Either Ramses II or his son Merenpetah may be the Pharoah referenced in the story of the Exodus, according to a recent thesis by an Egyptian PhD candidate.
The identity of the Pharoah during the Exodus has been a subject of scholarly debate since the beginnings of Egyptology in the mid-19th century.
In his doctoral thesis scheduled to be reviewed in late April by professors of ancient Egyptian History at Minya University, Khaled Hagar, 42, said that his research is based mainly on the chronological order of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs presented by several ancient historians and modern archaeologists along with biblical and other religious benchmarks.
“The research is based on the interval between Joseph and Moses during their stay in Egypt. Former theories submitted by Egyptologists suggest the interval to be between 350 and 400 years. Joseph, originally from Canaan, held the post of Egypt’s treasurer and Prime Minister,” Hagar told The Cairo Post Tuesday.
Throughout Egyptian history, Pharaohs never appointed a non-Egyptian person to such an “important financial post” and that suggests Joseph was designated as Egypt’s treasury by “foreign rulers,” according to Hagar.
Neither the Biblical book of Exodus nor Quran mentions the name of the Pharaoh whom Moses encountered after his return from Sinai.
During the timeframe when Moses and Joseph were in Egypt, the country was ruled by the Hyksos; a multi-ethnic people from the Middle East and Canaan who took over the eastern Nile Delta around 1610 B.C.
“This puts the lifespan of Moses in Egypt around 1,260 B.C. – 1,210 B.C. According to the chronology developed by Manetho; an ancient Egyptian priest and historian lived during the third Century B.C., Ramses II ruled from 1292 B.C.-1225 B.C. and he was succeeded by his son Pharaoh Merenpetah 1213 B.C.-1203 B.C.)
The above “proves” that either Ramses II or his son Merenpetah was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, Hagar said.
“Ramses II’s mummy was sent to Paris in 1970s for examination. French scientist Maurice Bucaille, who conducted a CT scan on the mummy, said he found remains of salt inside the mummy,” said Hagar adding that this result indicates that Ramses II drowned, consistent with his death as depicted in the waters of the Red Sea.
According to Hagar, French scientists said in an official report that an X-ray of the mummy also showed several broken bones.
“The X-ray also showed that the Pharaoh’s left hand is positioned differently than all other royal mummies currently displayed in the Egyptian museum. This suggests that while drowning in the Red Sea, Ramses II was trying to push the water with his left arm and also suggests that he was holding the reins of a horse by his left hand while holding a mace in his right,” he said.
Scenes of Ramses II on his chariot during military campaigns cover the walls of several ancient Egyptian temples including Karnak and Luxor.
