The Biblical Archaeologist - Vol.49, N.2

68 Pages·1986·0.26 MB·English

by  American Schools of Oriental Research

Biblicaal rch olt
A Publication of the American Schools of Oriental Research Volume 49 Number 2 June 1986
The
Chalcolithic
Period in Palestine
AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
ADMINISTRATIOVFEF ICEA,S OR4, 243S PRUCSET REETPH, ILADELPHPIAA1, 9104 [phone]
JamesA . Sauer,P resident W.E Albright Institute of
Eric M. Meyers,F irst Vice President for ArchaeologicalR esearch( AIAR).
Publications P. O. Box 19096, 91 190 Jerusalem,I srael. oSOFO
William G. Dever, Second Vice President SeymourG itin, Director 0O
for Archaeological Policy Thomas E. Levy,A ssistant Director P
GeorgeM . Landes,S ecretary JosephA . Callaway,P resident
Kevin G. O'Connell,A ssistant Secretary JoyU ngerleider-MayersonF, irst Vice
Charles U. Harris, Treasurer President V 0
Gough W.T hompson, Chairman of the Carol Meyers,S econd Vice President
Boardo f Trustees Kevin G. O'Connell, Secretary-Theasurer
Norma Kershaw,D irector of Tours
Susan Wing, Bookkeeper BaghdadC ommittee for the Baghdad
Stephen M. Epstein, Coordinatoro f School.
Academic Programs McGuire Gibson, Chairman CyprusA merican Archaeological
Catherine Felix, StaffA ssistant Oriental Institute, University of ResearchI nstitute (CAARI).
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IL 60637. Stuart Swiny,D irector
Charles U. Harris,P resident
American Center of Oriental Research LydieS hufro,V ice President
ASOR Newsletter; JamesA . Sauer,E ditor (ACOR). Ellen Herscher,S ecretary
Biblical Archaeologist;E ric M. Meyers, P O. Box 2470, JebelA mman, Amman, AndrewO liver,J r.,T heasurer
Editor Jordan.
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Editor LawrenceT . Geraty,V ice President Center for MesopotamianS tudies,
Journalo f Cuneiform Studies; Erle Nancy Lapp,S ecretary University of California,4 05 Hilgard
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Biblical Archaeologist
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Biblical Arch aeolog ist
A Publication of the American Schools of Oriental Research Volume 49 Number 2 June 1986
ExploringE xodus:T he Oppression 68
Nahum M. Sarna
The author of the highly acclaimed volume Understanding
Genesis now turns his attention to the second book of the
Bible, looking at the conditions under which the
Israelites lived prior to leaving Egypt.
ArchaeologicaSl ourcefso r the Studyo f Palestine
The Chalcolithic Period 82
Thomas E. Levy
Page 68 During the late fifth and fourth millennia B.c.s ignificant
technological and social changes occurreda mong societies
living in Palestine. This paper,t he first of a new series in
BA, surveys the archaeological research that illuminates
these changes.
BA Portrait
Paul Emile Botta 109
Francis H. McGovern and JohnN . McGovern
The French naturalist'sd iscovery in 1843 of the palace of
SargonI I at Khorsabado pened the way for the study of
e ancient Mesopotamia.
EnigmaticB ible Passages
The Timingo f the Snaggingo f the Ram,G enesis2 2:13 114
Marvin H. Pope
The word 'ahari n the story of the binding of Isaac has
vexed interpretersf or centuries. A renowned authority on
, ( the Old Testament and Ugaritic philology offers a reading
, (cid:127)
that not only resolves the difficulty but also heightens
Page 82 our sense of the miracle.
The Wells of Gerar 118
VictorH . Matthews
Using Genesis 21:22-32 and 26:12-22 as his basis, and
drawingo n helpful analogies from ancient Mesopotamia
and from the contemporaryM iddle East, the author
demonstrates how one may attempt to reconstruct the
social world of the biblical patriarchs.
Introducingth e Authors 66
Lettert o the Readers 67
P1a e BookR eviews 127
Biblical Archaeologist is published with the financial assistance of
the Endowment for Biblical Research, a nonsectarian foundation for
Page 114 the study of the Bible and the history of the Christian Church.
BIBLICALA RCHAEOLOGIST/JUNE1 986 65
the Authors
Introducing
i0
F. Levy
r. .(cid:127)Thomas
C0
"it,
.Jt
?0
I, - /
:- .
d j
.
