DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11715#0026
THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS.
his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him." From the marvelous fertility
of the soil it was well suited for a pastoral people, it was "the best of the land."
Though belonging to the Egyptian monarchy, and used as a pasture-ground for Pha-
raoh's cattle, it did not form part of Egypt Proper. Hence, it was allotted to a shep-
herd race, where they lived without coming into offensive contact with the native
population, " for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."1 It is probable
that yet another reason for the settlement of his brethren in this frontier province
suggested itself to the sagacious mind of Joseph. The nomad races of Palestine were,
about this period, a serious peril to the Egyptian monarchy. The mysterious Hyksos,
or shepherd kings, were a Canaanitish horde, who poured across the Isthmus, and, for
a time, established themselves as conquerors in the Nile Valley. Whether this invasion
had already taken place, or whether it was now an object of alarm, may be doubted.
But, in either case, the location of a band of hardy and warlike herdsmen on the
frontier, to bear the brunt of the first assault, was a piece of policy worthy of the
wisdom of the illustrious Grand Vizier, who had already saved his adopted country
from the horrors of famine.
The most interesting city of this district was T'san, which in Hebrew becomes Zoan,
in Greek Tanis, and in Arabic San. Tanis in all probability is referred to in Numbers
xiii. 22, where we read, " Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt,"
and in Psalm lxxviii. 12, " Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers, in the
land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan." For ages it was a great and powerful city, and at
one period was the chief center of the Hyksos power. A king named Apepi in. was
ruling there when Ra-Sekenen of Thebes (the recent discovery and unwrapping of
whose mummy is referred to in Section IV.) led the national movement which resulted
in the expulsion, eighty years afterwards, of the shepherd kings. Tanis was captured
finally by Aahmes I., and the hatred felt by the Egyptians toward the foreign dynasty
which had so long ruled them led them to mutilate or destroy all existing monuments
of the Hyksos rule, which had extended over a period of 511 years.
Until 1798 the site of Tanis was unexplored, and in that year it was only surveyed
by the French engineers ; but between 1815 and 1836 many of its antiquities were
carried off and sold to wealthy collectors. In i860, Mariette uncovered the temple
ruins, and in so doing revealed an enormous number of most valuable remains. The
engraving depicts the site of Tanis at the time of his excavation. In 1884, Mr. Flinders
Petrie explored the site anew under the direction of the Egypt Exploration Fund.
Although productive of no exceptional discoveries, many most valuable antiquities
were thus brought to light.2
In 1883, the same society sent out M. Naville to explore what was then known as
Tel-el-Maskhutah, and was supposed to be the site of the ancient Raamses.
M. Naville claims to have proved by his excavations that the site is Pithom, the ancient
store city built by the Israelites, and that it is identical with Succoth, Pithom and
Succoth being only different names for the same place. These results have not been
accepted as final by all Egyptologists, but they all tend to increase our knowledge of
what was anciently the Land of Goshen.3
As the train bears us slowly, and with frequent stoppages, over the district where
1 Genesis xlvi. 28-34 ; xlvii. 1-6.
2 See an interesting paper by Miss Edwards, in Harper's Magazine for October, 1886.
3 See The Store City of Pithom, and the Route of the Exodus. By E. Naville.
22
his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him." From the marvelous fertility
of the soil it was well suited for a pastoral people, it was "the best of the land."
Though belonging to the Egyptian monarchy, and used as a pasture-ground for Pha-
raoh's cattle, it did not form part of Egypt Proper. Hence, it was allotted to a shep-
herd race, where they lived without coming into offensive contact with the native
population, " for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."1 It is probable
that yet another reason for the settlement of his brethren in this frontier province
suggested itself to the sagacious mind of Joseph. The nomad races of Palestine were,
about this period, a serious peril to the Egyptian monarchy. The mysterious Hyksos,
or shepherd kings, were a Canaanitish horde, who poured across the Isthmus, and, for
a time, established themselves as conquerors in the Nile Valley. Whether this invasion
had already taken place, or whether it was now an object of alarm, may be doubted.
But, in either case, the location of a band of hardy and warlike herdsmen on the
frontier, to bear the brunt of the first assault, was a piece of policy worthy of the
wisdom of the illustrious Grand Vizier, who had already saved his adopted country
from the horrors of famine.
The most interesting city of this district was T'san, which in Hebrew becomes Zoan,
in Greek Tanis, and in Arabic San. Tanis in all probability is referred to in Numbers
xiii. 22, where we read, " Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt,"
and in Psalm lxxviii. 12, " Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers, in the
land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan." For ages it was a great and powerful city, and at
one period was the chief center of the Hyksos power. A king named Apepi in. was
ruling there when Ra-Sekenen of Thebes (the recent discovery and unwrapping of
whose mummy is referred to in Section IV.) led the national movement which resulted
in the expulsion, eighty years afterwards, of the shepherd kings. Tanis was captured
finally by Aahmes I., and the hatred felt by the Egyptians toward the foreign dynasty
which had so long ruled them led them to mutilate or destroy all existing monuments
of the Hyksos rule, which had extended over a period of 511 years.
Until 1798 the site of Tanis was unexplored, and in that year it was only surveyed
by the French engineers ; but between 1815 and 1836 many of its antiquities were
carried off and sold to wealthy collectors. In i860, Mariette uncovered the temple
ruins, and in so doing revealed an enormous number of most valuable remains. The
engraving depicts the site of Tanis at the time of his excavation. In 1884, Mr. Flinders
Petrie explored the site anew under the direction of the Egypt Exploration Fund.
Although productive of no exceptional discoveries, many most valuable antiquities
were thus brought to light.2
In 1883, the same society sent out M. Naville to explore what was then known as
Tel-el-Maskhutah, and was supposed to be the site of the ancient Raamses.
M. Naville claims to have proved by his excavations that the site is Pithom, the ancient
store city built by the Israelites, and that it is identical with Succoth, Pithom and
Succoth being only different names for the same place. These results have not been
accepted as final by all Egyptologists, but they all tend to increase our knowledge of
what was anciently the Land of Goshen.3
As the train bears us slowly, and with frequent stoppages, over the district where
1 Genesis xlvi. 28-34 ; xlvii. 1-6.
2 See an interesting paper by Miss Edwards, in Harper's Magazine for October, 1886.
3 See The Store City of Pithom, and the Route of the Exodus. By E. Naville.
22