ANCIENT ISRAEL
ISRAEL IN EGYPT
PRIMARY SOURCES
BRIAN EDRIC COLLESS PhD ThD
https://sites.google.com/view/collesseum/israel-in-egypt
ISRAEL IN GOSHEN
see: https://sites.google.com/view/collesseum/gebel-tingar-statue
Artefacts and inscriptions (Egyptian and West Semitic) from Egypt and Sinai.
The Cylinder Seal of Yosep from Avaris (Goshen)
Michael Shelomo Bar-Ron https://www.academia.edu/35532146/The_Seal_of_Joseph_in_His_Palace_at_Tell_Ed_Daba_Re_edited_
This interpretation of the Avaris seal is cogent, and superior to the view that finds West Semitic deities, rather than Yosep son of Ya`qob and his brothers, symbolized in accordance with the characteristics attributed to them and their tribes in the Blessing of Ya`qob (Genesis 49:1-27) and Blessing of Moshe (Deuteronomy 33:1-25)
When this was first brought to my notice many years ago, I jumped to the conclusion that the Bull was the chief god El, and the armed man was the weather-god Ba`al-Hadad. I now accept the view that these symbols represent Yosep and his brothers, the sons of Ya`qob, and this interpretation is supported by the discovery of nine Ya`qob-Har seals at the same site, in the palace of Avaris, and twelve tombs in the palace garden, one of which is a pyramid, presumably for Yosep.
Here is my interpretation, based on the Bar-Ron identifications of the characters.
YOSEP (Joseph) The top line starts on the right with Yosep as a powerful bull (Deut 33:13-17, "bullock" with "horns of the wild ox", pushing the peoples, as depicted here).
BINYAMIN (Benjamin) Next along the top line is Binyamin, as an armed man wielding his weapons; this should not be YHWH the warrior (Exodus 15;3. "The LORD is a man of war" ) but Binyamin, "a ravenous wolf" who "divides the spoil" (Gen 49:27), and this detail would indicate a military connection for him; and so he is possibly the General BIBI, commander of "Asiatic" troops, attested in the Egyptian inscriptions in the Wadi el-Hol (Darnell et alii, ); and also the PPY, overseer of the MSh` ("expeditionary force") on Sinai 85, in year 4 of the reign of Amenemhat III, in association with a governor of Lower Egypt named H.ori (possibly Yosep, also known as H.oremh.at). The two mounds or mountains below the strider are possibly Gerizim and Ebal, the twin peaks that embrace the city of Shekem (Shechem, Nablus), and notice the city wall below them. The noun shekem means "shoulder" and in the brief Mosaic blessing on Binyamin there is a mysterious mention of dwelling "between his shoulders" (Deut 33:12).
The two objects may be there to signify the sons of Yosep, namely EPRAYIM (Ephraim) and MENASSHE (Manasseh), who were granted a special place in the family by Ya`qob (Gen 48:18-20), and they would each have their own tribe. They are associated with Yosep and his bull-horns in the Mosaic Blessing (Deut 33:17).
ASHER Third in the uppermost line is Asher, seen as an olive branch, in line with the promise that his bread would be "fat", presumably dipped in olive oil (Gen 49:20), and this blessed one, and the favoured among his brothers, dips his foot in olive oil (Deut 33:24).
These three brothers (Yosep, Binyamin, Asher) are at the top because they are the favoured ones in the family of Ya`qob, I suggest; and two more brothers have a high (tough lower) position in the scenery.
NAPTALI (Naphtali)
Yosep has the unstable Reuben, the vulture Lewi, and the lion Yehuda below him;
GAD This final symbol is an enigma: its form is incomplete, because of the damage that stretches in both directions over the ship: an arrowhead, or an inverted mushroom (representing good fortune descending from Heaven, in line with the name Gad given to him at birth, Gad, "fortune", Gen 30:10-11). Searching for clues in the two blessings, and presuming that this is a human head with the mushroom hair-style of the Western Semites, we find the blessing of Moshe (Deut 33: 20-22) connects Gad with heads (qodqod, re'shith, ro'sh) and describes him as one who administers law and justice.
