3,200–Year–Old Picture of Israelites Found in Egypt

By Frank J. Yurco

Jurgen Liepe Karnak, the great temple of the god Amun-Re in Thebes, Egypt, appears here in the distance. Under construction for more than 2,000 years, the temple of Karnak is viewed through the hypostyle hall of the Akh-menu temple of Pharaoh Tuthmosis III (1504–1450 B.C.E.) in the foreground. An obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, located beyond the Karnak sanctuary, is visible on a line with the center of the temple doorway. Flanking the doorway are engaged statues of Tuthmosis III. According to author Frank J. Yurco, a wall adjoining Karnak's great Hypostyle Hall exhibits reliefs that illustrate the Canaanite campaign of Merenptah, pharaoh of Egypt from 1212 to 1202 B.C.E. Among the vivid portrayals is the oldest known depiction of Israelites, a discovery that may aid in solving the mystery of their origin.

Winter of 1976–1977. I was in Luxor, in Upper Egypt, site of the ancient city of Thebes. As a member of the University of Chicago's Epigraphic Survey, I was there studying the magnificent reliefs and recording the hieroglyphic inscriptions that almost cover the site.

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