Pi-Ramesses (Qantir)
The Delta capital of Ramesses II, the 'Rameses' of Exodus 1:11
Found 1928 — Mahmud Hamza (glazed tiles, 1928); identification argued by Labib Habachi (1954); excavated by Edgar Pusch (Hildesheim, from 1980)
Where Qantir, eastern Nile Delta (adjoining Tell el-Dab'a) (Egypt)
Dates from c. 1290–1100 BCE · Late Bronze Age IIB (19th–20th Dynasty) · Israelite forced labor and the Exodus (late-date view)
Now at Site (mostly under fields); finds in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum, Hildesheim
How Pi-Ramesses (Qantir) was found
Glazed palace tiles led to the site; Habachi showed Qantir, not Tanis, was Pi-Ramesses. Pusch's magnetometer surveys mapped a city of over 10 square kilometers with palaces, stables and workshops.
What it is
The buried remains of Ramesses II's residence city, called 'Pi-Ramesses, Great of Victories'. Surveys show huge palace compounds, a chariot garrison with stables for hundreds of horses, bronze foundries and glass workshops. The stone was carried off to Tanis after the Nile branch shifted, so little stands above ground.
Why it matters for the Bible
Exodus names 'Rameses' as a store city the Israelites built. The city called Rameses existed only from Seti I and Ramesses II onward, so for many scholars this points to a 13th-century Exodus; others argue the name is a later updating of an older place name (compare Genesis 47:11). The excavations show a massive royal building program in the exact area of Goshen, which required a huge labor force.
The Hebrew word: ah-RAY mis-ke-NOHT
עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹת
עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹת is pronounced ah-RAY mis-ke-NOHT and means store cities, supply cities (Strong's H5892 + H4543).
People this discovery connects to
- Moses — מֹשֶׁה (moh-SHEH) — drawn out
Places
- Rameses — רַעְמְסֵס (rah-me-SES) — Egyptian: born of Ra
Events
Building of the store cities · Departure from Rameses
Pi-Ramesses (Qantir) in Scripture
Genesis 47:11 First mention of Rameses in Scripture.
Exodus 1:11 Israel builds the store cities Pithom and Rameses; Qantir is Rameses.
Exodus 12:37 Israel sets out from Rameses to Sukkot.
Questions people ask
What is Pi-Ramesses (Qantir)?
The buried remains of Ramesses II's residence city, called 'Pi-Ramesses, Great of Victories'. Surveys show huge palace compounds, a chariot garrison with stables for hundreds of horses, bronze foundries and glass workshops. The stone was carried off to Tanis after the Nile branch shifted, so little stands above ground.
When was Pi-Ramesses (Qantir) discovered?
It was found in 1928 by Mahmud Hamza (glazed tiles, 1928); identification argued by Labib Habachi (1954); excavated by Edgar Pusch (Hildesheim, from 1980), at Qantir, eastern Nile Delta (adjoining Tell el-Dab'a).
Where is Pi-Ramesses (Qantir) today?
Site (mostly under fields); finds in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum, Hildesheim.
Which Bible verses does Pi-Ramesses (Qantir) relate to?
Genesis 47:11, Exodus 1:11, Exodus 12:37.
Related discoveries
- אֹהֶל מוֹעֵדRamesses II's Military Camp at Qadesh (Abu Simbel reliefs)A pharaoh's war tent laid out like the Tabernacle: 2:1 enclosure, tent in the rear, throne at the west
- עַבְדִּיאֵלTomb of the Vizier Aper-ElA Semitic-named vizier of Egypt under Amenhotep III and Akhenaten
- עַיִןMaqna 'Springs of Moses' (Arabian Elim and Marah claims)Palm-oasis springs on the Gulf of Aqaba offered as the twelve wells of Elim
- צוּרThe 'Split Rock of Horeb' near Jabal MaqlaA giant cleft boulder in Saudi Arabia claimed as the rock Moshe struck
- פִּסְגָּהMount Nebo: The Memorial of MosesByzantine basilica and mosaics on the peak where Moshe viewed the Land
- כָּתַבProto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-KhadimSemitic workers in Sinai writing the world's first alphabet
Sources
- Pusch & Herold, 'Qantir/Pi-Ramesses', in Bard (ed.), Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (1999)
- Wikipedia: Pi-Ramesses