David Ilan | How Ancient Israel Began: A New Archaeological Perspective

David A. Kipper Ancient Israel Lecture Series:
How Ancient Israel Began: A New Archaeological Perspective
David Ilan, Hebrew Union College; Director, Tel Dan
Over the last 100 years , a number of models have been proposed to explain the origins of ancient Israel. Join us as David Ilan examines a new proposal: that Egypt itself instigated Israelite settlement.
Introduction begins at 20:40
Lecture begins at 25:50
Q&A begins at 1:29:07
(Video will be trimmed to remove the preroll once processed)
This lecture was live streamed on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 PM Central Time.

[@pattheplanter]

Lecture starts at 5:19

[@nilesbutler8638]

thx.

[@igotasemi6104]

Thx

[@ahappyimago]

Bless your soul

[@lindanwfirefighter4973]

Thank you!

[@DianaStevens42]

Thank uou

[@rickintexas1584]

Many thanks to the Oriental Institute for making this lecture series available.

[@gerritpeacock3571]

They have put out some great material.

[@enkisonofanu2301]

Thank you, Dr. Ilan and OI for publishing this lecture.

[@motogrey3707]

Awesome dissertation. Fills in so many gaps along with timeline corrections

[@CadaverSplatter]

Awesome, thanks for posting this!

[@lilitheden748]

Very enlightening. Thanks for sharing

[@notyourbusiness2687]

8:00- conquest 11:34- timeline 12:15- the later you go the more precise it is 13:52 14:40- Jericho 15:27- ai 16:36- heartland of settlement 17:40- shiloh 19:10- ai 20:21- izbet sartah

[@lifesgood9528]

I love it when the menu of times are pinned, how does one do that? Lol

[@94Auburn]

Fantastic lecture!

[@jameshartsfield8585]

I have been waiting for light on this subject for years. Thank you!

[@vladimirdasilvapereira9055]

Thank you for this amazing lecture. Thank you from Brazil!

[@edgarsnake2857]

Outstanding lecture. I wish it went on for hours more. Thanks.

[@mikefellows4879]

Good lecture. Truly enjoyed the “my backyard” comment from the audience. Thanks for the laugh on a serious subject.

[@ammaryohanan9584]

that seems to me more convincing than other theories about the foundation of the old kingdom of Israel......thank you from iraq

[@1962brennan]

M

[@niccoarcadia4179]

I learned a lot from this presentation. I never knew about the Lachish: Egyptian Temple at 40;10. Thanks!

[@Catanonimus777]

This is a truly amazing work! I really wanna see a friendly debate between him and Finkelstein.

[@oaktree__]

Thank you for this! I'm always hoping to find reliable videos about ancient Israel and Judea and so on, because this is part of my people's history, but so often my search results are clogged with conspiracy theories and Christian/Hebrew Israelite religious nonsense, whereas I'm only interested in history and archaeology. Thank you again!!

[@drtn6206]

This, it's exactly why I'm looking at this as well

[@borkganza9627]

@oaktree_ Hi, can you please provide me with an example of the Christian/Hebrew Israelite religious nonsense you mentioned. I am just curious not trying to debate. Thanks

[@boopbeepbop154]

I am a Christian and studying ancient Israel I think (most) of his lecture was great!

[@lowrydan111]

Fascinating

[@chubbymoth5810]

Thanks for this lecture. Considering the lack of destruction in the archaeological record during the era of the stories, this thesis makes sense. I hope truth finding will remain the goal of any further research as well. That seems to have been what you're looking for.

[@christianfrommuslim]

Stand by for an upset in Bronze Age chronology subsequent to the Mt. Ebal led curse tablet discovery.

[@cjsmithdo]

Excellent

[@derekanderson6635]

I love how modern artists "interpretation" is used in place of the ancient art that is rarely shown.

[@Historian212]

That's because there's so little of it from the truly ancient eras they're discussing.

[@Snitor]

Yes. We should get the power point presentations these people did 3000 years ago

[@robcat2075]

I don't think you're using that word right.

[@demsyciu]

I think the point of that many Levites' names was sounds egypt-ish cannot be an evidence that israelites were egyptians. Because like here in indonesia, many chinese have indonesian names. If using that egypt names as an argument, there's some possibility that levites was a foreign ethnic group in egypt, not the native ethnic, but because they had lived for years in egypt, they adapted some egyptian culture, just like chinese in indonesia. Imagine if some chinese-indonesian named Agus, Setiawan, Joko, Yanto, etc make some path same with the Israelite, than in far future the people read their writing, find some artefact, if they use the same argument, they will say these are indonesian because of their names and some indonesian-cultured artefact.

[@MBEG89]

Yea this is a factor that always needs to be considered with names and languages. These things are adopted by other cultures so its hard to say much on it.

