RELG 433 - Biblical Archaeology
Course Notes
Middle Bronze Age II in Egypt
ca. 2,000 - 1,550 BC
- 2,052-1,797 BC
- The "Middle Kingdom" was period of stability and prosperity
- 2,052-1,991 BC
- The 11th Dynasty, with the capital at Thebes
- 1,991-1,786 BC
- The 12th Dynasty, with the capital at Memphis.
Pharaohs were all called either Amenemhet (Amenemmes) or Sesostris (Senusret).
This was a time of building of irrigation canals and reclamation of land. Forts were built across the Suez region to deter raids by Semitic peoples from the Sinai. Copper was mined in the Sinai peninsular, and there were trade routes to Phoenicia, Babylonia, and Crete. It was a time of Flowering of medicine, mathematics, art, and literature. The Tale of Sinuhe dates to this time.
ca. 1,890 BC - the Beni Hasan wall painting shows Semitic metal-smiths entering Egypt
Egypt dominated or controlled Canaan and Phoenicia.
Sesostris III claimed to have taken Shechem.
The Story of Sinuhe is set in the 12th dynasty, and gives a picture of the conditions of the period.
The "Execration texts" were lists of cities and nomadic tribes inscribed on pottery vessels or clay figures, which were then smashed to bring destruction on the cities/tribes. These included names of cities in Canaan - Jerusalem, Ashkelon, and Shechem.
For trade, Egypt tended to bypass Canaan, and send ships to Byblos, which was a source of timber which Egypt did not have.
There was an Egyptian military outpost for some time at Megiddo - letters have been found, from an Egyptian commander writing back to Egypt.
- 1,786-1,567 BC
- The Second Intermediate Period (13th-17th dynasties) was a time of decline and disarray
- 1,690-1,580 BC
- The Hyksos ("foreign princes") invaded and took control of Egypt (15th dynasty) and Canaan, and founded their capital at Avaris (Tanis).
The Hyksos were probably Amorites, as indicated by their names and their gods. Their chief god was Baal - 1,570 - 1,546 BC
- Amosis led the fight against the Hyksos and founded the 18th dynasty
- ca. 1,550 BC
- Amosis captured Avaris, expelled the Hyksos from Egypt, followed them to Canaan, and captured their city of Sharuhen (possibly Tel el-Ajjul) in the Negev)
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
