Nadene Goldfoot
March 2023
Summary: Israelites led by Jacob/Israel migrated to Egypt when hit by a terrible drought when their crops were destroyed. They had been a people coming from Abraham who lived in Ur of the Chaldees near the delta of the Euphrates River of Mesopotamia.
They settled in Egypt’s Nile Delta in the city of Avaris, where they were identified as the Hyksos people, a major group of immigrants who also lived in this city. They did so well tending their sheep that they multiplied faster than Egyptians, scaring the pharaoh who thought they could turn on them and take over, which the Hyksos managed to do at some point.
But at the same time, Jacob/Israel’s descendants were made slaves of Egypt, set to building the storage cities of Pithom and Rameses, also in the Nile Delta.
Passover’s 9 plagues were remnants of the Volcano erupting on the Greek island of Santorini with their effect which also took place on the island as well, with the 10th most serious plague of the 1st born sons dying being the most mysterious one. A possible cause could have been something to do with circumcision, an act Egyptians practiced, which then could have only been with first borns, and in a ceremony using either a special knife, food or drink connected with the act that could have poisoned the first borns. Circumsion is the only act that would have identified males from females.
Israelites were not circumcising yet, and would receive this act while on the Exodus from Moses’s teachings. While we don’t know enough about circumcision in Egypt, we do know they practiced it.
March 2026
Recent archaeological excavations at Avaris (modern Tell el-Dab‘a) in Egypt, led by the Austrian Archaeological Institute (Dr. Irene Forstner-Müller), continue to reveal it as a major Hyksos capital and thriving, cosmopolitan Levantine-influenced city. Key updates include investigations of a 1715 BCE epidemic, mapping of the harbor, and analysis of elite cemeteries and palatial buildings. The epidemic in Egypt around 1715 BCE, often associated with the Biblical plagues (specifically the plagues involving death/disease), is believed by some researchers to have been caused by Francisella tularensis, the bacteria responsible for tularemia, a disease spread by ticks and rodents, rather than the bubonic plague, say ScienceDirect.com and National Institutes of Health (.gov).
- Francisella tularensis, which causes ulceroglandular or typhoidal symptoms. Research suggests the outbreak originated from Canaan, a known reservoir for F. tularensis during the 2nd millennium BCE, ScienceDirect.com.Environmental Factors: The crisis is often linked to an unusual environmental event, perhaps an El Niño-Southern Oscillation causing warm, dry conditions, leading to disease proliferation, notes PubMed Central (PMC) (.gov).
- Archaeological Focus: Current research focuses on settlement archaeology, including the harbor, temple rituals, and 13th-15th Dynasty tombs.
- Epidemic Documentation: Investigations have highlighted evidence of a historic epidemic, with large, rapid-burial, non-ritual graves found at the site.
- Excavated Structures: Excavations have uncovered a large, heavily fortified city with Levantine-style palaces (including a "Palace F"), homes, and temples.
- Foreign Influence: The city was inhabited by a wealthy Canaanite/Levantine population, indicated by unique burial practices (such as donkeys in tombs), and pottery imports.
- Palatial Abandonment: Evidence shows the palatial district was abandoned in the mid-18th Dynasty following the reign of Amenhotep II, as confirmed by Egypt Exploration Organization. Amenhotep II (lit. '"Amun is Satisfied"'), also called Amenophis II, was the seventh pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities between Egypt and Mitanni, the major kingdoms vying for power in Syria. His reign is usually dated from 1427 to 1401 BCE. His consort was Tiaa, who was barred from any prestige until Amenhotep's son, Thutmose IV, came into power.
- Site Context: The site, located in the Delta region (Sharqiya Governorate), was a bustling city built on a harbor before it was destroyed by Ahmose I.Ahmose I (Amosis, Aahmes; meaning "Iah (the Moon) is born") was a pharaoh and founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt in the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. His reign is usually dated to the mid-16th century BC at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age.
During his rule, Ahmose completed the conquest and expulsion of the Hyksos, restored Theban rule over Lower- and Upper Egypt, and successfully reasserted Egyptian power in its formerly subject territories of Nubia and Canaan.
- nile-river-and.html
