Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak)
Pharaoh's victory list at Karnak naming towns of Israel and Judah
Found 1828 — Jean-François Champollion identified the cartouche of Shoshenq and the campaign list during his Egyptian expedition (1828–29); the portal had been known to earlier travelers
Where Temple of Amun-Re, Karnak (ancient Thebes), Luxor (Egypt)
Dates from c. 925 BCE · Egyptian 22nd Dynasty / Iron Age IIA · Fifth year of Rechavam (Rehoboam), just after Solomon
Now at In situ, Karnak Temple complex, Luxor
Names a biblical person Shishak (Shoshenq I) (names Shoshenq only; Rehoboam/Jeroboam not named)
How Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak) was found
The relief stands in plain view on a gateway beside the Second Pylon of the Karnak temple. Champollion read the cartouche 'Sheshonq' and connected it with the biblical Shishak.
What it is
A carved gateway wall showing the god Amun leading rows of bound captives, each an oval 'name ring' with a town name, toward Pharaoh Shoshenq I. About 150 name rings survive of an original 180 or so, listing places in the Negev, the Judean hills, the Jordan Valley, and the northern kingdom, including Megiddo, Taanach, Beth-Shean, Rehob, Gibeon and Aijalon.
Why it matters for the Bible
This is the earliest Egyptian text that names a king of Israel's world by an event the Bible also records: Shishak's invasion in Rehoboam's fifth year, when he took the treasures of the Temple. The match between Shoshenq and Shishak is accepted by nearly everyone, making this a fixed point for biblical chronology around 925 BCE. Jerusalem is not in the surviving list, which fits the Bible's account of Rehoboam paying tribute rather than being conquered. Scholars debate the exact route and whether the campaign targeted Jerusalem or the north.
The Hebrew word: Shee-SHAHK
שִׁישַׁק
שִׁישַׁק is pronounced Shee-SHAHK and means Shishak — the Hebrew form of Pharaoh Shoshenq I (Strong's H7895).
People this discovery connects to
- Shishak (Shoshenq I) — שִׁישַׁק (Shee-SHAHK) — Egyptian royal name
- Rehoboam — רְחַבְעָם (Reh-chav-AHM) — the people are enlarged
- Jeroboam — יָרָבְעָם (Yah-rov-AHM) — the people contend
Places
- Megiddo — מְגִדּוֹ (Meh-gee-DOH) — place of troops
- Gibeon — גִּבְעוֹן (Giv-OHN) — hill town
Events
Shishak's invasion of Judah and Israel · Loss of the Temple treasures and Solomon's gold shields
Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak) in Scripture
1 Kings 11:40 Jeroboam had earlier fled to Shishak in Egypt, showing the pharaoh's ties to both kingdoms. (First mention of Shishak.)
1 Kings 14:25-26 Shishak comes up against Jerusalem in Rehoboam's fifth year and takes the Temple treasures; this is the campaign the relief records.
2 Chronicles 12:2-4 The fuller account lists Shishak's army and the fortified cities of Judah he captured.
Questions people ask
What is Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak)?
A carved gateway wall showing the god Amun leading rows of bound captives, each an oval 'name ring' with a town name, toward Pharaoh Shoshenq I. About 150 name rings survive of an original 180 or so, listing places in the Negev, the Judean hills, the Jordan Valley, and the northern kingdom, including Megiddo, Taanach, Beth-Shean, Rehob, Gibeon and Aijalon.
When was Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak) discovered?
It was found in 1828 by Jean-François Champollion identified the cartouche of Shoshenq and the campaign list during his Egyptian expedition (1828–29); the portal had been known to earlier travelers, at Temple of Amun-Re, Karnak (ancient Thebes), Luxor.
Where is Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak) today?
In situ, Karnak Temple complex, Luxor.
Which Bible verses does Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak) relate to?
1 Kings 11:40, 1 Kings 14:25-26, 2 Chronicles 12:2-4.
Related discoveries
- מְגִדּוֹMegiddo Shoshenq Stele FragmentA piece of Pharaoh Shishak's monument found in the city his list names
- עָרֵי מָצוֹרLachish Level VThe first Judahite town at Lachish and the question of Rehoboam's wall
- עָרֵי מִבְצָרTel AzekahThe fortress whose signal fire went dark in the Lachish letters
- בָּמָהTel Rehov Open-Air Sanctuary and Horned Clay AltarsNeighborhood worship in the Northern Kingdom: a small bamah and dozens of pottery altars
- שִׁלֻּחִיםGezer Tenth-Century Destruction LayerA burned city that may be the pharaoh's 'dowry' destruction
- דְּבָרִיםOxyrhynchus Papyri and the Gospel of Thomas FragmentsA rubbish-heap of Roman Egypt yielding the earliest 'Sayings of Yeshua' and dozens of New Testament pieces
Sources
- Kitchen, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1986), ch. on Shoshenq I
- Epigraphic Survey, Reliefs and Inscriptions at Karnak III: The Bubastite Portal (OIP 74, 1954)
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