramses II ruled to late to fix other historical events

DATE OF THE EXODUS 1446 BC

This date emphasizes the literal interpretation of the biblical numbers in Exodus 12:40 ("Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years"), Judges 11:26 ("While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?") and 1 Kings 6:1 ("Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord").

Hill and Walton offer the following arguments for an early date:"1 Kings 6:1 indicates the Exodus occurred 480 years prior to the 4th year of Solomon's reign. His 4th year is variously dated at 966/960/957 B.C., placing the Exodus at 1446/1440/1437.

First Solomon’s Reign 966 + From Kings 480 = 1446

A Survey of the Old Testament, 108.

Analysis of Dates Using Dates from the Bible and History

This matches 1 Kings 6:1 where 966 + 480 = 1446!

966 = 4th full year (actually into the fifth) of Solomon's reign (971-931) when the Temple was begun

1.+44 yrs = start of David's reign (1010)

2.+40 yrs = start of Saul's reign (1050)

3.+40 yrs = the time from Saul to Jephthah's statement (1050-1090)

+300 yrs = the time in the land (Jephthah's statement) (1390)

4.+16 yrs = Joshua's leadership (1406)

5.+40 yrs = wilderness wondering (1446)

Exodus Other Dates ???

This exit from Egypt by the Hyksos probably included the Israelites as well. The story of the Exodus is most likely bases on the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt, for there is no other record of any mass exit from Egypt 1552 BC

The evidence seems to fit well with Josephus' account. Although the Egyptians saw the expulsion of the Hyksos as a great military victory, the Israelites viewed this as a great salvation victory for them

Time of Exodus From Egypt Problem with Date of 1447

There are many Old Testament names that are recognized in these lists, but there are two important place-names that effect this study.

The first is number 78, Joseph-El, which indicates the tribe of Joseph was already in Canaan before 1481 BC (Redford 1979, 277) which is the 23rd year of Thutmose's co regency (ANET 1969, 235).

The second is number 102, Jacob-El, which also indicates the tribes of Israel were already in Canaan at this time. A date earlier than 1481 BC is needed for the Exodus. It may be argued that the name Israel was not yet used at this time until a league of 12 tribes was formed. 

Expulsion of Hyksos – Did Moses Lead the Jewish People out at this Time??

 The great exodus from Egypt according to many Historians was the expulsion of the Hyksos around 1570-50 BC Josephus counted the 430 years from Abraham's entrance into Canaan to the Exodus, and 405 years from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus 

If this date is correct the Exodus was during the Reign of Ahmose the first Pharaoh of the New Kingdom. The Hyksos in Egypt during time of turmoil possible including the ten plagues during Second Intermediate Period ending with Ahmose.

A. Rameses II:1. Scholars who hold to a late date of the Exodus (c. 1290-1225 BC) identify Rameses II (c. 1304-1237) as the Pharaoh of the Exodus2. In addition the name of the city in Exodus 1:11 is Ramesesa. It is possible that Rameses II merely took credit for the city and the biblical reference was modernized3

b. It is possible that the Ramasides was to be identified with the Hyksos who oppressed Israel and that the city was called Rameses in their time4

PHARAOH OF THE EXODUS ??:

Amenhotep II (c. 1436-1410)1. It is possible that Hatshepsut (1490-1469) may have been the princess who reared Moses2. Thutmose III (c. 1490-1436?) ruled as co-regent with his stepmother until her death for 56 years. This allows for the time when Moses was in exile in Midian (cf. Acts 7:3; Exodus 2:23)3. Amenhotep II (c. 1436-1410) may have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Note that the Bible does not say that he drowned but that he led a battle to the water's edge.4. The dream inscription of Tutmose IV (c. 1410-1402?) may indicate that he was not originally intended to be Pharaoh. Therefore, his brother would have died in the plagues5

Ahmose I 18th Dynasty First Pharaoh of the New Kingdom

Tempest Stele was erected by the Pharaoh Ahmose I (orthodox dates1570-1546 BC) the founder of dynasty Eighteen and the New Kingdom.

The stele describes the great storm that struck Egypt during his reign. 'now then ... the gods declared their discontent. The gods [caused] the sky to come in a tempest of rain, with darkness in the western region and the sky being unleashed without [cessation, louder than] the cries of the masses, more powerful than [...], [while the rain raged] on the mountains louder than the noise of the cataract which is at Elephantine.'

CLASS 5 – PART TWO THE THINGS OF THE NEW KINGDOM

Gulf State College Encore

Egyptian Furniture

The chariot represents the high level of engineering sophistication reached by the Egyptian chariot builders at King Tut's time

Formula One-like chariot

King Tutankhamun, the pharaoh who ruled Egypt more than 3,300 years ago, rode full speed over the desert dunes on a Formula One-like chariot, according to new investigations into the technical features of the boy king's vehicle collection.

