moses, 'son' of akhenaten

313 Pages·2015·6.84 MB·English

by  Lilian Manwa

MOSES SON OF AKHENATEN? A STUDY OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND TEXTUAL
PERSPECTIVES

by

JAYNE MARGARET VINE

submitted in accordance with the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

in the subject

BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

dissertation

at the

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

SUPERVISOR: PROF M LE ROUX
CO-SUPERVISOR: PROF P S VERMAAK

FEBRUARY 2015
Figure 1.1 Upper part of a colossal statue of Akhenaten from Karnak (Kemp 2012:97) depicted in a painting by Jayne
Vine (2014).

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DEDICATION

I wish to dedicate this study to my father William George Gooding, who imparted upon me a love
for Biblical texts. The Hebrew Bible given to me some time ago has not been out of arm’s length
for the past three years.

Sigmund Freud: whose work I have followed in not only my psychology degrees but also his
account of Moses and Monotheism. Despite being controversial and audacious with his claim that
Moses was not a Hebrew but an Egyptian Freud continued his argument and published his
three essays. In his opinion, ‘Yahweh lost his own characteristics and grew more and more to
resemble the old god of Moses, the Aten’. This caused Freud’s controversial views to be
challenged by the establishment and dismissed after his publication in 1939.

A genius named Rosalind Franklin ‘whose clear X-ray photographs in May 1952 established
for the first time and unequivocally the helical structure of DNA’ which made her the heroine of
the DNA revolution. Her ground-breaking work has changed the scientific world and the
conclusions reached from DNA testing on the 18th Dynasty royal mummies are included in this
study.

A ‘view from within’

by Jayne Vine, Luxor Temple September 2007

I feel the coarse sand beneath my feet, as I slowly wander through the ancient temple allowing my mind to wander
back through time and space visualising the activities 4000 years back.
Passing the sacred lake, the priests clothed in the purity of white.

The scarab glistening in the sun, purification rituals infuse the air, aromas from the land of Punt. Seated in the
inner sanctum, hands touch the heated pillars.
The golden energy from the Aten flowing and energising the body, hearing the distant chants of the priests.

The clouds of colour float across consciousness, drifting upwards allowing negativity to drift away, becoming one with
pure white light, the third eye senses the oneness of it all.
I am one with creation, one with the universe.

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DECLARATION

I declare that MOSES SON OF AKHENATEN? A STUDY OF ARCHAEOLOGY

AND TEXTUAL PERSPECTIVES is my own work and that all the sources that I have used
or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references and that this
work has not been submitted before for any other degree at any other institution.

...................................................... ...................................

Full names Date

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

At many times during the course of this research I have felt lost and alone, abandoned in a desert
surrounded by conflicting stories. I have battled to make sense of the inconsistencies presented. This
dissertation has been immensely challenging, bringing two monolithic characters together and hypothesising
such a close familial bond has been an enormous challenge. Swimming against the tide of mainstream
academic thought has left me feeling intimidated. I soon realised I was not alone in my thinking as several
noteworthy scholars have challenged the historicity of the Biblical texts. My mystical experience several
years ago in a courtyard in the temple of Luxor in Egypt left me feeling ungrounded for quite some time
thereafter. This experience was my motivator to learn more about the mysteries of Egypt.

It is with a great deal of gratitude that I wish to thank Professor Fanie Vermaak for encouraging me to enrol
in a course in Semitics at UNISA, a decision that has been life changing. The several magical trips led by
Professor Vermaak through the Middle East opened my eyes to a world previously unknown to me. I met
wonderful people in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iran and got to know my fellow travellers who will
remain close friends for life.

I thank UNISA for providing a student bursary, thus enabling me to pursue a dream and complete my study.

I thank Professor Magdel le Roux. I remember our very first discussion on a bus travelling though Greece
where she suggested ‘just write down a few ideas for a Masters and I will have a look at them’. The idea
for this dissertation, words placed on paper was originally birthed in Greece. These ideas were further
discussed as we broke ground and shifted soil in the archaeological site of Hazor, Israel as we searched for
the archives of Hazor and any other ‘material evidence’. Thank you for challenging me at the dig and
setting me off on the challenge of writing this thesis.