MarvinH . Pope VictorH . Matthews NahumM .S arna
Nahum M. Sarnai s Emeritus Professora t BrandeisU niversity, biblical archaeologicals ites. Dr. McGovernp assed awayi n July
where he was Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies for of 1985.
twenty years. He served as an editor and translator for the
JewishP ublication Society'sn ew Bible translation, Tanakh,a nd John N. McGovernr eceived his Ph.D. in chemical engineering
is general editor of that society's forthcoming Bible commen- from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has published
tary. He was a departmental editor for the Encyclopaedia prolifically on pulp and paper technology and recently has
Judaica and has contributed to the EncyclopaediaB ritannica, written on the origins of writing materials. He has traveled
the Dictionary of the Middle Ages, the Oxford Companion to widely in the Middle East, including in Iraqw ith his brother
the Bible, and the Encyclopaedia of Religions. His Under- Francis, and has visited Mayan sites in Mexico and Central
standing Genesis (SchockenB ooks, 1970)w on the JewishB ook America.
Council Award.
Marvin H. Pope is Rabinowitz Professoro f Semitic Languages
and Literaturesa nd Near EasternL anguagesa nd Literaturesa t
Thomas E. Levy is Assistant Director of the W. F. Albright Yale University. He also holds a faculty position in the Yale
Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem.H e did his
Divinity School. ProfessorP opei s an authority in the languages
undergraduate work in anthropology at the University of
and literatures,h istory, and archaeologyo f the Old Testament
Arizona and received his Ph.D. in prehistory and archaeology
and his specialty is Ugaritic philology. His numerous publica-
from the University of Sheffield, England. Since 1982 he has
tions include two volumes in the Anchor Bible series-The
been directing a multidisciplinary researchp roject concerning
Song of Songs (Doubleday,1 977),w hich received the National
fourth-millennium societies in the northern Negeb desert. Dr.
Levy has published a number of articles concerning this work Religious Book Awardi n 1978, and The Book of Job (Doubleday,
and is presently editing Shiqmim I. Studies Concerning 4th 1973).
Millennium Societies in the Northern Negev Desert, Israel
Victor H. Matthews is Associate Professoro f Old Testament at
(BritishA rchaeologicalR eportsI nternationalS eries).
Southwest Missouri State University. His publications include
PastoralN omadism in the Mari Kingdom (ASORD issertation
Francis H. McGovern was an otolaryngologist in Danville, Series number 3) and, in collaboration with Dr. JamesM oyer,
Virginia,a nd was Emeritus Clinical Professora t the University two review articles in Biblical Archaeologist on the use of
of Virginia. Having received his M.D. from the University of archaeology in Bible handbooks and Bible dictionaries. He is
Pennsylvania, he wrote extensively in his medical field and currently at work on a book entitled Manners and Customs in
published on "DoctorsA field."H is many travelsi ncluded Iraq's Bible Times.
66 BIBLICALA RCHAEOLOGIST/JUNE1 986
Letter to the Readers
he Middle Easth as neverb een known for peace Levant,a nd Eretz Israel. Each has its advantagesa nd dis-
but recent months seem even more fraught advantages.W e have decided to stick with the term with
with uncertainty than usual. This situation which the founders of this journal were comfortable. It
naturally affects the progresso f biblical archae- predatest he establishment of any of the currentp olitical
ology. There are certain countries where archaeological states in the region.
fieldwork is virtually shut down, whereas in others dig- The purpose of the new series is for a recognized
ging continues as always. Archaeologists tend to be an specialist to introduce the general reader/studentt o the
apolitical, hardy lot, rarely coming up to the standardo f problems of a given period and to provide a selected but
Indiana Jones, of course, but adaptive, dedicated, and comprehensive bibliography.E ach essay should summa-
hardworkingn evertheless! rize the debate on nomenclature, terminology, chronol-
The July 17, 1986, opening and dedication of the new ogy; list and describe the major sites and finds; and say
two-million-dollar headquarterso f the American Center something about the problem of transitions or phases.
for Oriental Research in Amman, an event under the Each article will feature illustrations of characteristic
patronage of H.R.H. Crown Prince Hassan, symbolizes pots, assemblages, key sites, and key finds.
the determinationo f American archaeologistsc onnected The first contribution to this new series is by
with ASOR not only to continue but to expand their Thomas E. Levy,o f Jerusalem'sA lbright Institute, on the
cooperative efforts with Jordaniana rchaeologists to dis- Chalcolithic period.W ea re proudt hat he has achieved so
cover and understand the context of the biblical world. well the aims of the series. We will be interested in the
Some twenty projects are in the field this summer, comments of readers.
