New Evidence of Moses’ Journey to the Promised Land Puzzles Archaeologists

Unearthed were stone walls and pottery over 3,200 years old, providing concrete evidence of the Israelites’ settlement in what they deemed the “Promised Land” after their exodus from Egypt under Moses’s leadership.

As many people believe that events in the Bible haven’t happened, there is hope that releasing these findings will finally prove that not every story in the Bible is made up.

It is known as a town that was resettled by Jewish exiles who had returned from Babylonian captivity. These people were descendants of the people who had followed Moses out of Egypt, as stated in the Bible’s Book of Exodus.

The only evidence of this was from Manetho, an Egyptian priest from the 3rd century BC. However, this evidence was given 1,000 years after the event was meant to have occurred.

Mentioned in the Old Testament, Zanoah’s excavation spotlights its profound historical and cultural relevance.

The finds at Zanoah lend weight to these scriptures, placing these ancient narratives in a verifiable timeline through tangible evidence.

This link between the tangible artifacts and biblical figures not only enriches our historical understanding but also supports the enduring tales of Moses and the epic exodus.

The LMLK stamp suggests the handle is from the late Iron Age, which also shows it is part of the Bible. The item had been fired at a high temperature and is still of good quality.

However, the researchers knew about a few LMLK jar handles that looked exactly like this, which is how they knew what they had found was real and not a replica.

This saga of resilience and leadership under Moses has foundational religious and cultural implications, enriched now by these archaeological finds.

Moses then led the Israelites across a miraculously parted Red Sea to the Sinai Peninsula, where monumental religious events would unfold.

However, this didn’t quite go to plan. The Pharoah decided to change his mind and ordered the Egyptian army to chase after the Israelites who were trying to escape.

He ran away and became a shepherd, only to stumble upon a burning bush where he received a message from God commanding him to return to Egypt and demand that the Pharoah free the Israelites.

The plagues included the water of the River Nile turning into blood, swarms of frogs, lice, flies and locusts, the spread of disease that led to boils, livestock pestilence, severe hail, darkness and, most notably, the killing of firstborn children of Egyptian families.

These laws not only shaped the moral and societal frameworks of the Israelites but also cemented their relationship with God.

This episode highlights their trials and the severe consequences of their doubt and fear.

His leadership would pave the way for new beginnings.

Under his command, they conquered lands including Jericho and Zanoah.

This stems from when the group entered the Promised Land, and Zanoah is one of the cities mentioned.

The site also yielded pottery honoring King Hezekiah, linking it to biblical royalty.

If this is correct, these walls would have been used to create level areas for planting and protect the steeper soil from eroding.

King Hezekiah is also said to have smashed the bronze statue of a serpent that God commanded Moses to make as his people were worshipping it as a false deity.

However, about 20% of the pottery shards date back to the time the Israelites were said to have arrived to the city. The rest of the pottery was made over the following 900 years. The large number of items uncovered in Zanoah suggests a huge historical significance.

There were perforated bowls and jugs that suggest they may have been used as lanterns, along with bronze jewelry and iron tools such as nails and welding equipment. “The majority of the finds, especially those dating from the early Byzantine period, relate to farming activities conducted on the hill slopes,” the researchers said.

The findings were on a slope, so the researchers believe that some of what they found originated from the ruins and ended up being displaced down the slope over time.

Both the external and internal bands are quite narrow and have a rope pattern on them. In comparison, the band in the middle is much wider and has an infrequent grid pattern throughout.

Each artifact enriches our understanding of the site’s significance in both historical and biblical contexts, painting a detailed picture of ancient life and legacy.

Prestigious archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, said that there is no archaeological proof of the prophet Moses in Egypt. Hawass said: “Only 30% of Egypt’s artifacts have been discovered, and that 70% are still underground, so after the completion of excavations and archaeological discoveries, we can only be 100% sure about the prophet’s presence in Egypt.”

British archaeologist, Philip Davies, said: “Moses himself has about as much historic reality as King Arthur.” Others, such as Cyprian Broodbank of Cambridge University, said the Exodus was “at best a refracted folk memory of earlier expulsions of Levantine people” during the reconquest of the Nile around 1530 BC.

Archaeologists have made a “once in a lifetime” discovery of a relic that shows Moses receiving the 10 Commandments. The relic is a 1,500-year-old ivory box that was uncovered inside a marble shrine of an early church in Austria.

These ancient and historical sites, found all over the world, continue to provide evidence that some of the events in the Bible really did happen.

Rabherr said that archaeologists know of only another 40 ivory boxes like this to exist in the world. The last time one of these relics was discovered was a century ago. They are either preserved in cathedral treasuries or kept in museums.

The research team are also investigating an ancient hilltop settlement that has been completely abandoned since the year 610. The researchers have found dwellings, Christian churches and personal belongings of the people who used to live there.

The researchers believe that people lived in the area between the third and seventh century AD. It is unclear whether the box depicts Moses receiving the 10 Commandments or the prophet Elijah.  The items were almost certainly not made in Irschen and may have come from somewhere between Alexandria and Ravenna.

If they can do this, it will further bridge the gap between archaeology and the Bible.

As a story that is of fundamental importance to Christianity, Islam and Judaism, we are left with even more questions about the historical validity of the Exodus.