Dr Sharon Zuckerman (recently deceased): Co-director of the Tel Hazor excavations and senior lecturer
of archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Thank you for graciously answering any questions I
posed to you.

Dr Joyce Tyldesley: Senior lecturer in Egyptology from the University of Manchester. Thank you for promptly
asking any questions I posed to you.

Annie Hay: You have walked alongside me in many deserts in the Middle East, I thank you for walking
alongside me through the ‘wanderings in the wilderness’ of this study. You have listened to me ad nauseum.
Thank you for all the books you loaned me and the endless chats over coffee.

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Barbara Shaw: With gratitude I thank you for the excellent way in which you refined my texts,
enhancing the major points of the argument to match the audience for which the study was intended and
checking my work for errors.

Reverend Jacqui Rivas: For encouraging me to embark on this journey of academia, taking me
personally to the university to enrol for my first degree, it has been a long road since then.

Rachel Gooding: Mom, you have imposed on me a thirst for knowledge. Whilst my subject matter is far
removed from your interests, you have always been a ‘listening ear’ empathising with me as I have tried to
balance my commitments to family, work and study.

Cuan Vine: My long suffering husband, without whose financial support I would never have travelled to all
the exotic destinations that have become second home to me. Thank you for believing in me.

Nicole Vine and Dylan Vine: My children who have often wondered how it is possible to spend so much
time at the computer in my pursuit of Akhenaten and Moses. I thank you both for your understanding.

My sister, Jocelyn Jones: Thank you for your words of encouragement and always believing in me in whatever
challenges I have embarked upon in life.

My brother, Malcolm Gooding: Thank you for your wishes of support.

To Deborah Fletcher: I thank you and value your friendship and moral support.

To my nieces, nephews, family and friends: I thank you all for your support.

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ABSTRACT

MOSES SON OF AKHENATEN? A STUDY OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND TEXTUAL
PERSPECTIVES

Student Number: 33019398

Student: Jayne Margaret Vine

Degree: Master of Arts

Department: Biblical Archaeology

Supervisor: Professor M Le Roux

Joint Supervisor: Professor PS Vermaak

ABSTRACT

The search for a ‘historical Moses’ is one which has been debated for several centuries. In spite of
copious archaeological finds in Egypt and other parts of the ancient Near East, no material remains
have been found to substantiate the Exodus story. Mythological stories from the ancient Near East
bear striking similarities to the Moses narrative found in the Hebrew Bible. The inconsistencies
found in the Hebrew Bible further hamper the attempt to find a historical Moses, instead Moses is
found only in tradition. Taking these issues into consideration, other possibilities need to be
investigated. This dissertation places Moses growing up in the court of Akhenaten an 18th Dynasty
Egyptian Pharaoh in the middle of the 14th century BCE. The study investigates the possibility of
Moses as a son of Akhenaten with Nefertiti as a stepmother, his own biological mother, a
Mitannian princess, having died giving birth to Moses. Several similarities between Akhenaten
and Moses are discussed throughout the study. The study moves into the 21st century with the
groundbreaking discovery of DNA, which provides new conclusions which before were only debated.