[@hhhuthhhjj5599]

Because Indonesian share similar skull structures with japan with wide eyes etc

[@dianemottram3060]

Absolutely.

[@aspektx]

I agree. Another issue that I don't see dealt with is false cognates.

[@dulcemoutinho5820]

Levi is a son of Jacob and Leah. The Levites are his descendents.

[@lololmandar]

What is the name of the third book mentioned in the beginning of the lecture ? Is it available in English ? Also, Thank you for the effort you guys put in sharing these with the world. Much appreciated 🙏

[@nahaloz1816]

Mandar Lol the English name of the book that was presented in its Hebrew version is “where are we from” by Israel Knohl

[@skeletalbassman1028]

This would explain why the Levites receive no inheritance of land. The last thing these emerging Israelites wanted was to create another landed aristocracy priestly class like that of Egypt.

[@CaneofLoxley]

this is a very important point

[@NormBoyle]

Y DNA Of Kohanim are more than twice as likely to belong to Haplogroup J than the average non-Cohen Jew. While Samaritan Levites have E1b1 associated with Egyptians. This doesn't prove anything, but it is interesting how closely these male descendants are consistent within their own groupings. This is just from the Wikipedia.

[@HueyPPLong]

@@NormBoyle are Samaritan kohenim exclusively E1b? because that would be pretty interesting considering the atenist theory that Moses and the exodus Hebrews were priests of that Egyptian heresy. Taking a wholly critical view of the Bible imagining Moses and therefore his brother as Egyptians that would lend credence to the samaritan view of things. Since the Jewish story of the Samaritan’s is that they originate in Babylon and came back with the “real” Jews with the return from exile so them being e1b doesn’t make sense if the rabbis story were true

[@HueyPPLong]

But obviously the Jewish kohenim being J makes sense if the Bible is story is telling a kernel of truth and Moses was a Levantine in egypt and not a true Egyptian

[@helenamcginty4920]

@@HueyPPLong by Egyptian heresy are you referring to Akenaten's belief in one god, Aten, rather than multiple gods? If so major problem is 400 yr gap between Akenaten and the supposed exodus which has many problems of its own as to if, when and even why.

[@Blanca12369]

I'm at 22.03. I'm wondering: have you scholars talked with the scholars of Chaco Canyong, regarding open or closed roofs? The thought occurs.

[@stevenv6463]

Super interesting. Where could I find more about the connection between the Danites and the Greeks? How then would they be related to the Sea Peoples?

[@sophiawilson8696]

There is a theory that the Sea People might be the Philistines. MIGHT BE

[@SHAUL-YIRAH-MAAMIN.]

Astounding information, Levi-Egyptian priesthood. Wow.

[@avtaras]

May you be blessed by El Elyon!

[@KevinArdala01]

Really enjoyed this lecture...would love to see a lecture on the developments of monotheism (was there a particular tribe that originated it?)...also, if you could post some book recommendations in the description on the topics that were mentioned...I looked up the names when he said 'people are writing about this or that' but couldn't find anything unfortunately...would be good to have material to follow up with. 👍

[@moodist1er]

Akhenaten is the first monotheist, he's actually one of the people that the Moses character is plagiarized from. Zorothustra also founded a monotheistic religion even though like Christianity there's a "good" entity and a "bad" entity (which really isn't monotheism but the devil is in the details 😂). All of these religions were around for more than 1,000 years before Rome invented the abrahamic religions.

[@davidrapalyea7727]

@@moodist1er Jews were in Rome as monotheists and relatively unmolested because they were as/or more ancient then Rome. The Greek Old Testament [Septuagint] was translated in Alexandria I think in about 200 BC in stages. Christian versions copied in the early 300s AD are in museums.

[@nmagain24]

Ahkenaten, in KEMET (egypt) is the first (recorded) monotheist in history.

[@TwistedElbow24]

@@davidrapalyea7727 jews were rewriting their scriptures long before the Greeks got it. Abraham worshipped a Canaanite god El and Moses worshipped Yahweh. The creation story came from when Jews were in the Babylonian exhile and copied an older Babylonian creation story, the Enuma Elish. Yahwist turned polytheistic judaism to monotheistic over time but it wasn't till 600BC when monotheistic Judaism and the God of Judaism, Christianity, Islam was born. History of God kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYu8Y5ibpN-XpZo

[@hhhuthhhjj5599]

@@moodist1er moses character plagiarized from zarathustra LOL nope my man

[@stevenv6463]

Also he is saying four room houses are related to Egyptian style houses? Is this in any way related to second temple Israelite homes? I thought I read they had a little room for impure family members to stay and that their housed had around four rooms generally in that period. I could be remembering wrong.