mostly in Jordana nd Israel but also in Cyprus. Nahum M. Sarna'sa rticle in this issue is a seasoned
Archaeology is more than fieldwork of course. Prog- scholar's masterful attempt to put a familiar biblical
ress is continually being made in the study and in the lab story, the Israelite oppression in Egypt,i nto its historical
as well. Synthesis goes on in conferences and publica- context. While his is not the only option, it is the one
tions. Two volumes came to my desk this spring that most favoredb y recent scholarship.
demonstrate that progress. One is Biblical Archaeology Victor H. Matthews takes a look at the biblical
7bTodaPy:r oceedings of the International Congress on patriarchsf rom the perspectiveo f a social anthropologist.
Biblical Archaeology,J erusalem,A pril, 1984. It contains Cognizant of ancient Near Easternp arallels, he sees the
some forty major papers with thirty responses on topics negotiations of Abraham and Jacob as examples of
that rangef rom the general" state"o f biblical archaeology nomadic-sedentaryi nteraction.
today to specific problems of stratigraphy,c hronology, MarvinH . Pope,a lwayst he creative scholar,o ffersa n
and terminology. important solution to the "ram in a thicket" crux in
The other is Pottery and Potters, Past and Present: Genesis 22:13. It is an excellent example of how the Bible
7000 Yearso f Ceramic Art in Jordan,p reparedt o accom- can be so much better understood in its ancient Near
pany an exhibition in connection with the Third Inter- Easternc ontext.
national Conference on the History and Archaeology of Finally, Francis and JohnM cGovern, in another BA
Jordan,h eld in Tiibingen, Germany, in April 1986. In it portrait, take a fascinating look at Paul tmile Botta, that
some twenty scholars have collaborated to produce the physician and French consular agent in Mosul whose
first comprehensive catalog of Transjordanianp ottery curiosity about the mounds of Mesopotamia almost a
types from the Neolithic through the Islamic periods. century and a half ago yielded the secrets of Sargon II,
Another way progressi s made is through the pages of otherwise known only from his mention in the Bible.
the Biblical Archaeologist. We try to keep our readerso n We hope this issue informs, delights, and brings you
the cutting edge of both discovery and synthesis. In the back for more!
latter category this issue of BA contains the first install-
ment in a majorn ew series on the archaeological sources
for the history of Palestine. It should be seen as comple-
mentary to the series already in progress on the literary
sources for the history of Palestine. Terminology is al-
ways a problem. By Palestine we mean the heartland of
the biblical world from the biblical point of view. Alter-
LawrenceT . Geraty
nate names for the region include Syro-Palestine, the Associate Editor
BIBLICALA RCHAEOLOGIST/JUNE1 986 67
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Asp rophesiedth, eI sraelitehsa d becomea great
nation,w hichm adet hema threata nd a danger
to thes ecurityo f Egypt.
Excavations have shown that by the end of the Late he newly foundedc om-
Bronze Age, which is generally agreed to cover the period munity of Israelites in
of approximately 1550 to 1200 B.C.E.t, he land of Canaan Egypt prospered at first,
was in an advanced state of decay. Riven by political and their numbers grew
fragmentation and chronic disunity, debilitated by enormously in the course of the
economic instability, with their military strength greatly years. The divine promises to the
weakened by the successive forays of Egyptian kings, the patriarchs that their prosperity
fortified city-states that made up the country were in a would be numerous were amply ful-
parlous condition. Canaanite culture came to an abrupt filled (Genesis 12:1, 17:2, 28:14, 46:3).
end in the course of the second half of the thirteenth The Israelites had become a "great
century. A significant number of city-states, among them nation." As the text has it, they "were
Lachish, Bethel, and Hazor, ceased to exist. All the fertile and prolific; they multiplied
evidence points to violent destruction caused by human and increased very greatly, so that the
agency. land was filled with them" (Exodus
The old Canaanite culture was replaced by a totally 1:7). The term "land"h ere most likely
different civilization, no longer based on the city-state refers to the area of their settlement,
system, and giving every appearance of being the work of the region of the eastern part of the
seminomads who were in the early stages of Nile Delta, not to Egypt as a whole.
sedentarization. The great city of Hazor exemplifies the This population explosion was per-
process. Excavations there leave no doubt that it was ceived as a threat and a danger to the
suddenly destroyed by a gigantic conflagration sometime security of Egypt, and when a "new
in the thirteenth century. By the year 1230 B.C.Ea. t the king" (Exodus 1:8), most probably
latest, new settlers had begun to inhabit part of the the founder of a new dynasty, took
mound. The pottery type used thereafter differs radically over the reins of power, the situation
from that uncovered in the earlier strata of the city. came to a head.