Keywords

Akhenaten; archaeology; Amarna; Aten; Atenism; chronology; DNA; El; Exodus; god; gods; history
vs memory; Mitanni; monotheism; Moses; Pharaoh; polytheism; prophet; solar- worship; syncretism;
Yahweh; Yahwism.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................ ii
DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................. iv
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................................. xvi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Chronology and dating problems ........................................................................................................................ 6
1.1.1.1. Chronological table of 18th Dynasty kings ................................................................................................ 8
1.1.1.2. The Dating of Moses .................................................................................................................................. 9
1.1.2 Implications of the latest DNA results ......................................................................................................... 11
1.1.3 Archaeological evidence from Amarna ........................................................................................................ 13
1.1.3.1. Epigraphical detail from Amarna Wall F Room Alpha ............................................................................ 13
1.1.3.2. The Amarna Letters .................................................................................................................................. 14
1.1.3.3. Boundary stelae at Amarna ...................................................................................................................... 15
1.1.4 Psychology of the pharaoh and the prophet ................................................................................................ 16
1.1.5 Sudden departures ........................................................................................................................................ 18
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................... 20
1.3 HYPOTHESIS ......................................................................................................................... 22
1.4 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ........................................................................ 22
1.5 LITERARY REVIEW ............................................................................................................. 25
1.5.1 Primary sources and archaeological evidence ............................................................................................. 25
1.5.2 Secondary sources ......................................................................................................................................... 26
1.6 METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................................... 32
1.6.1 Research approach ........................................................................................................................................ 32
1.6.2 The structure of the dissertation .................................................................................................................. 33
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE DISSERTATION ................................................................................. 37
CHAPTER TWO: AKHENATEN & MOSES: GENETICS, DNA & THE Y CHROMOSOME . 38
2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 38
2.1.1 Background to the study of Genetics and DNA ........................................................................................... 39
2.1.2 Hamer’s ‘God gene’ theory ........................................................................................................................... 40
2.1.2.1 Hamer’s Fivefold way .............................................................................................................................. 41
2.1.2.1.1 Measurement ..................................................................................................................................... 41
2.1.2.1.2 Heritability ........................................................................................................................................ 41
2.1.2.1.3 Identifying a specific gene ................................................................................................................. 42
2.1.2.1.4 Brain mechanism ............................................................................................................................... 42
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2.1.2.1.5 Selective advantage ........................................................................................................................... 43
2.1.2.2 Genes and behaviour................................................................................................................................ 43
2.2 MUMMIFICATION ................................................................................................................. 43
2.2.1 Egyptian mummies and Paleopathology ...................................................................................................... 44
2.2.2 Methods used in mummy research............................................................................................................... 46
2.2.3 Ethical issues and ‘moral dilemma’ in ancient mummy research .............................................................. 47
2.3 KING TUTANKHAMUN ‘FAMILY PROJECT’ ........................................................................ 48
2.3.1 Published results from royal mummies ........................................................................................................ 49
2.3.1.1. Tomb KV55 Akhenaten or Smenkhare? .................................................................................................... 49
2.3.1.2. Results from the mummy found in the coffin in tomb KV55 ..................................................................... 51
2.3.1.3. Results from tomb KV62 /KV21 (Tutankhamun) ...................................................................................... 56
2.3.1.4. Results from tomb KV46 (Tuyu & Yuya) .................................................................................................. 57
2.3.1.5. Results from tomb KV35: Amenophis III and two unidentified females ................................................... 57
2.3.1.5.1 Amenophis III .................................................................................................................................... 57
a) Two unidentified females in KV35 ....................................................................................................................... 58
b) KV35EL—Queen Tiyi .......................................................................................................................................... 58
c) KV35YL Nefertiti or 18th Dynasty princess ........................................................................................................ 59
2.4 BONES PROVIDE NEW EVIDENCE OF LIFE AT AMARNA .......................................... 59
2.5 THE Y CHROMOSOME AND THE DNA OF MOSES’ PEOPLE ....................................... 60
2.5.1 The Lemba........................................................................................................................................................... 62
2.6 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 63
CHAPTER THREE: AKHENATEN: FROM PHARAOH TO PROPHET .................................... 66
3.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 66
3.2 AKHENATEN’S: TESTIMONY IN STONE ......................................................................... 67
