Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a)
A Semitic city in the eastern Delta, in the land the Bible calls Goshen
Found 1966 — Manfred Bietak (Austrian Archaeological Institute, Cairo)
Where Tell el-Dab'a, near Qantir, eastern Nile Delta (Egypt)
Dates from c. 1900–1530 BCE · Middle Bronze Age IIA–C (12th–15th Dynasties) · Sojourn of Yaakov's family in Egypt
Now at Site (open excavation area); finds in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the Tell el-Dab'a magazines
How Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a) was found
Long-term excavations since 1966 identified the site as Avaris, the Hyksos capital, lying beneath the later Pi-Ramesses. Layer after layer showed a growing population of Semitic (Canaanite) settlers in the Middle Kingdom.
What it is
A large tell in the Delta with a sequence of settlement layers. From about 1900 BCE the houses, burials (donkey burials, weapons placed with the dead), pottery and temples are Canaanite in style. The city later became Avaris, seat of the Hyksos kings, and after their expulsion the harbor of Peru-nefer and the site of Pi-Ramesses.
Why it matters for the Bible
Tell el-Dab'a proves that large numbers of Semitic-speaking people from Canaan lived in the eastern Delta for centuries, exactly where the Bible places Yaakov's (Jacob's) family. It does not name Israel or Yosef (Joseph), and Bietak himself does not link it to the Exodus, but it makes the biblical picture of a Semitic population in Goshen entirely believable. It is also the only place in Egypt where the Bible's sojourn setting can be studied in the dirt.
The Hebrew word: GOH-shen
גֹּשֶׁן
גֹּשֶׁן is pronounced GOH-shen and means Goshen, the Delta district given to Yaakov's family (Strong's H1657).
People this discovery connects to
- Jacob — יַעֲקֹב (yah-ah-KOHV) — heel-grabber / supplanter
- Joseph — יוֹסֵף (yoh-SEF) — he adds
Places
- Goshen — גֹּשֶׁן (GOH-shen) — region of the eastern Delta (meaning uncertain)
- Rameses — רַעְמְסֵס (rah-me-SES) — Egyptian: 'born of Ra'
Events
Yaakov's family settles in Goshen · Israel multiplies in Egypt
Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a) in Scripture
Genesis 45:10 First mention of Goshen in Scripture.
Genesis 47:11 Yosef settles his family 'in the land of Rameses'; Tell el-Dab'a is the Semitic town later built over by Pi-Ramesses.
Genesis 47:27 Israel dwelt in Goshen and grew greatly; the site shows a Semitic population expanding over generations.
Questions people ask
What is Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a)?
A large tell in the Delta with a sequence of settlement layers. From about 1900 BCE the houses, burials (donkey burials, weapons placed with the dead), pottery and temples are Canaanite in style. The city later became Avaris, seat of the Hyksos kings, and after their expulsion the harbor of Peru-nefer and the site of Pi-Ramesses.
When was Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a) discovered?
It was found in 1966 by Manfred Bietak (Austrian Archaeological Institute, Cairo), at Tell el-Dab'a, near Qantir, eastern Nile Delta.
Where is Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a) today?
Site (open excavation area); finds in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the Tell el-Dab'a magazines.
Which Bible verses does Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a) relate to?
Genesis 45:10, Genesis 47:11, Genesis 47:27.
Related discoveries
- מִשְׁנֶהStatue of an Asiatic Official at AvarisA Semitic dignitary honored with a tomb-statue in Egypt
- כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּיםAvaris 'Asiatic Official' Statue and TombA smashed statue of a Semitic dignitary in a striped coat, beside a twelve-pillared house
- מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁThe Hyksos Expulsion: Kamose's Stelae and Ahmose son of EbanaEgyptian records of driving out the Asiatic rulers, background to 'a new king who knew not Yosef'
- מַצֵּבָהShechem (Tell Balata) Temple-FortressThe great Canaanite temple in the city of Avraham's first altar
- בֵּית־אֵלBethel (Beitin)The 'house of El' where Jacob dreamed and Israel later worshiped
- מַיִם חַיִּיםJacob's WellA deep well near Shechem tied by tradition to Yaakov
Sources
- Bietak, Avaris: The Capital of the Hyksos (1996)
- Wikipedia: Avaris