Tell el-Maskhuta
Naville's 'Pithom' of 1883, now dated mainly to the 7th century and later
Found 1883 — Édouard Naville (Egypt Exploration Fund); re-excavated by John S. Holladay Jr. (Wadi Tumilat Project, 1978–1985)
Where Tell el-Maskhuta, eastern Wadi Tumilat near Ismailia (Egypt)
Dates from c. 1700–1600 BCE (Hyksos); c. 610 BCE onward (main town) · Middle Bronze Age IIB, then Iron Age III–Roman · Sojourn (Hyksos layer); the New Kingdom Exodus period is absent
Now at Site; statues and stelae in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the Ismailia Museum
How Tell el-Maskhuta was found
Naville found monuments naming Per-Atum (Pithom) and thick-walled storerooms he called the Israelites' store chambers. Holladay's work showed the town was founded under Necho II about 610 BCE, with only a Hyksos-period settlement before it.
What it is
A large mudbrick-walled town beside the ancient canal route. Naville's 'store chambers' are now understood as foundations of Saite-Persian buildings. Beneath them lies a Hyksos-era Canaanite settlement with donkey burials.
Why it matters for the Bible
This site shows how archaeology corrects itself. For a century Tell el-Maskhuta was cited as biblical Pithom and proof of the store cities. Holladay's stratigraphy showed the walled town belongs to the 7th century BCE, so the name Pithom probably moved here from Tell el-Retaba. The Hyksos-period Canaanite settlement is still relevant to the Sojourn, and the site anchors the Wadi Tumilat as the corridor out of Goshen.
The Hebrew word: sook-KOHT
סֻכּוֹת
סֻכּוֹת is pronounced sook-KOHT and means Succoth/Sukkot, 'booths'; first station of the Exodus, equated with Egyptian Tjeku (Strong's H5523).
Places
- Pithom — פִּתֹם (pee-TOHM) — house of Atum
- Succoth — סֻכּוֹת (sook-KOHT) — booths (Egyptian Tjeku)
Events
Israel's first stop at Sukkot
Tell el-Maskhuta in Scripture
Exodus 1:11 Pithom; this site carried the name in later periods.
Exodus 12:37 Israel travels from Rameses to Sukkot; Tjeku (Sukkot) is the Egyptian name of this district.
Questions people ask
What is Tell el-Maskhuta?
A large mudbrick-walled town beside the ancient canal route. Naville's 'store chambers' are now understood as foundations of Saite-Persian buildings. Beneath them lies a Hyksos-era Canaanite settlement with donkey burials.
When was Tell el-Maskhuta discovered?
It was found in 1883 by Édouard Naville (Egypt Exploration Fund); re-excavated by John S. Holladay Jr. (Wadi Tumilat Project, 1978–1985), at Tell el-Maskhuta, eastern Wadi Tumilat near Ismailia.
Where is Tell el-Maskhuta today?
Site; statues and stelae in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the Ismailia Museum.
Which Bible verses does Tell el-Maskhuta relate to?
Exodus 1:11, Exodus 12:37.
Is Tell el-Maskhuta authentic?
The site is securely excavated; its identification as New Kingdom Pithom is now largely abandoned in favor of Tell el-Retaba, though the name applied here later.
Related discoveries
- הָעַרְבִיSilver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar'An Arabian votive bowl from the Egyptian delta naming the son of Nehemiah's enemy Geshem
- פִּתֹםTell el-Retaba (Pithom candidate)A Ramesside fortress-town in the Wadi Tumilat with Egyptian and Semitic residents
- אֱדוֹםPapyrus Anastasi VIA border official lets Shasu of Edom through the fort to the pools of Pithom
- מֵיטַב הָאָרֶץWadi TumilatThe green valley from the Delta to the Bitter Lakes, the heart of Goshen
Sources
- Naville, The Store-City of Pithom and the Route of the Exodus (1885)
- Holladay, Tell el-Maskhuta: Preliminary Report 1978–1979 (1982)
- Wikipedia: Pithom