Were Ancient Egyptians Black or White? Uncovering the Bible’s Buried Civilizations

Egypt is one of the most researched of archaeological societies. Yet Egyptian history is difficult to properly document and corroborate next to other national histories, including the Bible. Egyptian chronology is somewhat of a mess. There are so many different proposed, revised, old, and new chronologies that it is hard to fix the dates for pharaohs and events in Egypt. Amid the confusion, though, are many very interesting discoveries in Egyptian archaeology that parallel the biblical record. The ancient Egyptians were among the most significant national players in biblical history, so we can't afford to miss them in our series. We'll only touch on the high points of Egypt's biblical and archaeological history to prevent this article from turning into a multi-volume work. Egypt is known in the Hebrew Bible as Mitzrayim or Mizrayim. The ancestor of the Egyptians was Mizrayim, son of Ham, son of Noah. It would make sense that such an early civilization as Egypt should trace its ancestor back to the early post-flood days. The fact that Mizrayim was a son of Ham brings up an interesting point. Ham was the progenitor of the dark-skinned or black race. Noah prophesied about the descendants of his sons. Japheth's descendants would become a massive population, and Shem's descendants would be worshippers of the true God and would inherit many blessings. Ham himself is not mentioned, but his son Canaan is. Canaan, for indulging in a sexually perverse encounter with an unconscious Noah, was cursed with slavery. No further mention was made of Ham or his sons. Thus, it makes full sense that while the descendants of Canaan would experience slavery, this curse would not apply to his brothers, of which Mizrayim was one. And as the well-known story of the Exodus goes, it was these Egyptian descendants of Mizrayim that were not the slaves, but the slave owners. There is actually a lot of evidence that points toward the early original Egyptians as descending from the black race. Obviously, the land of Egypt bordered with ancient Ethiopia and was surrounded by similar peoples, sharing ties and origins with them. Many ancient writers describe the Egyptians as being a black people. Other classical writers concur, including Apollodorus, Marcellinus, Aeschylus, Strabo, and more. Much Egyptian art also depicts early Egyptians as having darker skin and black African features. Of course, as time progressed throughout Egypt's history, their features changed as Egypt became a melting pot of different peoples. Today's Egyptians are nothing like the Egyptians of old. The nephew of the ancient Egyptian forefather, Mizrayim, was a man named Nimrod. He was the first post-flood city organizer and despot. Alexander Hislop's book, The Two Babylons, explains that Nimrod and his wife Semiramis became the inspiration for the legends of the chief Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Egypt is mentioned initially as being of help to the early Israelite ancestors. Abraham found refuge there during a famine. Jacob and his family did the same after Joseph was made second in command under the pharaoh for having interpreted his prophetic dream. This sojourn in Egypt of Jacob and his family would have occurred during the 19th century BCE. Joseph had initially been sold by his brothers to Ishmaelite traders, who then brought him to Egypt and sold him to the Egyptian captain Potiphar. A famous Egyptian painting known as the Ibsha Relief depicts a scene dating to around this time. It shows Eastern Semitic traders bringing goods or offerings into Egypt. Joseph's arrival in Egypt at the hand of the Eastern Semitic Ishmaelites would have been a near-identical scene. Joseph and his family were given a great deal of favor within Egypt. Joseph, of course, ruled under the pharaoh. His father Jacob pronounced a blessing on the pharaoh and must have been given great honor within Egypt. A number of archaeological excavations have uncovered 27 royal scarabs These were found most notably in Egypt and Israel. There is no J sound in the Hebrew language, thus the name Jacob is pronounced as Yakob. Was this the same figure? It is very possible. The Yakub Har scarabs haven't been conclusively dated, but could point to Jacob's time or just after. The Har part of the title is the Hebrew word for hill, mount, mountain. The phrase would thus mean Jacob's mount. These scarabs could have belonged to Jacob, his son Joseph, or extended family. They may even have belonged to non-physically associated Egyptians, considering the fact that Jacob was a highly respected individual within Egypt. The date of Jacob and his family's sojourn in Egypt occurs around the time of the 14th Egyptian dynasty. The association with Jacob, Joseph, and the widespread famine and poverty throughout especially Canaan at that time is clear. This original favor shown to the Israelites by the Egyptians, of course, turned into hatred and slavery through the following centuries. This is one of the great questions of biblical Egyptian archaeology. Who was the pharaoh of the exodus? Traditionally, Ramses II is portrayed as being that man. Ramses II reigned around 200 years too late. The exodus occurred during the 15th century, specifically 1446 BCE. One of the difficulties in identifying the right pharaoh is that no Egyptian leader would be willing to admit the tragedies that befell under his reign, especially not on the level of the plagues or the exodus. There are other clues we can look at, though, to help identify the pharaoh of the exodus. A number of names have been put forward. The baby Moses had been set adrift in the Nile by his Israelite parents, fearing the Egyptian pharaoh's command to midwives to kill all Israelite male children. Moses was rescued by a daughter of Pharaoh who had come to the river to bathe. It was this Egyptian princess who chose the name Moses. The names Moses, Moses, Moshe, Mos are interchangeable. The term means to be born or drawn. And so Moses' Egyptian name fits