[@YehudaLion]

The New Chronology proposed by David Rohl makes much more sense. The Israelites kings Saul and David are most likely the same people mentioned in the Tel Amarna Letters as Labaya (also killed near Mount Gilboa) and Daduwa. Ishba'al is most likely Mutba'al (Labaya's son) whereas Yishai, David's father, is most likely Yishaya and Yoab, David's general, most likely Daduwa's general, Ayab. The Tel Amarna Letters also mention the presence of the semi-nomadic warriors known as Habiru (Hebrews) as taking part in Labaya's efforts to conquer Canaanite cities such as Jerusalem, Megido and Akko. All of this suggests that the first Israelite kings Saul, David and Solomon lived in the Late Bronze Age Period and not in the Early Iron Age Period. Therefore the conquest of Jericho by Israelites may very well have taken place during the Middle Bronze Age Period.

[@crhu319]

The Egyptians had very solid grasp of Canaan through that time, up to the Thera/Santorini eruptions at least, so the earlier these "kings" are, the earlier they would have been bandit leaders in tents. That is sensible as "habiru" is a low social class, not an ethnicity, that would have gathered around such bandits.

[@wesleyfortney2339]

16:23 the destroyed place is more likely the reference name used: a description from reconnoitering would be referenced. The text would have been supplemented with maps and other texts referred to. Linguistic expressions localized in reconnoitered areas unreliably provide geographic certainty for operational functions. The ambiguities of texts' is eliminated by conceiving rationally functional applications for the content as well as anthropological context. In this case the name is just how the place is known.

[@ancientlight2572]

Outstanding lecture. The Egyptian-Levite temple keepers-Aten (outlawed cult of Akhenaten)-Psalm104 connection is enticing.

[@MendTheWorld]

I would have been interested to hear some further cultural/religious threads connecting back to Akhenaten. According to the Biblical narrative, the concept of monotheism had its roots in Ur, in Lower Mesopotamia. I’ve been intrigued how Amenhotep IV became enthralled by this belief. Or maybe I missed it. (I wasn’t fully conscious for the whole thing 😴)

[@dgetzin]

40:20 So Hathor is in gold relief? Well, that makes this a golden cow!

[@RH-vl2wy]

Where did the wood come from for the kilns? It had to be imported from ?

[@markconley5730]

i would love to know what the other two, " ...institutions for studying the near east in the world... " thanks

[@mikeappleget482]

Lecture starts at 25:45

[@goon143]

I thought you were joking but no. Cheers Mike.

[@bobcharlie2337]

Yeah.. Thanks.

[@ISAC_UChicago]

This lecture was live-streamed, and the video is made available to KZbin immediately after, with the option to edit it only showing up several hours later. The trimmed version has been submitted and will be processed shortly, time stamps in the description will be updated. We apologize for the temporary inconvenience, this is unfortunately a limitation by KZbin.

[@bobcharlie2337]

@@ISAC_UChicago Thanks for resubmitting the edited video. Much appreciated.

[@tohopes]

@@ISAC_UChicago nice quality for a livestream 👍

[@jamesross8671]

The parallel psalms relate to the religion of Ankenaten?

[@dianemottram3060]

It is only natural they would have a similar linguistic style. They were in Egypt hundreds of years

[@SandalwoodBros]

If we have the name 'Israel' appearing in the Merneptah Stele, does that mean that the biblical narrative for the name (Jacob receiving it after his struggle with some god-like being) is an explanation constructed later by the biblical writers? Are there alternative explanations for the meaning of the name?

[@moodist1er]

It says Jezreel. Historically and modernly, nothing has changed except for biblical archeologists being the worst appropriators of culture since soyboys stole all the masculinity.

[@NormBoyle]

Merneptah stele was after the Exodus and 40 years in the wilderness approximately. Israel was a people and not necessarily a kingdom, using a people heiroglyph. Other people mentioned were city states with a city heiroglyph.

[@moodist1er]

@@NormBoyle the exodus is fiction, like the rest of the Bible. There's no archeological evidence of an exodus or a wandering. God only exists as the idea of a sadistic, racist, magic slumlord who steals land through deceit and genocide. The Bible is poorly plagiarized from a dozen older religions, historic events and people.

[@NormBoyle]

There is plenty of evidence actually. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnu4lXqifJV_eMk this blog is pretty good. Why would a nation, make such a crazy talking point for no reason?

[@moodist1er]

@@NormBoyle free Palestine

[@Jahwobbly]

Would be interesting to hear the role of slavery as described in Exodus and Lev. in the economy, culture,

[@leekestner1554]

Hey the Closed Captions isn't matching the audible track.

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

Ilhan starts at 5:05.

[@aspincelaframboise5300]

I love the mythology...

[@moodist1er]

Those Romans bossed at the romance genre. It's all poorly plagiarized though..

