First of all I wanted update Exodus evidence since I discover few more evidence for exodus and I made error in establishing chronology of who pharaoh of exodus. So this is updated version of 5 point and 6 and also common objection overruled. If you wanna read this thread read first prieviously part Exodus Archeology Evidence otherwise you will be confused of what are my points.
5 Slaves in egypt
The Brooklyn Papyrus; From the earlier Middle Kingdom (13th Dynasty- (c. 2000–c. 1600 B.C.E.) there is evidence of Semitic settlements all across the northeast Nile Delta. The Brooklyn Papyrus contains a list of the names of 95 slaves. 70% of the names are Hebrew, including Asher and Issachar. 10 of the names have direct links to other passages in the Bible. The majority of whom were Semitic. Menahema, a feminine form of Menahem. 2 Kings 15:14
On two stelae at Memphis and Karnak, Thutmose III's son Amenhotep II boasts of having made 89,600 prisoners in his campaign in Canaan (around 1420 BC), including "127 princes and 179 nobles(?) of Retenu, 3600 Apiru, 15,200 Shasu, 36,600 Hurrians", etc.
• Pyramids built of mud-and-straw bricks (Exodus 5:7–8), and both written and physical evidence that Asiatic people were enslaved in Egypt.
The City of Avaris was originally founded by Amenemhat I on the eastern branch of the Nile in the Delta.[12] Its close proximity to Asia made it a popular town for Asiatic immigrants. Many of these immigrants were from Judea and they were culturally Egyptianized, using Egyptian pottery, but also retained many aspects of their own culture, as can be seen from the various Asiatic burials including weapons of Syro-Judean origin. One palatial district appears to have been abandoned as a result of an epidemic during the 13th dynasty.[13]
In the 18th century BC, the Hyksos conquered Lower Egypt and set up Avaris as their capital. Kamose, the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth Dynasty, besieged Avaris but was unable to defeat the Hyksos there. A few decades later, Ahmose I captured Avaris and overran the Hyksos. Canaanite-style artifacts dated to the Tuthmosid or New Kingdom period suggest that a large part of the city's Semitic population remained in residence following its reconquest by the Egyptians. NOTE: Both Ramesses and Avaris were located in the land of Goshen, mentioned in the Bible as having been given by Pharaoh to the Israelites.
Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen…
– Genesis 47.6 (ESV)
All of us (or, at least, most of us) are familiar with the story of Joseph, yes? Well, in Egypt there is a river diversionary which is called “Bahr Yussef” which dates back to about 1800 BC. It is a tributary river created around 1800 BC with a pooling area at the end of it, specifically well designed for farming. Bahr Yussef translates to “River of Joseph” in English.[1]
Now I hear critics thinking “so what?” There’s a river named after a biblical character. However, this gets more interesting. There’s an archeological site in Egypt named Avaris. There we have found a house that was built in the early Semite style of house building (very different from Egyptian style houses), which was later expanded upon to be built like an Egyptian palace, similar to those built by leaders of districts in ancient Egypt.[2]
Going deeper into this, there were 11 Semite tombs and 1 Egyptian pyramid style tomb (saved for the Egyptian elites) found on the premises. The Egyptian tomb attracts the most attention because there was no remains left in it (which matches the request of Joseph/Jacob for his final resting place to be in Israel), except for a state of a man with a yellow face (to indicate a foreigner), the hairstyle of Semites at the time, and a coat with lots of colors (not typical at the time in Egypt).[3]
6 Explains Problems of egypt.
Since armana letters are written to amenhotep 3 and akhenathen and we know Akhenathen shared co rulership with his father going back 40 years from armana letters description of Caanan conquest it would mean Amenhotep 2 was pharaoh of Exodus. Beacuse of it there are more evidence for Exodus during his period.
- Massive abandonment
The same is true of his monuments, none of which, as Petrie wrote, can be “dated above the fifth year.” Furthermore, of the monuments we do have from Amenhotep ii’s reign, some of them are clearly only partially complete. “Nothing strikes us as more extraordinary than the condition of injury and confusion in which the most important buildings of Egypt seem to have remained,” Petrie wrote. “The most imposing works stood amidst half-ruined and unfinished halls for a whole reign; other parts were walled off to hide offensive memorials; other structures were either incomplete or half-ruined” (ibid). (Add to this the destruction of of Hatshepsut’s monuments at this time.)tying back to the above-mentioned Hyksos/Semites who immigrated into northern Egypt from Canaan. A site known as Avaris/Tell el-Dab’a has long been identified as a chief location of their occupation, from which they ruled during earlier centuries, and within which they continued to live following their overthrow at the start of the New Kingdom period. Dr. Manfred Bietak, chief excavator of Tell el-Dab’a, stated that following their overthrow in the 16th century b.c.e., “there is mounting evidence to suggest that a large part of this population stayed in Egypt and served their new overlords in various capacities” (article, “From Where Came the Hyksos and Where Did They Go?”).