right alongside Egyptian royalty of the same general period, like Thutmose Amos, Ramos, Kamos, Wajmos. Regarding the pharaoh himself, there are a couple requirements for finding the correct one. He must not have been a firstborn. His successor must not have been a firstborn. And he must have died in the Red Sea, making it impossible for his body to undergo the usual ceremonial mummification process done for the pharaohs. One good possibility is Pharaoh Amenhotep II. Amenhotep T, if we adhere to high chronology, was on the throne during the years up to and including the exodus. He was not the firstborn son of his father, Thutmose III. Thus, he would have survived the death of the firstborn. Amenhotep's own firstborn son died early. Amenhotep's great aunt was a prolific Egyptian princess called Hatshepsut. Statues and engravings of her were extensively defaced, toppled, and chiseled out. Could this have been the same princess that rescued and raised Moses for her father's name was Pharaoh Thutmose I, and her mother's name was Amos? A question remains, though. How could Amenhotep Pepetin be the pharaoh of the exodus, seeing that his body was found mummified alongside other successive pharaohs? According to William Shay, there is at least some material evidence suggesting that a stand-in pharaoh, taking the same name, Amenhotep, could have taken up the position of the fallen pharaoh of the exodus. If so, it was thus this man who was buried and mummified as Amenhotep II. Such an action to hide the ignominious fate of the real pharaoh would not be surprising. There is an inscription belonging to Amenhotep, in which he maliciously denigrates Semites and warns about magicians. This inscription is linked by Shay to Amenhotep I.B. The inscription would thus have been a show of hatred for what had occurred with the Semitic Israelites, as well as exasperation against the impotent Egyptian magicians and or the magic of the Israelites. In the tomb of Rekhmir, a vizier of both Amenhotep II and his father before him, a wall painting and inscription shows eastern slaves making bricks. What about the plagues and the exodus? Is there anything archaeologically that attests to these events? There is one certain document the extant papyrus dates to the 13th century BCE, but it is a known copy of an earlier document, generally dated anywhere between the early 2000s BCE to the 1500s BCE. While the date has not been settled, connections between the papyrus and the Bible's description of the ten plagues make it necessary to mention. This document may very likely be an eyewitness account of the early chapters of Exodus. The Epour papyrus is a story of utter calamity befalling Egypt. Below are quotes from the papyrus alongside very similar biblical scriptures of the plagues. Indeed, poor men have become owners of wealth, and he who could not make sandals for himself is now a possessor of riches. Exodus 12.35-36, KJV And the children of Israel borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment, and they spoiled the Egyptians. Indeed, hearts are violent, pestilence is throughout the land, blood is everywhere, death is not lacking. Exodus 9.15, Smitten thee and thy people with pestilence. Exodus 7.19, There shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt. Indeed, the river is blood, yet men drink of it. Men shrink from human beings and thirst after water. Exodus 7.20.18, And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river. Indeed, men are few, and he who places his brother in the ground is everywhere. Exodus 12.30, And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Indeed, gold and lapis lazuli, silver and turquoise, carnelian and amethyst, ebhet stone, and are strung on the necks of maidservants. Exodus 11.2, Every woman of her neighbor jewels of silver and jewels of gold. Indeed, every dead person is as a well-born man. Exodus 12.29, At midnight that the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Indeed, all animals, their hearts weep, cattle moan because of the state of the land. Exodus 9.3.6, Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks. There shall be a very grievous moraine, and all the cattle of Egypt died. Indeed, everywhere barley has perished. Exodus 9.31, And the flocks and the barley were smitten. Behold, the fire has gone up on high, and its burning goes forth against the enemies of the land. Exodus 9.23-24, Cajun, the fire ran along upon the ground. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous. The land is without light. Exodus 10.22, And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. What a catastrophic disaster this Egyptian laments. Further down in the document, he inserts an interesting paragraph. He brings coolness upon heat. Men say, He is the herdsman of mankind, and there is no evil in his heart. Though his herds are few, yet he spends a day to collect them, their hearts being on fire. Would that he had perceived their nature in the first generation! Then he would have imposed obstacles, he would have stretched out his arm against them, he would have destroyed their herds and their heritage. This rings very familiar with the initial arrival of Jacob, his twelve sons, and extended family to Egypt. They were welcomed in peacefully as herdsmen, and were separated out from the other Egyptians in order to raise their livestock. If only our leader, who had allowed them into the country, had imposed obstacles and made it difficult for these people to so freely establish themselves. The document matches up so well with the ten plagues in the Exodus that a connection seems almost certain. Though some hold up the dating as evidence against it, one must remember that this dating fluctuates within half a dozen centuries. It cannot be given authoritatively. As such, for now, the reader will have to make his or her own mind up about these connections between the papyrus and Exodus. Hopefully, future archaeological discoveries will have more to say about this remarkable papyrus. One notable part of the Israelites' journey in the wilderness