[@Simon.the.Likeable]

*mythology

[@aspincelaframboise5300]

@@Simon.the.Likeable; Fixed it...

[@Simon.the.Likeable]

@@aspincelaframboise5300 Good job mate! I also love mythology.

[@dachou55cs]

ta fleur de lys elle vient du roi David, idiote.

[@billysmith6284]

Could the Merneptah stone refer to Esau? He was Israel’s brother.

[@John-sf8vu]

The Habiru invasion of Cannan written about in the amarna letters mirror that of the Hebrew conquest in Torah and the book of Joshua.

[@crhu319]

Except habiru is a social class of nomads not an ethnic group.

[@chubbymoth5810]

@@crhu319 In a agricultural society like the Egyptian, no doubt nomads were seen as inferior to the farmer. They certainly must have been hard to tax

[@Biblical_DNA]

40:54 Start of the Sea Peoples.

[@andrewstephen9096]

It's amazing to think how Moses was drawn out of the waters of the Nile and left Egypt..... It is very symbolic of the origins of the Israelites/Hebrews and how they were part of Ancient Egypt and were very closely connected to Ancient Egyptian culture, religion, politics, etc but then they established their own identity and nation separate of Egypt..... It's very much as if Moses represents the Israelites/Hebrews as a whole.....

[@Reporterreporter770]

Yes

[@NullStaticVoid]

pretty good until the last 10 minutes where the headphones were blown off my head ffs.

[@mariau2329]

What video are the texts from?!? Nothing to do with what he’s saying.

[@rayhood3681]

Where was ur located

[@traceylok675]

Mesopotamia, I believe.

[@ramijameel6551]

Genesis Chapter one this is the question: explain three ways that genesis chapter one differs from an ancient pagan view of the world. Anyone can help about this question

[@aspektx]

The majority of textual critics and historians who specialize in Ancient Near East history along with the Hebrew Bible have actually pointed out the commonalities for quite some time. Typically the only ones that disagree with these assertions are Fundamentalists.

[@vecvan]

23:00 A as in Olive 🤧

[@Qohelethful]

I love how he just skipped over the likely Semitic Hyksos Kings of Egypt, but given that this lecture is purely archeological it’s not surprising. Very informative!!

[@hocuspocus123]

The Hyksos Pharoah that had Joseph as his right hand, Joseph who had the Egyptians sell themselves as slaves to this Pharoah as written in the Bible ( minus admitting that the Pharoah is a Hyksos and enemy of the Egyptians)

[@stonedcrow8369]

Immahotep is Joseph...follow the real names not the english ones

[@Qohelethful]

Not sure if the timeline works, although we do know that there were 2 confirmed Semetic prime ministers. Joseph interpreted the Pharoahs dream not his own and did not worship Egyptian Gods but the 7 years of famine legend makes me think that the story was “Egyptian-ized” after the fact.

[@deafprophet]

Cooking pots are storage pots, salt 🍖, like sailors used to eat. Imagine how much pork should be stored to feed a horde of the Sea People.

[@jakejohnson7714]

Hebrew Union college of changing stories

[@michellelafaye2721]

Well Since I just read the comments it's not the Titles that are off ... It must be the verbal translation into English that is wrong. This is crazy. What the H?

[@negrodelfin]

Asgard

[@jophoenix3919]

interesting completely unexpected.

[@hippopotamus6765]

Quite difficult to hear.

[@davideforesti7556]

Extremely interesting lecture! This is a very good explanation of the late bronze age, early iron age archeological evidence. My question would be, what was there before that and beside the few later settlement that must have been the minority, I guess. Were there only nomadic Shepard’s tribes? Even if they didn’t develop a material cultural, they were the majority. Aren’t they the real origin of the Israelites? Instead of few migrants that have instead left the archeological evidence.

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

The hicsos of the delta that were frown out of egypt went to crite And other places and went back in 1200bc as the sea people

[@djribz]

Some Cannanites were converted to Parthian imperialistic monotheism in Babylon.

[@gruboniell4189]

Tel Dan was making the pots for the Phoenicians

[@dachou55cs]

Phoenicians : fake nation

[@gruboniell4189]

dachou55cs Phoenicians-: jew traders and merchants. There’s a reason jews are good merchants

[@5577omer]

5:21

[@berniemaopolski4870]

I thought this was a good lecture with interesting ideas. I'm wondering what was the place of the Philistines and other "sea peoples " in this narrative? In other words the idea of them as part of other foreigner soldiers and administrators working for Egypt that integrated to become the "Israelites " why were there separate cities of just them? Were there invasions some time after the period of Egyptian control? I think the Egyptian records at some time mentioned peoples settled in Canaan... or were there invasions? I remember seeing a documentary some time ago where during the period of the sea peoples invasions settlements popped up in the highest ground to seemingly get away from something that was going on. Like the speaker said at the beginning the final answer is usually a mish mash! I'd really love to hear other thoughts and facts from anyone here.