In the course of the same century at least a dozen
Late Bronze Age cities all over Canaan met similar The Hyksos and Their Expulsion
violent destruction and were succeeded by more If the conclusion above about the date
primitive and poorer villages on the ruined sites. No of the Exodus is correct, the develop-
extrabiblical evidence has so far turned up to identify ment of events becomes intelligible,
the invaders and new settlers with Joshua's armies. But and the historical background can be
the picture reconstructed by archaeological research plausibly reconstructed. For this we
generally fits biblical accounts of the wars of conquest, have to go back a few centuries to
and there is no convincing reason not to correlate the one what is called by historians of Egypt
with the other. the "Second Intermediate Period,"
To sum up: several diverse and variegated lines of which lasted from the eighteenth to
evidence converge to make a very good case for placing the sixteenth century B.C.E. This is
the events of the Exodus within the thirteenth century the era of the Hyksos, the Asiatics
B.C.E. who seized power and ruled Egypt
for about a century and a half (see
Siive-Soderbergh 1951; Van Seters
BIBLICALA RCHAEOLOGIST/JUNE1 986 69
1966; Redford1 970;H ayes 1973a, ing the Hyksos out of Upper Egypt 1: 14, 75 and following-see Thack-
1973b;J ames 1973).T he name itself and in recoveringM emphis. The final eray 1966: 193 and following).
means "Rulerso f ForeignL ands,"a nd and victorious stage in the liberation Whether or not these sources
strictly applied only to the chiefs of Egyptw as accomplished by Amose, truly reflect historic reality is uncer-
themselves, but it has long been brother of Kamose. He inflicted a tain, but they give expression to the
given a more general application. crushing defeat on the Hyksos by sharp and lasting impact that the
The Hyksos were not organized capturing their capital of Avarisa nd episode had on the popular mind.
invaders.T hey were rather a con- driving them back into Canaan. Henceforth, Egyptw as acutely con-
glomeration of ethnic groups, among Amose (approximately1 552-1527 scious of the perils lurking in the
whom Semites predominated,w ho B.C.E.f)o unded the Eighteenth outside world. The dangero f foreign
infiltrated into the land over a long Dynasty of pharaohs and inaugu- invasion, especially from Asia via
period of time in ever-increasing rated the New Kingdom, the period the eastern Delta, haunted her there-
numbers, probablyc oming from of the EgyptianE mpire, in the course after and could never again be smugly
Canaan. By about 1720 B.C.E. they of which the country reached the ignored or underestimated. The fact
were fully in control of the eastern height of its power and magnificence. is that the Semitic population was
Delta of the Nile and had established The Hyksos occupation was a not driven out of that region with
their capital at Avaris (see Van Seters the expulsion of the Hyksos rulers,
1966: 127-51). From this base they and it continued to reside there dur-
expanded southwardi nto Lower ing the Eighteenth and Nineteenth
Egypt. By about 1674 B.C.E. a Hyksos Aftert he Hyksoso ccu- Dynasties.
king with the Semitic name Salitis
had occupied Memphis, the ancient pation, the dangero f The Enslavement of the Israelites
capital of Egypt.T he Hyksos con- It is against this backgroundt hat the
invasionc on-
stituted the Fifteenth and Sixteenth foreign opening chapter of the book of Exo-
Dynasties, adopting the style and tinuedt o hauntE gypt. dus becomes comprehensible. Quite
bureaucratici nstitutions of the tradi- understandablei s the anxiety of the
tional pharaohs.G radually,S emites new pharaoha bout the rapidg rowth
replaced Egyptiansi n high adminis- of the Israelite presence in the stra-
trative offices. The rise of Josepht o tegic Delta region:" Look,t he Israelite
power and the migration of the shameful humiliation for the Egyp- people are much too numerous for
Hebrews fit in well with what is tians that had a profounde ffect upon us. Let us then deal shrewdly with
known of the era of Hyksos rule. The the national psychology.A bout one them, so that they may not increase;
Second Intermediate Period in Egyp- hundred years after the liquidation otherwise in the event of war they
tian history is markedb y a strong of Hyksos rule, Queen Hatshepsut may join our enemies in fighting
Semitic presence. (approximately 1480-1469 B.C.E.) had against us and rise from the ground"
The Hyksos never seemed to carved above the entrance to the (Exodus1 :9-10).
