The Israelites in Egypt : an archaeological outlook on the biblical Exodus tradition

Abstract

During the past few decades the reliability of historical texts, especially the Bible, has been questioned by scholars and archaeologists. This paper analyzes indirect archaeological and historical evidence from Egypt and Syro-Palestine in an attempt to determine if an Israelite presence in Egypt, as described in Exodus, is a plausible theory. Results of this study suggest that though there may not be any direct evidence showing the Exodus to be true; the idea of an Israelite sojourn in Egypt is indeed plausible based upon indirect archaeological and historical evidence. This paper uses archaeological evidence to make a case in support of the idea of ancient Israelites living in Egypt, while still acknowledging opposing theories.