[@ShalomYal]

I was wondering the same thing. I always want these lectures to be 3 hours long

[@WalterRMattfeld]

Bernie Maopolski asks some relevant questions about the Philistines. Here's my response: In the Bible the Exodus is portrayed as occurring at a time when the Philistines are in Canaan. God is portrayed as saying that he fears Israel will return to Egypt out of fear of engaging in war the ferocious Philistines, so he has Israel head for the Way to Yam Suph (English Red Sea) instead of taking the much faster direct route to Canaan via the Way to the land of the Philistines and Gaza. The problem? The Egyptian annals of Pharaoh Rameses 3rd state that the Pelest (Philistines) attempt to invade Egypt from Canaan. He understands they are lately arrived from conquering Canaan circa 1175 BC. ERGO, the Philistines were NOT in place to prevent Israel from entering Canaan prior to 1175 BC! Thus there is no need for Israel to go to the southern Sinai and Mt. Sinai. Frequently encountered dates for the Exodus are 1540 BC, 1446 BC, 1260 BC, 1230 BC. There are no Philistines for Israel to fear for any of these dates. Pharaoh Merneptah mentions defeating Israel in Canaan circa 1207 BC, so Israel was in Canaan BEFORE the Philistines arrived on the scene circa 1175 BC to oppose an Exodus! The anonymous author of the Exodus account did not know any of this. He has the Canaanite city of Hazor falling to Joshua and Israel in a Philistine world. In the 1980s the Israeli archaeologist Moshe Dothan found two Philistine sherds at Hazror, proof that the Bible had it right about that city falling in a Philistine world. The problem? These sherds are dated circa 1150 BC, not 1540 BC, Not 1446 BC, Not 1260 BC, not 1207 BC. Excavations at Jericho reveal its last defensive wall fell circa 1540 BC and it is associated with the Hyksos Expulsion from Egypt by Pharoah Ahmose I, founder of the 18th Dynasty. The city was horribly burned after its walls collapsed due to an earthquake. Here is Jericho's fallen burned walls in the biblical account. The problem? Other sites conquered by Moses in Moab upon excavation, were no earlier than 1200-1100 BC (Iron Age I). Apparently two events, separated in time by 300 years, came to be conflated into one event, the mythical Exodus. As regards Bernie's question about Egyptian control of Canaan in a Philistine world: Archaeologist have found evidence that Egyptian garrisons were still in possession of certain cities in Canaan as late as circa 1130 BC and the reign of Rameses 6th. Thereafter, the Egyptian presence in Canaan disappears. The Bible knows nothing of Egyptians being in control of Canaan as late as 1130 BC and the reign of Rameses 6th. So, from circa 1175 BC to 1130 BC Canaan is occupied by Israel, Philistines, and Egyptians. After 1130 BC its Philistines and Israel battling each other for control of Canaan.

[@mver191]

@@WalterRMattfeld 1130 bc was the collapse of the Bronze age and the invasion of the sea people. Egypt was the only one that resisted them but very likely lost its cities in the levant. Then the people from the mountains around Jerusalem found an undefended almost empty land and cities and settled near the coast. Here they came into contact with the Philistines/settled sea people. War broke out, Israelites won, they took all the land they could and a war hero named David became king and made Jerusalem it's capital. Then the kingdom split, with the northern kingdom becoming a mix of Philistine/Israeli culture and beliefs. And the south a theocracy based around the temple in Jerusalem.

[@MBEG89]

So far evidence seems to point to the israelites being a local group, nothing out of the ordinary or particularly powerful. Their state seems to have sprung out of the bronze age collapse. They viewed the sea peoples as enemies but by then they were already settled on the coast.

[@crhu319]

Sea peoples likely Semitic sailors who include the founders of Tyre and Carthage. Maybe some Minoans and Sardinians who were from Europe.

[@susanmcdonald9088]

Very interesting. But the overall take-away is about a tragic area so full of conflict & conquest to this day, that any uniting is impossible, so the literate priests made it their job to write one. I doubt even with western science & archeology we'll ever know the truth of it, but that such contested people's, religion, & beliefs, is just horrific. And ancient people's with much ancestry of stubborn woe. With geo-political problems to boot. A tragedy on humanity. Thank God the Iliad & Odyssey weren't made sacred. We are free! Free to examine the historical value without belief systems, always worried about proofs between sacred text & reality historically. See the difference. That's why democracy & science itself could never have come out of this area. It was all about a narrative to control this mish-mash. And scholarship has just become one long argument between sacred text versus truth. Sad.