But even more notable, for our purposes here, is when this city ceased to function—when it was finally abandoned by its Semitic inhabitants. Archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling highlights the following in Five Views on the Exodus: Historicity, Chronology and Theological Implications: “Bietak’s stratigraphic analysis [of Tell el-Dab’a] reveals a clear abandonment in the mid-18th Dynasty, during or after the reign of Amenhotep ii. … [T]he latest identifiable pottery dates to the reign of Amenhotep ii. … Much of Avaris Stratum d/1 (in Area F/I) to Stratum c (Area H/I-VI) points to the presence of a Semitic population until the mysterious abandonment.”
- sickness
n 1907, when Amenhotep ii’s mummified body was examined, scientists noticed the presence of unusual tubercles all over the body. Grafton Elliot Smith, who studied the corpse, wondered whether the tubercles developed during the embalming process or were, rather, the product of disease. As he wrote in “A Note on the Mummies in the Tomb of Amenhotep ii at Bibân el Molouk” (1907): “The skin over the whole body [of Amenhotep ii] is thickly studded with small projections or tubercles from 0 m. 002 mill. to 0 m. 008 mill. in diameter. At present I am unable to determine whether they are the results of some disease or merely the effects of the embalmer’s salt-bath, but they are.
- Death of Firstborn
Why was Thutmose iv son of Amenhotep 2 compelled to publicly declare that he was divinely installed? Because he was not the firstborn, presumptive heir to Egypt’s throne. “It is unfortunate that the events surrounding the accession of Thutmosis iv
are so obscure,” writes Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian, “especially since his Dream Stele between the paws of the Great Sphinx suggests that he was not the originally intended heir to the throne“ (Studies in the Reign of Amenophis ii)
- Decrease in military power.
There is also much more decrease in military power of Egypt. Many pharaohs in from that time are having much more peacefull politics. Not to mention Amenhotep 3 made a lot of statues to the goddess of healing as opposed to war.
Common objections debunked
-Habiru did conquer Lebanon and Israel didn't. I never said all Habiru were Israelits but that those Israelits who attacked those specifically cities at this time frame were Habiru. Habiru was social term used for nomads, bandits and outcast which fits to definition of Israelits from that time frame. Some of Habiru were also hitties. We know it from later Egyptians conquest.
-Wouldn't later conquest of Israel debunked conquest. Well no it was focused on Hitties and recapture cities while Israelits were nomadic society that mostly was living outside city. + Egyptians would often lying about their victories and twist truth.
-Pithom and Ramses was build later so Exodus didn't happened.But what about this biblical reference to “Raamses”—how to explain it? Fifteenth-century proponents identify it as a later scribal edit known as an “anachronism”—a more familiar, later term used for a more obscure, earlier name (for example, our common anachronistic use of the term “France” when describing ancient “Gaul”). Such a scribal edit could conceivably have been accomplished by the Prophet Samuel (who lived at the end of the Ramesside period)—an individual traditionally ascribed to part of the early compilation of the biblical texts (particularly Joshua, Judges and 1 Samuel), which put an emphasis on place-names as they are “to this day.”
-Many archeologists disaggrees with Exodus being historical. Opinions are not facts. Evidences are facts and we should look at the evidence instead of simply relaying on opinion. It was consensus that Jesus and king David didn't exsisted but with new discovery historians changed their minds. Biblical literalism is actually growing.