was their reversal into paganism by setting up a golden calf to worship while Moses was atop Mount Sinai receiving the commandments from God. Thousands of Israelites participated in sexually depraved revelry before this god, praising it as their deliverer from Egypt. The question is, why construct a golden calf? Was this just a random creature of worship? Or was it something that was learned from Egypt? Archaeology shows us that cows were a significant part of Egyptian worship. From Egypt's beginnings, the pharaoh, considered to be a god, was depicted as a bull. There were a number of bull worship cults in Egypt. The Apis bull was a specially chosen male calf identified by specific markings, believed to be a manifestation of the gods Ta and Osiris. Egyptians believed that this calf was conceived by a bolt of lightning striking the mother cow, known as the Isis cow. Only one Apis bull could exist at a time. When one was found, a seven-day celebration commenced. The Apis bull would be transported in a golden boat to his royal quarters and given his own harem of cows. His movements would be studied by the Egyptian priesthood, who believed them to be prophetic. Those who smelled the breath of the bull were believed to be able to predict the future. Priests would pose yes-no questions to the bull and, based on whether or not the bull ate food placed before it, would receive their response. Once the bull died, it would be mummified and interred in a massive 60-ton sarcophagus. Thus, the inspiration for the Israelite golden calf is clear. Perhaps their calf was a direct representation of an Apis bull, replete with the traditionally required symbolic markings on its body. The Israelites' worship of the bull would thus have been, through its connected symbolism, a worship of the gods Ta and Osiris for bringing them up out of the land of Egypt. We can also learn much from what Moses did to the golden calf. Why burn a metal object? This, too, would have had great significance to those familiar with ancient Egyptian customs. The worst form of punishment for a criminal in Egypt was to be burned. This was because of Egypt's preoccupation with the afterlife and the preserved state of the human or creature to enter into that afterlife. This was why mummification was such a fad. Burning was terrifying for the criminal, because it ensured that nothing was left to enter into the afterlife. Thus, the burning of the golden calf must have been deeply symbolic. The Israelites had learned a number of pagan traditions while in servitude to the Egyptians. This was the reason for their being given a number of seemingly strange-sounding laws in the Torah. Laws were given specifically to address certain pagan behaviors, one of which was the law against boiling a young animal in the milk of its mother. This law is always referenced next to scriptures about harvesting. Archaeological discovery has shown that rather than being a dietary law about avoiding mixing meat and milk products, this was in fact an ancient ritual performed to elicit blessings upon future crops. Pagans would boil a kid in the milk of its mother and spread the subsequent formula on their crops. Israel's contact with these pagan traditions would have necessitated this commandment. Another was the command not to mar the corners of thy beard. This strange command could likely point back to the beards of the Egyptian pharaohs. Even a female pharaoh is depicted wearing one of these fake beards. They were considered to be an attribute of the gods. We next come to the Israelites' entry into the Promised Land and the ensuing battles that took place. Here again, there is a literary connection with the Egyptians, as shown through the mighty Egyptian city Amarna. The Exodus, as stated above, took place 1446 BCE, and after wandering the wilderness for 40 years, it was not until 1406 that the Israelites began to enter the land of Canaan. Years progressed as they moved into and gradually conquered the land. Dating to this same time, the turning of the century, we find some very desperate correspondence from Canaanite rulers to the pharaoh of Egypt. These documents are called the Amarna Letters, because they were found stored within the Egyptian city of the same name. The letters describe a fierce group of nomads invading Canaan by the name of Habiru. These Canaanite rulers, subservient to Egypt, were seeing the land gradually captured by these people, and they were desperate for help. Below are a couple of excerpts, from the ruler of Gezer to the pharaoh. Let the king, my lord, be aware that my younger brother has rebelled against me and has given over his two hands to the leader of the Habiru. And since Anna is at war with me, take care of your land. May my lord write to his representative about this matter. From the ruler of Jerusalem to pharaoh. While the king, my lord, lives, I will say, why do you favor the Habiru and are opposed to the rulers? And thus I am accused before the king, my lord. Because it is said, lost are the territories of the king, my lord. All the territories of the king have rebelled. I will say, lost are the territories of the king. Do you not hear to me? All the rulers are lost. The king, my lord, does not have a single ruler left. May the king direct his attention to the archers. And may the king, my lord, send troops of archers. The king has no more lands. The Habiru sack the territories of the king. If there are archers this year, all the territories of the king will remain. But if there are no archers, the territories of the king, my lord, will be lost. The terms Habiru, Hapiru, and Apiru are very close to the term Hebrew. In fact, at this point in the Bible story, the term Hebrew is used far more than the term Israelite. These Habiru are also mentioned as being present around Canaanite lands as early as 1800 BCE. And now at the start of the 14th century BCE, as the pleas of the Canaanite kings fell on deaf Egyptian ears, so their territories were gradually overrun until a very different land appeared several hundred years later.