[@jannetteberends8730]

The most important question was not asked. How did they end up with one God?

[@user-nt4wc7ix7j]

It would likely be because they never did and still may not. They believed in many gods, but chose to worship this one…well it took a while and they still worshipped other gods at the same times on numerous occasions. Mind you, this god has many aspects, ‘separate but the same’ ‘personifications’ in the Torah, including feminine, so appears to be many gods consolidated into one.

[@steveb2662]

You mean other than the introduction by the Persians and Cyrus the Great? They ended up with one god because you can't build a singular nationalistic movement without singularity. One people, one language, one god.

[@user-nt4wc7ix7j]

@@steveb2662 Great point! I think many people forget about the political side of things when discussing the ideas of gods within a society where nationalism was being pushed by the leadership.

[@patshelby9285]

@@steveb2662 one God equals one nation? Tell that to all the other nations, Egypt, Rome, etc.

[@cyriakpapasissis6786]

I would suggest that the nomads , coming into the highlands and gradually settling , around Shechem initially, were the bands of Habiru, raiders from Yemen, as mentioned in the Tell el Amarna texts. They made an agreement with the vassal of the Pharaoh governor of Shechem Labaya, who gave them permission to settle around the city. From the word Habiru is derived the word Hebrew. Later on they served the governor of Jerusalem Abdi Heba as mercenaries. One hundred years after their settlement they moved north and destroyed the city of Hazor. On their ways back and forth to Yemen I suggest they met at Mount Horeb , the former volcano in NW Saudi Arabia of today, they met the Egyptian, about 6-7 thousands, exiles around the heresy (faith in Aton) priest Moses. Horeb is in the Midianite land, where he found refuge and married a Midianite wife, when they were expelled from Egypt. There are some hints that Moses was himself partially of Midianite heritage. The name Yahweh was adopted there by the exiles as the name of the god, in a process of religious syncretism. Yahweh was the god of the Midianite and Shashu nomads, according to an Egyptian inscription. The father-in-law of Moses was Jethro , a Midianite priest.

[@listenup2882]

It is also said the Moses had an Ethiopian wife. Was this the same woman?

[@theoorval5140]

And not only the inappropriate subtitles, but how's about showing ME what you're watching and pointing at?

[@sbadaro]

Considering the problematic absence of any bronze age archeological traces of early origins (barring the Tal Amarneh referrences) and your astute observation that David entrusted the leadership of his armies to Uriah the Hittite and went on to marry his widow who in turn is described as a Hittite "princess" (ie part of a society with a clear self-identity and a strongly defined social structure), is it a fair assessment that : A) that the word "Israel" with the semitic roots of "isra" (go with) and "Eil" (God) served as a functional and NOT a genealogical marker for a confederation of otherwise ethnically unrelated peoples and clans and smaller sub-groupings (akin to the "tawahi" in beduin stratifications); and B) that the main cause for the relative scarcity of Israeli(te) / Hebrew / Haribu archeological finds or artifacts in digs in the "high country" is basically, there weren't that many to start with, and that the reason why no "other" finds are identified and attributed to the contemporary peoples mentioned in the old testament as the original residents of Canaan is mainly because you (figuratively) and your colleagues in the field "aren't looking" beyond the fixation on the biblical story and its contemporary political implications?

[@ferahsudenazulusoy4553]

Great question!

[@gruboniell4189]

We’re they not originally displaced because of a cosmic strike on the the Jordan plain? The survivors went to Egypt

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

Its a bad idea to let 2 people excavate everything for 40 plus yrs like Kathleen and fienklestien has just because its 20 yrs of 1 perdon governing interpretations. I know its many involved but like every opinion is challenged.

[@withanametocome]

Any insight on why, following Prof. Ilan's theory, Jews were a matrilineal tribe? I hazard that Canaanites could benefit socially from keeping their daughters' family name despite marrying them to foreign employees, but I have no basis for such assumption

[@dindinprivate3477]

Religious basis - "Who is a Jew?" was, and is, important to them. They KNEW the mother, father could be in question.

[@idrot]

Dindin Private also, it’s a kind of anti rape thing, if a woman was rape by a foreign soldier her child would still be a Jew.

[@aspektx]

But does that Talmudic ruling really pre-date rabbinic rulings by that much of a time gap? Also, I'm unsure of the evidence for matrilineal descent in the Hebrew Bible.

[@aspektx]

Has anyone thought to ask about false cognates?

[@orhankelesk2709]

Israelites, egyptians, hittites, sea people greeks and cypriotes....were there any canaanites in the land of canaan?