Discovered in pieces by British archaeologist Howard Carter when he entered King Tut's treasure-packed tomb in 1922, the collection consisted of two large ceremonial chariots, a smaller highly decorated one, and three others that were lighter and made for daily use.

"They were the Ferrari of antiquity. They boasted an elegant design and an extremely sophisticated and astonishingly modern technology.

Amazing Engineering in Tut's Time

The chariot, which is usually on display at the Luxor museum, represents the high level of engineering sophistication reached by the Egyptian chariot builders at King Tut's time

"These vehicles appear to be the first mechanical systems which combine the use of kinematics, dynamics and lubrication principles

Further studies, in collaboration at the conservation department of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, showed the unique interplay of form and function in King Tut's chariots. These technical underpinnings involve the design of the wheels, the naves, the bearings, and the pole between the cart and the yoke.

"The wheels feature a real tire, made of a flexible wood rim, which adapts to soil irregularities. Moreover, the six-spoke wheels are made from elastic wood. This absorbs uniformly the loads transmitted by soil irregularity, so that the vibrations are damped by the wheel itself like the intelligent suspensions in modern cars," Rovetta said.

The result is a remarkable level of softness and comfort. Even at speeds of about 25 miles per hour on Egypt's irregular soil, King Tut's chariots were efficient and pleasant to ride.

King Tut might have worn some sort of orthopedic shoes

King Tutankhamen might have worn some sort of orthopedic shoes specially designed to cope with his club foot condition, an investigation into the pharaoh's footwear has suggested.Published in the book, "Tutankhamen Footwear: Studies of Ancient Egyptian Footwear," the research is the first detailed analysis of the 3,300-year-old footwear since King Tut‘\s mummy and treasure-packed tomb were discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.

Heart Issues In Ancient Egypt

He and several other researchers used CT scans, a type of X-ray, on 22 mummies kept in the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo. The subjects were from 1981 B.C. to 334 A.D. Half were thought to be over 45 when they died, and average lifespan was under 40 back then.Sixteen mummies had heart and blood vessel tissue to analyze. Definite or probable hardening of the arteries was seen in nine.

One mummy had evidence of a possible heart attack but scientists don't know if it was fatal

. They can not tell how much these people weighed -- mummification dehydrates the body.

Of those whose identities could be determined, all were of high social status, and many served in the court of the Pharaoh or as priests or priestesses.

"Rich people ate meat, and they did salt meat, so maybe they had hypertension (high blood pressure), but that's speculation," Thompson said.

With modern diets, "we all sort of live in the Pharaoh's court," said another of the researchers, Dr. Samuel Wann of the Wisconsin Heart Hospital in Milwaukee.

The oldest mummy with heart disease signs was Lady Rai, a nursemaid to Queen Ahmose Nefertari who died around 1530 B.C. -- 200 years before King Tutankhamun.

New Kingdom - Small Gold Cup

Period : New Kingdom Reign of : Seti II Dynasty: XIX Belonged to: Queen TausertThis small lotus-shaped cup was found among the other treasures in the archaeological site of the sanctuary of goddess Bastet in Tell Basta. The lower base of the cup is adorned with some hieroglyphic inscriptions indicating the name of Queen Tausert , the consort of Seti II , who dedicated this cup to the goddess . This cup is presented as an offering to the goddess since lotus was believed to be the sign for eternal life in ancient Egypt . 

Egyptians believed in a soul - Ka

The Egyptians believed in a soul that lived on after death, called a ka;

They believed that providing for the needs of the ancestors assured safety and prosperity for the living;

they believed that the afterlife was very similar to this life, and so they ensured that their possessions were buried with them.

These beliefs led to elaborate burial practices, the building of tombs by the rich and powerful, and of course the mummification process.

Cats First Domesticated in Egypt

All of our cats today are descended form Egyptian wild cats.

Egyptians loved their cats, and considered them to be protectors of the house. Most cats did not have names: they were just called Ta-Mieuw, or "The Meower", out of respect for their privacy.

The Egyptians thought a name was magical. Cats were so spoiled in Egypt, that some even wore jewelry, such as earrings.After death, the housecat was mummified and given a decent burial. One prince of Egypt, Thutmose, had his little female cat, "Ta-Miewet", buried with him in a stone coffin of her own

Egyptians; Used Sun clocks and water clocks.             

Sun clocks were formed by means of the construction of Obelisks, tapering monuments. The clock worked much like a sundial, by watching the moving shadows throughout the day. By doing this, the Egyptians were able to divide the day into morning, afternoon, and night. This invention also led to the discovery of the longest and shortest years, because when seen at noon, depending on the time of year, the shadow would be longer, or shorter.            Water clocks were some of the earliest clocks used, but didn’t require the observation of celestial bodies. The earliest one was found in the tomb of the pharaoh Amenhotep I.  Water Clocks were like pots made of stones, with long slanting sides that allowed water to drip down at a constant rate through a small hole in the bottom.   

The End Class Five

THANK YOU