3.2.1 The Amarna letters ........................................................................................................................................ 68
3.2.1.1. The discovery of the tablets (EA).............................................................................................................. 68
3.2.1.2. The Amarna archive ................................................................................................................................. 69
3.2.1.3. The language of the tablets ...................................................................................................................... 70
3.2.1.4. International correspondence .................................................................................................................. 70
3.2.1.5. Vassal correspondence ............................................................................................................................. 71
3.2.1.6. Vassal correspondence and the Ḫapiru ................................................................................................... 72
3.2.1.7. Vassal correspondence and the Mitanni .................................................................................................. 73
3.2.1.8. The chronology of the Amarna letters ...................................................................................................... 73
3.2.1.9. Amarna correspondence to and from Akhenaten ..................................................................................... 75
3.2.2 The Malqata palace ....................................................................................................................................... 76
3.2.3 The ‘talatat’ blocks of Karnak and later Amarna ....................................................................................... 76
3.2.4 The tomb of Ramose (No. 55) ....................................................................................................................... 79
3.2.5 Albastron, Akhet-Aten, el-Amarna, Amarna rediscovered, emerging from the sands of time ........... 80
3.2.5.1. Rediscovery of Akhet-Aten, early excavations and interpretations .......................................................... 80
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3.2.5.2. From 18th Dynasty stone inscriptions to scholarly interpretations ......................................................... 82
3.2.5.3. Boundary stelae surrounding el-Amarna reveal Akhenaten’s personal testimony .................................. 84
3.3 ANTHROPOLOGY AND GENEALOGY ............................................................................. 86
3.3.1 Ancestry and kinship ..................................................................................................................................... 86
3.3.2 Customs and culture ...................................................................................................................................... 87
3.3.3 Oral Tradition ............................................................................................................................................... 88
3.4 AKHENATEN’S ANCESTRY AND LINEAGE ................................................................... 89
3.4.1 Eighteenth Dynasty king’s lists ..................................................................................................................... 89
3.5 AKHENATEN’S GRANDPARENTS .................................................................................... 90
3.5.1 Thutmosis (Thutmose) ІV: Akhenaten’s paternal grandfather ................................................................. 90
3.5.1.1. Title .......................................................................................................................................................... 90
3.5.1.2. Thutmosis ІV’s calling.............................................................................................................................. 90
3.5.1.3. The duration of the reign .......................................................................................................................... 91
3.5.1.4. The mummy of Thutmosis IV .................................................................................................................... 91
3.5.2 Queen Mutemwia: Akhenaten’s paternal grandmother (Mitannian) ....................................................... 92
3.5.2.1. Title and lineage ....................................................................................................................................... 92
3.5.3 Yuya: Akhenaten’s maternal grandfather .................................................................................................. 94
3.5.3.1. Marriage scarab - first mention of the name of Yuya ............................................................................... 94
3.5.3.2. Master of the Horse and Deputy of the King ............................................................................................ 94
3.5.3.3 Yuya’s foreign features ............................................................................................................................ 94
3.5.4 Tuyu: Akhenaten’s maternal grandmother ...................................................................................................... 95
3.6 AKHENATEN’S MATERNAL UNCLES ............................................................................. 96
3.6.1 Anen: Akhenaten’s maternal uncle and priest of Heliopolis ...................................................................... 96
3.6.2 Ay: Akhenaten’s second maternal uncle ...................................................................................................... 96
3.7 AMENOPHIS Ш (AMENHOTEP Ш)—AKHENATEN’S FATHER ................................... 98
3.7.1 Title, lineage and depiction of divine birth .................................................................................................. 98
3.7.2 Amenhophis Ш—Marriages and reign........................................................................................................ 99
3.7.3 Amenophis Ш and queen Tiyi’s children .................................................................................................. 100
3.7.3.1. Tutankhamun and Smenkhare ................................................................................................................ 102
3.7.4 Amenophis Ш: Co-regency and military achievement ............................................................................. 102
3.7.5 Religion and association with the solar disc............................................................................................... 103
3.8 AKHENATEN’S MOTHER (AMENOPHIS Ш’S CHIEF WIFE) ....................................... 105
3.8.1 Title and lineage of Queen Tiyi ................................................................................................................... 105
3.8.2 Queen Tiyi’s influence ................................................................................................................................. 106
3.8.3 Queen Tiyi’s final years .............................................................................................................................. 107
3.9 AKHENATEN’S SIBLINGS ................................................................................................ 107
3.9.1 Prince Thutmosis II: Akhenaten’s deceased brother ................................................................................ 107
3.9.2 Smenkhare: Akhenaten’s brother, son or neither? ................................................................................... 108
3.9.2.1. Title ........................................................................................................................................................ 108
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