[@olterigo]

I believe currently the consensus view is that, aside from what the Bible says, ancient Israelites were a group of Canaanites: there didn't seem to be a major invasion the way the Bible portrays at the time the Bible claims, their language was virtually a dialect of Canaanite, mostly the way different towns are differentiated between being Canaanite or Israelite is by presence of pig bones, etc. It's just that other Canaanites did not leave for us their own foundational myths to compare to the existing archaeological record.

[@glutinousmaximus]

errr ... yes, the Phillistines and err ... The Jews.

[@steveb2662]

Orhan kelesk...what all of these histories of the middle east fail to tell you is this...there are NO Israelites. Every single time you hear israelite prior to approx 560 bce you can simply substitute canaanite. There were no Israelites at this time. None as far as the Jewish history or Israel is concerned anyway.

[@orhankelesk2709]

@@steveb2662 makes sense. The scientific approach in the field of near east archaeology is overshadowed by the biblical prejudices, where researchers are so obsessed with proving or disproving a certain biblical story and in doing so they neglect building a true big picture of what life actually was in the land of canaan.

[@listenup2882]

@@olterigo In Genesis the bible shows a relationship between Egypt and Canaan. In fact the share the same lineage from Ham.

[@WagesOfDestruction]

I enjoyed this lecture but feel that much of his conclusions are based on rather flimsy evidence eg there is little evidence that Hittites and others were used as mercenaries by the Egyptians there?

[@somniumisdreaming]

Some texts exist but more evidence exists for the use of mercenaries is found in the New Kingdom.

[@shueibdahir]

I havent watched the whole video but i do remember that egyptians viewed hittites with pure contempt

[@dorothyprior2615]

Speech and subtitles out of sync!!!

[@nicolapdn.2926]

When a peer has a name like Kipper im out! Big catch in a net eh boyx

[@vgrof2315]

Why does no one associated with religious archeology ever ask this question - Why would an omnipotent God who wants all people to know about Him, hide proof of his stories under tons of dirt causing scholars to have to dig on their hands and knees for years to find a bit of evidence? Why wouldn't He just make things obvious?

[@brixiemandal3878]

Cause if everything were made plainly obvious and whatnot, then our faith would not be seen like what we have today as Christians.

[@vgrof2315]

Sorry, but I see that idea as pure, contrived nonsense. Carry on.

[@brixiemandal3878]

Somehow, there are things that remains mystery to God. If there aren't any, then He would not be God. Thank youuu.

[@brixiemandal3878]

God bless

[@vgrof2315]

@@brixiemandal3878 I see. And you know this for certain? Enough said. Let's drop it. Happy New Year!

[@chriswest6652]

Do you think the isrealites were the hykos? Stranfe that they- the hykos were expelled fron egypt arround the time if the exodus.

[@sophiawilson8696]

I heard this theory also that Hyksos were race of Semitic People who rule over Egypt until the original Egyptians had enough ran them out of Egypt.

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

People move

[@brentoniverson1020]

World was created 5800 years ago?

[@mouthpiece200]

Why do so many things get preserved in the ground? People just let houses get buried over the years, and nobody takes their belongings with them? I would imagine that a continuously occupied settlement would not let much get buried over time. Why let a perfectly good house get covered in dirt?

[@matthewjanney2399]

well often its not a whole house...its more like your house colapses a bit but the foundations and the stubs of the walls, pillar basses, remain and the rubble is just built ontop of and the layers can be seperated out and in terms of stuff, much like today the ancients disposed of their trash, and while plenty of things are found in and around buildings, there are also just piles and pits which get found that e=were rubbish dumps(remains of broken pottery, bones, tools etc)

[@tohopes]

I had copy-pasted here an interesting explanation of the phrase "wasted, bare of seed" from Wikipedia, but on further investigation I found that it did not come from the cited source. I should have known better than to trust Wikipedia, so shame on me.

[@scienceexplains302]

tohopes I value Wikipedia, but Wikipedia itself is not a source. Please cite the source that Wikipedia cited. The Wikipedia author might misinterpret the sources.

[@tohopes]

@@scienceexplains302 You're right. I dug into the edit history of that article and found that the line I quoted was added without citation about 10 years ago, and over the years melded into a paragraph citing an unrelated source.

[@scienceexplains302]

@@tohopes Excellent. Did you remove the unsupported text from the Wikipedia page or find another source for it?

[@perfectlypurepinkpompompan3467]

Wikipedia is a place to START online research: usually it will be broadly accurate, but you will need to check primary sources yourself - and many primary sources are now online, so this isn't nearly as difficult as it used to be. It;s not a matter of "trusting" Wikipedia: you need to, as so many are fond of saying these days, do your own research: Wikipedia can be helpful in giving you things to check out personally.

[@patshelby9285]

@@perfectlypurepinkpompompan3467 you point out the reasons I love things like wikipedia, they are a great launching point for items to research and to provide rough frameworks.