have dominated Upper Egypt,w here rock-cut temple she built at Speos A close readingo f the final pages
a native family retained control of Artimedos, (IstablA ntar)i n Middle of Genesis uncovers subtle intima-
that part of the country. It comprised Egypt, an inscription in which she tions of a deterioratings ituation.
the Seventeenth Dynasty and oper- recalled the ruination of the country The domicile of the Israelites in
ated out of Thebes, situated some caused by these Asiatics (Pritchard Egypt is not regardeda s something
330 miles (430 kilometers) upstream 1955: 231). permanent. Beforeh e dies, Jacobr e-
from modern Cairo.T his became the As late as about 300 B.C.E., calls the divine promise of national
focus of opposition to the Hyksos. Manetho, an Egyptianp riest who territory in Canaan and foresees the
One of the last kings of this dynasty, wrote a history of his country in return of his descendants from Egypt
Seqenen-reI I, began to organize the Greek, reports, accordingt o the frag- to the land:
resistance. From the state of his ment cited by the Jewish historian I am aboutt o die; but Godw ill be
mummy, which showed that he died Josephus (approximately 38-100 C.E.), with you and bring you back to the
at about the age of forty from a series that the Hyksos "savagelyb urnt the land of your fathers. (Genesis 48:21)
of horrible head wounds, and from cities, razed the temples of the gods Most striking is the contrast between
the fact that he received the title to the ground, and treated the whole the private funeral and interment of
"The Brave,"it has been assumed native population with the utmost Josephi n Egypt and the public state
that he fell in battle with the Hyksos. cruelty, massacring some, and carry- funeral earlier accordedh is father,
The struggle was continued by his ing off the wives and children of Jacob,a nd his burial in his ancestral
son, Kamose, who succeeded in driv- others into slavery"( Against Apion vault at Machpelah in Hebron. Jo-
70 BIBLICALA RCHAEOLOGIST/JUNE1 986
The Exodusa ccounts of Joseph'sr ise to power
:8 7 t0 s 1 1 12 11 10 9 9 7 0 5 4 3 Z in Egypta nd the migration of the Hebrews
correspondw ell with what is known about
the era of Hyksos rule during the Second
O I JU /2' Intermediate Period (around 1800-1550 B.C.E.).
ri
et The Hyksos were Asiatic invaders who con-
HI4L
quered Egypta nd tried to assimilate into the
existing culture. The fiercely ethnocentric
Egyptiansd espised foreignr ule and eventual-
ly were able to expel the Hyksos from their
land. The inscription shown here was erected
above the entrance to a temple at Speos Arti-
d medos by Queen Hatshepsut approximately
-(taL ~~_ItHo ~4Ia~ , ~ ~cU q& -~ P4oqF5 ~ ; rae cceanlltsu trhye a rfuteinr tahtieo dne offe atht eo fc tohuen Htryyk csaouss.e Idt by
these Asiatics. The drawing is from Journal
of EgyptianA rchaeology,v olume 32 (1946),
ISIt~ r ~ M r'L used courtesyo f the EgyptE xplorationS ociety
I P~~~m
a,?v LC ~~dd,-r c rm
- nV of this period attitudes began to
~
~~~a0q Q- d change. Haremhab (approximately
K x 7 L.w 1333-1306 B.C.E.)t,h e last pharaoh of
0s la o~
the dynasty, is known to have reno-
vated the temple of the local god
Seth in the eastern Delta. The first
effective king of the Nineteenth
Dynasty, Sethos (Seti)I (approxi-
mately 1305-1290 B.C.E.)b, uilt him-
self a summer palace just north of
Avarist hat was intended to form the
nucleus of a new suburb.H is very
name expressesa n orientationt oward
the local deity, Seth (see Velde 1967).