Sources
-https://armstronginstitute.org/881-the-amarna-letters-proof-of-israels-invasion-of-canaan
-https://www.biblehistory.net/joshua.html
-https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habiru
-https://biblearchaeology.org/research/conquest-of-canaan/3865-jericho-does-the-evidence-disprove-or-prove-the-bible
-https://nypost.com/2021/10/02/archaeologist-claims-mount-sinai-found-in-saudi-arabia/
-https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-excavations-of-Avaris-Egypt-not-accepted-as-evidence-for-the-biblical-period-of-Joseph-to-the-Exodus
-https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-israel-and-palestine-alternative-names-competing-claims-163156
-https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aton
-https://armstronginstitute.org/882-who-was-the-pharaoh-of-the-exodus
5 Slaves in egypt
The Brooklyn Papyrus; From the earlier Middle Kingdom (13th Dynasty- (c. 2000–c. 1600 B.C.E.) there is evidence of Semitic settlements all across the northeast Nile Delta. The Brooklyn Papyrus contains a list of the names of 95 slaves. 70% of the names are Hebrew, including Asher and Issachar. 10 of the names have direct links to other passages in the Bible. The majority of whom were Semitic. Menahema, a feminine form of Menahem. 2 Kings 15:14
On two stelae at Memphis and Karnak, Thutmose III's son Amenhotep II boasts of having made 89,600 prisoners in his campaign in Canaan (around 1420 BC), including "127 princes and 179 nobles(?) of Retenu, 3600 Apiru, 15,200 Shasu, 36,600 Hurrians", etc.
• Pyramids built of mud-and-straw bricks (Exodus 5:7–8), and both written and physical evidence that Asiatic people were enslaved in Egypt.
The City of Avaris was originally founded by Amenemhat I on the eastern branch of the Nile in the Delta.[12] Its close proximity to Asia made it a popular town for Asiatic immigrants. Many of these immigrants were from Judea and they were culturally Egyptianized, using Egyptian pottery, but also retained many aspects of their own culture, as can be seen from the various Asiatic burials including weapons of Syro-Judean origin. One palatial district appears to have been abandoned as a result of an epidemic during the 13th dynasty.[13]
In the 18th century BC, the Hyksos conquered Lower Egypt and set up Avaris as their capital. Kamose, the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth Dynasty, besieged Avaris but was unable to defeat the Hyksos there. A few decades later, Ahmose I captured Avaris and overran the Hyksos. Canaanite-style artifacts dated to the Tuthmosid or New Kingdom period suggest that a large part of the city's Semitic population remained in residence following its reconquest by the Egyptians. NOTE: Both Ramesses and Avaris were located in the land of Goshen, mentioned in the Bible as having been given by Pharaoh to the Israelites.
Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen…
– Genesis 47.6 (ESV)
All of us (or, at least, most of us) are familiar with the story of Joseph, yes? Well, in Egypt there is a river diversionary which is called “Bahr Yussef” which dates back to about 1800 BC. It is a tributary river created around 1800 BC with a pooling area at the end of it, specifically well designed for farming. Bahr Yussef translates to “River of Joseph” in English.[1]
Now I hear critics thinking “so what?” There’s a river named after a biblical character. However, this gets more interesting. There’s an archeological site in Egypt named Avaris. There we have found a house that was built in the early Semite style of house building (very different from Egyptian style houses), which was later expanded upon to be built like an Egyptian palace, similar to those built by leaders of districts in ancient Egypt.[2]
Going deeper into this, there were 11 Semite tombs and 1 Egyptian pyramid style tomb (saved for the Egyptian elites) found on the premises. The Egyptian tomb attracts the most attention because there was no remains left in it (which matches the request of Joseph/Jacob for his final resting place to be in Israel), except for a state of a man with a yellow face (to indicate a foreigner), the hairstyle of Semites at the time, and a coat with lots of colors (not typical at the time in Egypt).[3]
6 Explains Problems of egypt.
Since armana letters are written to amenhotep 3 and akhenathen and we know Akhenathen shared co rulership with his father going back 40 years from armana letters description of Caanan conquest it would mean Amenhotep 2 was pharaoh of Exodus. Beacuse of it there are more evidence for Exodus during his period.
- Massive abandonment
The same is true of his monuments, none of which, as Petrie wrote, can be “dated above the fifth year.” Furthermore, of the monuments we do have from Amenhotep ii’s reign, some of them are clearly only partially complete. “Nothing strikes us as more extraordinary than the condition of injury and confusion in which the most important buildings of Egypt seem to have remained,” Petrie wrote. “The most imposing works stood amidst half-ruined and unfinished halls for a whole reign; other parts were walled off to hide offensive memorials; other structures were either incomplete or half-ruined” (ibid). (Add to this the destruction of of Hatshepsut’s monuments at this time.)tying back to the above-mentioned Hyksos/Semites who immigrated into northern Egypt from Canaan. A site known as Avaris/Tell el-Dab’a has long been identified as a chief location of their occupation, from which they ruled during earlier centuries, and within which they continued to live following their overthrow at the start of the New Kingdom period. Dr. Manfred Bietak, chief excavator of Tell el-Dab’a, stated that following their overthrow in the 16th century b.c.e., “there is mounting evidence to suggest that a large part of this population stayed in Egypt and served their new overlords in various capacities” (article, “From Where Came the Hyksos and Where Did They Go?”).