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

The donkeys were used at the time Strong animals

[@jasperzanjani]

I never knew ancient Egyptian sounded exactly like modern Hebrew

[@moodist1er]

LOL

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

And a mixed of people with a mitrocondial

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

So they know

[@cezarysobczak1011]

I don't know, dude

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

After the fall of the area It was a mess there But assyria came out

[@user-hx5nx8xi4g]

I think the most important point of view is that who invented YHWH? Shisak conquested shashoo who lived in YHW. The origin of acient Israelites was to invent YHWH. Otherwise there was no Yahweh or one of Cananites' god.

[@ericspencer8093]

The early Israelites worshipped El. It's right in their name. Is-ra-EL. El was the chief god of the Canaanites. The first mention of YHWH came much later, and seems to have originated in North-west Arabia.

[@dachou55cs]

@@ericspencer8093 not Arabia, This Name came from Egypt.

[@lowrydan111]

Midianite deity. El Shaddai is akkadian for god of the rock. Horeb

[@scienceexplains302]

The “Marxist” interpretation parallels the Exodus story in important ways. Some of the Exodus story may have come from Canaanite lower classes (but not slaves) taking advantage of the international collapse around 1190 (not supernatural plagues and armies drowning in Yam Suf) and fleeing to the hills with some of the upper class’ possessions (not slaves “borrowing” from their Egyptian neighbors) and joining the settling nomads

[@CaneofLoxley]

also if there was no rebellion involved it would be strange to invent the story of being slaves in Egypt. Also the fact that it produced a new worldview/religion that was opposed to all those around it suggests that rebellion played an important part.

[@scienceexplains302]

CaneofLoxley Exaggerating a rebellion may have been part of it, but there could be various reasons for inventing a slave story. The Israelites had recently been liberated from the Babylonian Exile when the final major version of the Exodus was written. A history of rebellion against Egyptian tyranny is a more glorious story than being freed due to the benevolence of a foreign king. Secondly the story of liberation from slavery serves to glorify the main god of the Israelites. One of the main thrusts of the Tanakh (OT) is to unite the Israelites under one god and religion. Thirdly, there are several Ancient Near East myths where the hero goes into the land of the dead and is temporarily subdued, only to be rescued by another hero or to rescue herself/himself

[@williamcary8029]

@@scienceexplains302 Today being a slave may be glorified in victimhood, but not in ancient times. Slavery would equal failure and sins. It is a stretch to just ignore the Slavery in Egypt of the Israelites. Egypt still existed. Would there just as well been writings debunking it in Egypt.

[@musikinspace]

I agree. It is viewed as shameful and as a curse in the pentateuch itself. Noah's curse on his son, for example.

[@scienceexplains302]

@@williamcary8029 With all the false claims that spread so easily, it is difficult to take a “someone would have debunked it” argument seriously. Exodus was written several hundred years after the supposed events (there is no time in Egyptian history that matches Exodus on all major points). Who in Egypt in the 6th C BCE would be reading Hebrew texts from Mesopotamia or Israel/Judeah? What evidence would such Egyptians have to present? Who would be reading these Egyptian refutations? Are you imagining that there was an Internet where everyone agreed on what was true ... something that has never happened?

[@billysmith6284]

They wrote the whole story of how Israel began as it happened .. 3200 years ago..

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

They found a cementery of philistines

[@sir.joshuarane.doebler3762]

Joshua ran away from home with a bunch of slaves and a High Priest... Isn't that what happened?

[@sophiawilson8696]

I believe that some slaves escape from Egypt, but whole race of Israelites?. Plus not all Canaanities weren't happy with rule of Egypt over Canaan.

[@michellelafaye2721]

The sub titles do not match up with what is being stated. The translator is off the rails... not even close to what is being stated.

[@gruboniell4189]

David was the 21st Egyptian dynasty

[@gruboniell4189]

As the Nile delta was not considered “Egypt”. Egypt was Thebes, not Thanis, where “My Star City” lived and ruled as a pharaoh

[@gruboniell4189]

Shashenk robbed/taxed the free Egyptian/Hyksos that was making all that produce

[@christianfrommuslim]

I can accept that there is Egyptian culture in 12th and 13th C B.C. Levant. But consider that the Israelites brought Egyptian items, elements of their culture, and even Egyptian people with them. I don't see that you presented evidence that these influences were discrete of that influence and only of direct Egyptian administrative presence.

[@christianfrommuslim]

Rather than withdrawal of Egyptians, why could it not be disappearance of the Egyptian influence in subsequent generations?

[@corticallarvae]

Sardonic smiles all around

[@seed_of_the_woman]

everyone tends to find what they look for. no matter what you think about the book, it must carry truth or it wouldn’t be necessary. the bible is an idol