The dual cartouches of Ramesses III discovered in Jordan’s Wadi Rum. Courtesy Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan.

The Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of the cartouche of Pharaoh Ramesses III (1186–1155 BCE) carved into a rock face near Wadi Rum in southern Jordan. A first-of-its-kind discovery in the country, it has been hailed as “rare, tangible evidence of pharaonic Egypt’s historical presence in the region.” Although it is the first such inscription discovered in Jordan, a series of cartouches belonging to Ramesses III have been discovered elsewhere, marking out an ancient trade route between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.

FREE ebook: Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus.

Email(Required)

REQUEST FREE BOOK

Leaving a Mark

Among the countless carvings found throughout Wadi Rum, the inscription features two cartouches, one with the birth name of Ramesses III and the other with his throne name. “This is a landmark discovery that enhances our understanding of ancient connections between Egypt, Jordan, and the Arabian Peninsula,” said Lina Annab, the Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.

Several other inscriptions of Ramesses III have been discovered outside of Egypt, carved along a lengthy trade route that connected Egypt with the Arabian Peninsula. These inscriptions have helped archaeologists pinpoint the route itself, with several cartouches found throughout the Sinai and Israel and one as far south as Tayma in Saudi Arabia. The Wadi Rum inscription, which is located close to the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, provides yet another marker on that route.

According to Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, “The discovery is crucial. It could open the door to a deeper understanding of Egypt’s interactions with the southern Levant and Arabian Peninsula over 3,000 years ago.”

Related reading in Bible History Daily

Ramesses III in Arabia?

Pharaoh’s Mummy Reveals Murder, Palace Intrigue

Identifying Pi Ramesses

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library

BAR Jr.: Gamma Rays Halt Deterioration of Mummy of Ramesses II

Egyptian Papyrus Sheds New Light on Jewish History

The post Pharaoh Ramesses III in Jordan appeared first on Biblical Archaeology Society.

The excavations of Apries’s stele, discovered near Ismailia, Egypt. Image: Egyptian Antiquities Ministry

While digging in his field, an Egyptian farmer recently made the discovery of a lifetime, a roughly 2-meter-tall royal stele. The stele, which was discovered near the Egyptian city of Ismailia, 62 miles northeast of Cairo, appears to commemorate a foreign campaign of Apries (r. 589–570 B.C.E.), an Egyptian pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty who is remembered in the Book of Jeremiah as having come to Jerusalem’s aid during the Babylonian siege (Jeremiah 37:5).

The sandstone stele, which includes the cartouche of Apries and 15 lines of hieroglyphic text, stands 2.3 meters tall and is just over a meter wide. The stele was reported to the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities police shortly after being uncovered and is currently housed in the Ismailia Museum, where Egyptologists are still working to translate the inscription.

According to news reports, the stele was likely erected by Apries during one of his campaigns to the Levant. However, it is not yet known which campaign it records. During his reign, Apries carried out several military expeditions to the Levant, including a campaign against the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, as well as his famous campaign against the Babylonians during their siege of Jerusalem.

FREE ebook: Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus.

Email(Required)

REQUEST FREE BOOK

Apries’s campaign against the Babylonians is referenced in the Book of Jeremiah, which says that “the army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they withdrew from Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 37:5). However, just as Jeremiah prophesied (37:6–10), once Apries’s army withdrew, the Babylonians returned and Jerusalem fell the following year. Centuries later, the Jewish historian Josephus similarly remembered Apries as the ally of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (Antiquities 10.108–111), who sent his army to defend Jerusalem while it was under siege by the Babylonians.

As the stele is still being translated, we will have to wait and see if it refers to Apries’s Jerusalem campaign. It could also be connected to one of his earlier Phoenician campaigns, which he carried out to protect Egyptian trading interests. Regardless of which campaign the stele commemorates, its translation will shed new light on a tumultuous period in Egyptian history, and possibly even the fall of Jerusalem.

Read more in Bible History Daily:

The Mesha Stele and King David of the Bible

Does the Merneptah Stele Contain the First Mention of Israel?

Read more in the BAS Library:

Egyptian Papyrus Sheds New Light on Jewish History

What’s an Egyptian Temple Doing in Jerusalem?

Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.

The post New Stele of Biblical Pharaoh Found appeared first on Biblical Archaeology Society.