But even more notable, for our purposes here, is when this city ceased to function—when it was finally abandoned by its Semitic inhabitants. Archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling highlights the following in Five Views on the Exodus: Historicity, Chronology and Theological Implications: “Bietak’s stratigraphic analysis [of Tell el-Dab’a] reveals a clear abandonment in the mid-18th Dynasty, during or after the reign of Amenhotep ii. … [T]he latest identifiable pottery dates to the reign of Amenhotep ii. … Much of Avaris Stratum d/1 (in Area F/I) to Stratum c (Area H/I-VI) points to the presence of a Semitic population until the mysterious abandonment.”
- sickness
n 1907, when Amenhotep ii’s mummified body was examined, scientists noticed the presence of unusual tubercles all over the body. Grafton Elliot Smith, who studied the corpse, wondered whether the tubercles developed during the embalming process or were, rather, the product of disease. As he wrote in “A Note on the Mummies in the Tomb of Amenhotep ii at Bibân el Molouk” (1907): “The skin over the whole body [of Amenhotep ii] is thickly studded with small projections or tubercles from 0 m. 002 mill. to 0 m. 008 mill. in diameter. At present I am unable to determine whether they are the results of some disease or merely the effects of the embalmer’s salt-bath, but they are.
- Death of Firstborn
Why was Thutmose iv son of Amenhotep 2 compelled to publicly declare that he was divinely installed? Because he was not the firstborn, presumptive heir to Egypt’s throne. “It is unfortunate that the events surrounding the accession of Thutmosis iv
are so obscure,” writes Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian, “especially since his Dream Stele between the paws of the Great Sphinx suggests that he was not the originally intended heir to the throne“ (Studies in the Reign of Amenophis ii)
- Decrease in military power.
There is also much more decrease in military power of Egypt. Many pharaohs in from that time are having much more peacefull politics. Not to mention Amenhotep 3 made a lot of statues to the goddess of healing as opposed to war.
Common objections debunked
-Habiru did conquer Lebanon and Israel didn't. I never said all Habiru were Israelits but that those Israelits who attacked those specifically cities at this time frame were Habiru. Habiru was social term used for nomads, bandits and outcast which fits to definition of Israelits from that time frame. Some of Habiru were also hitties. We know it from later Egyptians conquest.
-Wouldn't later conquest of Israel debunked conquest. Well no it was focused on Hitties and recapture cities while Israelits were nomadic society that mostly was living outside city. + Egyptians would often lying about their victories and twist truth.
-Pithom and Ramses was build later so Exodus didn't happened.But what about this biblical reference to “Raamses”—how to explain it? Fifteenth-century proponents identify it as a later scribal edit known as an “anachronism”—a more familiar, later term used for a more obscure, earlier name (for example, our common anachronistic use of the term “France” when describing ancient “Gaul”). Such a scribal edit could conceivably have been accomplished by the Prophet Samuel (who lived at the end of the Ramesside period)—an individual traditionally ascribed to part of the early compilation of the biblical texts (particularly Joshua, Judges and 1 Samuel), which put an emphasis on place-names as they are “to this day.”
-Many archeologists disaggrees with Exodus being historical. Opinions are not facts. Evidences are facts and we should look at the evidence instead of simply relaying on opinion. It was consensus that Jesus and king David didn't exsisted but with new discovery historians changed their minds. Biblical literalism is actually growing.
Sources
-https://armstronginstitute.org/881-the-amarna-letters-proof-of-israels-invasion-of-canaan
-https://www.biblehistory.net/joshua.html
-https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habiru
-https://biblearchaeology.org/research/conquest-of-canaan/3865-jericho-does-the-evidence-disprove-or-prove-the-bible
-https://nypost.com/2021/10/02/archaeologist-claims-mount-sinai-found-in-saudi-arabia/
-https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-excavations-of-Avaris-Egypt-not-accepted-as-evidence-for-the-biblical-period-of-Joseph-to-the-Exodus
-https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-israel-and-palestine-alternative-names-competing-claims-163156
-https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aton
-https://armstronginstitute.org/882-who-was-the-pharaoh-of-the-exodus