In fact, he was descended from an
seph'sf amily did not have the influ- identified. The term pharaoh itself ancient family that had roots in this
ence with the Egyptian authorities simply means in Egyptian" TheG reat region and that had long supplied the
to be able to secure for him a similar House."O riginally applied to the priesthood of that god. This divinity
privilege. Moreover,J osephh imself royalp alace and court, late in the was heartily disliked by the rival
seems to have been awareo f the Eighteenth Dynasty it came to be Thebans from whom the previous
gathering storm clouds, for his dying employed by metonymy for the reign- dynasty had derived.
words are: ing monarch, just as "The Palace"o r Rameses II, successor to Sethos I,
God will surely take notice of you "TheW hite House"o r "CityH all" wholeheartedly shifted the center of
and bring you up from this land to would be used today (Gardiner1 961: gravity of Egyptiang overnment to
the land which He promised on 52). This is how it is employed in the the eastern Delta (Gardiner1 918).
oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Bible. If the pharaohi n question be- Not long after his coronation, he
Jacob .. . When God has taken longed to the Nineteenth Dynasty, made a ceremonious visit to his
notice of you, you shall carryu p my
the new policy of dealing with the father'sf reshly erected palace near
bones from here. (Genesis 50:24-25) Israelites coincides with known Avarisa nd announced the founda-
If the anxieties of the authori-
events belonging to this period. tion of a new capital city to be built
ties were understandablei n the cir-
The kings of the Eighteenth around it. A variety of converging
cumstances, the reaction to the po-
Dynasty (approximately1 552-1306 motivations occasioned this step. He
tential menace posed by the presence
B.C.E.a) ll lived in Upper Egypt and wanted to distance himself as much
of a large foreign population in a
operatedo ut of Memphis or Thebes. as possible from the priesthood of
strategic area can only be described
Although they campaignedi n Canaan the god Amun centered in Thebes.
as iniquitous. The pharaoht ook
and Syria, they wholly neglected the He, himself, worshipped Seth as the
draconianm easures to limit the
Delta area, apparentlyb egrudging chief god and adoptedh im as the
growth of the Israelites, and to this
any expenditure on the region that divine patron of Egyptiani mperial
end he cunningly devised that adult
had been the base of the hated Hyksos rule in Asia. Further,b y transferring
males be pressed into slavery.
foreigners.H owever,t owardt he end the capital to the Delta, he was able
The pharaohi nvolved is not
BIBLICALA RCHAEOLOGIST/JUNE1 986 71
-
.
I
-.
r"
t
6' p ~
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4K
T)
.i%
/
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Its meadows are verdantw ith grass;
Rameses II, possibly the pharaoh of the oppression,w as a great builder of palaces, temples, its banks bear dates; its melons are
and colossal statuary.A bove:A monumental seated statue of the king is located in the first abundanto n the sands .... Its grana-
court of the Luxort emple and colonnade decorated by Tutankhamon.A bove right: Rameses II ries are (so)f ull of barleya nde mmer
is ideally portrayedi n this striding colossus, located in the southeast cornero f the court he (that) they come near to the sky.
built at the temple of Luxor.P hotographsb y Wim Swaan from Charles E Nims'Thebes of the
Pharaohs:P atternf or EveryC ity, used courtesy of Paul L. Elek Publishers. Onions and leeks are for food, and
lettuce of the garden, pomegran-
ates, apples, and olives, figs of the
orchard,s weet wine ... surpassing
to shorten the lines of communica- full of food and provisions.... The honey.... Its ships go out and come
tion and supplies and to acquire a sun rises in its horizon, and sets (back)t o mooring, (so that) supplies
within it. All men have left their and food are in it every day.O ne re-
more convenient strategic base for
his campaigns in Canaan and Syria. towns and settled in its territory.. .. joices to dwell within it. (Pritchard
The castle which is in it is like the 1955:4 70-71; Erman1 966:2 06, 270)
The new capital was named after
horizon of heaven. This lavish praise bestowed upon
himself, Pi (Per)-Ramesse, "Domain Another text reports it to be the city of Rameses recalls the words
of Rameses." The first element was
in [veryv, ery]g oodc ondition,a beau- of Genesis 47:5-6,11:
often dropped due to the fame of this
tiful district, without its like, after Then Pharoah said to Joseph,...
monarch, so that the city was known the pattern of Thebes .... The Resi- "the land of Egypt is open before
simply as "Rameses" (Raamses). Its dence is pleasant in life; its field is you: settle your father and your
beauty and glory were extolled in full of everythingg ood; it is (full)o f brothersi n the best part of the land;
poems that have survived to this day. suppliesa ndf oode veryd ay,i ts ponds let them stayi n the regiono f
Goshen."
One such describes it as being with fish, and its lakes with birds. ... So Josephs ettled his father and
72 BIBLICALA RCHAEOLOGIST/JUNE1 986