See also: https://aish.com/did-archaeologists-discover-an-ancient-seal-of-the-twelve-tribes/
https://www.patternsofevidence.com/2018/09/14/12-tribes-of-israel-on-a-seal-from-egypt/
Sinai Inscription 72 (Amenemhet II)
This document ( Sinai 72, a large rectangular stela) from a temple in Sinai depicts a man named `Ankhib presenting cones of turquoise to King Amenemhet II (alias Nubkaure`), presumably samples of what his expedition to Sinai would have extracted from a mine. The name `Ankhib appears three times (find it with the highlighted `ankh symbol). The inscriptions say: "... treasurer of the god (the King), overseer of ... , governor of Lower Egypt, `Ankhib, who made this monument .... he offers loaves of turquoise to the majesty of this god". The title "Governor of Lower Egypt" would suit Yosep (Joseph), resident in the palace at Avaris in Goshen. This `Ankhib is also mentioned in Sinai inscription 71 (another large slab of stone), and again he is designated as "Governor (the one in charge of) Lower Egypt".
The Blessing of Moshe (Deut 33:13-16) links Yosep to “precious things” from “ancient mountains” and “primordial hills” and “the earth”.
A name Sebekdidi emerges from the wreckage of the writing on this damaged document, portrayed as a beloved servant of his lord, who had something to do with boats. As will be seen in this collection of sources, Yosep adopted names with `Ankh ("life"), Sobek (the crocodile god), and H.ar (Horus). Egyptian kings reigned under five official names, and an important functionary such as Yosep may have done likewise. The date on 71 is damaged, but might be year 11 or 24 of this ruler's reign; in this regard, Sinai 47 and 48 are concerned with the establishing of a new mine (A), and year 24 of Amenemhet II is the date given on 47. In this case the main person is a Mentjuhotep, the dignitary who opened up the gallery (turquoise mine A), "true royal acquaintance", "his beloved", "the god's treasurer, overseer of the transport ships, Mentjuhotep, born of Sit-Hor"; this certainly sounds like presumed Yosep in 71-72, but `Ankhib was "conceived of Sit-Khentekhtay", and the name of the parent of Sebekdidi is lost ("...'s son"); mothers of notable personages may have been accorded additional Egyptian names, but the Semitic name of Yosep's mother was Rah.el, "ewe" (Genesis 35:24).
Support for the supposition that Yosep was involved in the activity at Mine A comes from inscriptions added to the two Mentjuhotep texts, but deliberately obliterated with a hammer (but Tallet has restored some of it): the name H.arwerre` is there, arguably another one of the aliases used by Yosep, in the time of Amenemhat III (Sinai 88-90).
In the Sinai documents there are two other depictions of a royal official presenting turquoise to a king (a single large cone in each case):
116, Amenemhet III (no date) Sobekhotep, treasurer;
112, Amenemhet III (no date) Sinofret, treasurer, governor.
Both could be Yosep, or one of his sons
However, there exists a stela of Mentjuhotep, which depicts him with various symbols, including `ankh and 'ib (heart);
Stela of Mentuhotep with Sat-Hathor
Mieroop, A History of Ancient Egypt (2011) p. 139, Figure 1.1, in Berlin, Aegyptisches Museum
Notice the `Ankh beside his face, and the heart (‘ib), and also the bovine horned head (as on the cylinder seal of Yosep).
Graffito of Mentuhotep RGShN from Lower Nubia
From Nubia (Sudan) in the far south, a graffito with his name written in Egyptian characters, and his social position in West Semitic letters, and I would read these as R GShN ("Head of Goshen"), which is equivalent to `Ankhib's status as "Governor of Lower Egypt".
Stela of Mentuhotep Overseer of the Granary from Abydos
http://www.joanannlansberry.com/fotoart/sandiego/stela2-sd.jpg
Statue of Mentuhotep from Abydos
http://www.joanannlansberry.com/fotoart/sandiego/men2htp-sd.jpg
Both were found lying in sand at Abydos cemeteries, and donated to the San Diego Museum by Henri Frankfort. The granary connection could indicate that this was Yosep, who gathered up grain for seven years, preparing for the years of famine (Genesis 41:46-49).
Wood Stela of Mentuhotep from Thebes
https://www.academia.edu/44882243/An_Offering_to_Mentuhotep_Son_of_Mentuhotep_Ankhu_Found_at_Thebes_MMA_26_3_316
Pictured as Fig. 4 on p, 40
Stele des Mentuhotep (Berlin 7313)
His spouse is named Senet (cp. Asenat, Genesis 41:45)
Mentuhotep was everywhere, and it is said of Yosep that "he went throughout all the land of Egypt" (Genesis 41:46). Are there clues that would permit us to place these documents in chronological order, beginning with year 24 of the reign of Amenemhet II (Sinai 47)