However, one of the records (the Stele of Antef) states that Year 30 for Amenemhat I and Year 10 for Senusret I are one and the same (Greenberg 2003–2004, p. 37), indicating a co-regency between these two monarchs. The archaeological record indicates 30 and 44 years respectively. Let’s begin with the first two kings, Amenemhat I and Senusret I. Before it can be determined how long this dynasty lasted, these possible co-regencies must be examined. However, there is a debate going on among Egyptologists as to whether or not co-regencies existed during the 12th Dynasty. Table 1 places the kings of the 12th Dynasty into chronological order and gives the reigns of these kings according to the Turin Canon (a papyrus dating from the 19th Dynasty listing Egyptian kings) and the archaeological record (the contemporary evidence). The next step is to determine the length of the 12th Dynasty prior to Amenemhat III’s accession. So this narrows down the birth of Moses to Amenemhat III’s first to 13th years. It would seem unusual if Sobekneferu tried to kill Moses, her adoptive son. 6 If we place Moses’ birth year in Amenemhat III’s first year it would place Moses’ 40th year within his reign. If we place Moses’ birth in Amenemhat III’s 13th year this would place Moses’ 40th year in Amenemhat IV’s year 10. It is assumed that Moses fled from Egypt to Midian before the 12th Dynasty ended with Sobekneferu. Sobekneferu was the daughter of Amenemhat III and could have possibly been the adoptive mother of Moses (see Down 2001 3). His two successors, Amenemhat IV (whose first year is possibly the same as Amenemhat III’s 44th year) 5 and Sobekneferu, ruled about 10 and 4 years respectively (Schneider 2006, pp. 173–174). 4 Amenemhat III ruled 46 years according to the archaeological record. The exact year is unknown, but since it is unlikely that Moses was chased out of Egypt after the fall of this dynasty we can narrow down to approximately which years he would have been born. In his research David Down places the birth of Moses in the reign of Amenemhat III, who was the sixth king of the 12th Dynasty (Ashton and Down 2006 Down 2001). The Chronology of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt 3 It will begin with the 12th Dynasty and work itself back to the earliest rulers. This paper begins with the assumption that David Down’s placement of the Exodus in the late Middle Kingdom and Amenemhat III as Moses’ father-in-law is correct (Down 2001). This paper will examine if and how these early dynasties correlate with these events in Scripture. The traditional dating of Ancient Egyptian chronology places its earliest dynasties before the biblical dates of the Flood and confusion of the languages at Babel. This is important when considering the relationship between Egyptian history and the Tower of Babel. This paper will not only consider the question of when the Patriarchs entered and lived in Egypt but also will consider if the chronology of certain periods of early Egyptian history (Early Dynastic, Old Kingdom, First Intermediate Period, and the Middle Kingdom) need to be revised. However, not as much research has been done on how the book of Genesis fits into all of this. 2 The Conquest has been placed in new archaeological strata and so have the events and periods of the Exodus, the Judges, and the United Monarchy. They proposed a 250-year reduction of the dates in the Near East and Mediterranean before c. 700 BC and this has resulted in new interpretations for ancient history and the Bible. 1 In 1991 a book entitled Centuries of Darkness by Peter James and four of his colleagues shook the very foundations of ancient chronology. Keywords: Egypt, pharaoh, Patriarchs, chronology, Abraham, Joseph Introductionĭuring the past century some scholars have proposed new ways of dating the events of ancient history before c. 700 BC. This paper deals with the question, “How does ancient Egyptian chronology correlate with the book of Genesis?” In answering this question it begins with an analysis of every Egyptian dynasty starting with the 12th Dynasty (this is where David Down places Moses) and goes back all the way to the so called “Dynasty 0.” After all the data is presented, this paper will look at the different possibilities that can be constructed concerning how long each of these dynasties lasted and how they relate to the biblical dates of the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel, and the Patriarchs. Whether it concerns who the pharaoh of the Exodus was, the background of Joseph, or the identity of Shishak, many Christians (and non-Christians) have wondered how these two topics fit together. One of the most popular topics among young earth creationists and apologists is the relationship of the Bible with Ancient Egyptian chronology.
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