Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah
The two pharaohs most often named as 'Pharaoh of the Exodus', both found in their tombs' aftermath
Found 1881 — Ramesses II: Royal Cache DB320, Deir el-Bahari, cleared by Émile Brugsch (1881); Merneptah: KV35 cache found by Victor Loret (1898)
Where Deir el-Bahari (DB320) and Valley of the Kings (KV35), Thebes (Egypt)
Dates from Ramesses II d. c. 1213 BCE; Merneptah d. c. 1203 BCE · Late Bronze Age IIB (19th Dynasty) · Late-date Exodus candidates
Now at National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), Cairo (moved from the Egyptian Museum in the 2021 'Pharaohs' Golden Parade')
How Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah was found
Both bodies had been moved by priests of the 21st Dynasty to protect them from robbers and were found in hidden caches with other royal mummies.
What it is
The well-preserved mummies of the long-lived Ramesses II (about 90 at death) and his thirteenth son Merneptah, who ruled after him. Ramesses' body shows arthritis and dental disease; Merneptah's shows he was elderly and heavy.
Why it matters for the Bible
Neither man drowned in a sea, which matters only if one reads Exodus 14 as requiring Pharaoh's own death (Psalm 136:15 is often cited, though the text says his army was overthrown). More importantly, the mummies are physical anchors for the period: Ramesses built Pi-Ramesses, and Merneptah left the stele naming Israel. Whichever pharaoh one prefers, the Exodus is set in a real dynasty whose kings we can still look at.
The Hebrew word: par-OH
פַּרְעֹה
פַּרְעֹה is pronounced par-OH and means Pharaoh; the title, never the name, of the Exodus king (Strong's H6547).
People this discovery connects to
- Pharaoh — פַּרְעֹה (par-OH) — Egyptian: great house
Events
The Exodus under an unnamed Pharaoh · Egypt's army lost in the sea
Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah in Scripture
Exodus 1:11 First mention of Pharaoh in Scripture.
Exodus 2:23 The king of Egypt dies and a new one takes the throne; the Bible never names him, leaving Ramesses II and others as candidates.
Exodus 14:28 Pharaoh's army drowned; the surviving mummies show the kings themselves died of old age.
Questions people ask
What is Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah?
The well-preserved mummies of the long-lived Ramesses II (about 90 at death) and his thirteenth son Merneptah, who ruled after him. Ramesses' body shows arthritis and dental disease; Merneptah's shows he was elderly and heavy.
When was Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah discovered?
It was found in 1881 by Ramesses II: Royal Cache DB320, Deir el-Bahari, cleared by Émile Brugsch (1881); Merneptah: KV35 cache found by Victor Loret (1898), at Deir el-Bahari (DB320) and Valley of the Kings (KV35), Thebes.
Where is Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah today?
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), Cairo (moved from the Egyptian Museum in the 2021 'Pharaohs' Golden Parade').
Which Bible verses does Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah relate to?
Exodus 1:11, Exodus 2:23, Exodus 14:28.
Related discoveries
- רֶכֶבNuweiba Crossing and the 'Chariot Wheels' ClaimCoral shapes in the Gulf of Aqaba said to be Pharaoh's drowned army
- 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'
- רָעָבThe Famine Stela (Sehel Island)A Ptolemaic rock inscription telling of seven years of famine under Djoser
- שִׁלֻּחִיםGezer Tenth-Century Destruction LayerA burned city that may be the pharaoh's 'dowry' destruction
- עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹתPi-Ramesses (Qantir)The Delta capital of Ramesses II, the 'Rameses' of Exodus 1:11
- 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
Sources
Open Mummies of Ramesses II and Merneptah in Hebrew Explorer →