Capital importance that Sargon II attached to the city of Carchemish

by Damien F. Mackey “Because of its glorious past and strategic position, Karkemish was fully entitled to become a sort of western capital of the Assyrian Empire: a perfect place in which to display the grandeur of Assyria, and from which to control the western and north-western territories of the empire.” Gianni Marchesi I, in light of the new geographical revolution as set out by Richard (Royce) Erickson, radically moving Elam and Chaldea far to the NW: More geographical ‘tsunamis’: lands of Elam and Chaldea https://www.academia.edu/104403646/More_geographical_tsunamis_lands_of_Elam_and_Chaldea?f_ri=32226 and hence being forced to consider a new location for Babylon - known to have been situated relatively close to Elam and Chaldea - first toyed with the idea of ancient Byblos for Babylon, before settling, instead, on Carchemish for Babylon (Karduniash): Correction for Babylon (Babel). Carchemish preferable to Byblos (2) Correction for Babylon (Babel). Carchemish preferable to Byblos Carchemish (Karkemish) was, unlike Byblos, situated by “rivers” (Psalm 137:1), the Euphrates, but, most significantly, it lay not too far distant from the Khabur (Chabur) (cf. Ezekiel 1:3; 3:15): “I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who lived by the River Chebar”. This river is unidentifiable in the conventional ‘Babylon’ of southern Iraq: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Chebar “Chebar. An unidentified stream of water “in the land of the Chaldeans” (Ezek 1:3), i.e., in ancient Babylonia”. My further suggestion has been that the enigmatic name for Babylon, “Karduniash”, has been derived from “Karkemish” (with its variants). The strategic and economic importance of the site of Carchemish is clear from what we read at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Carchemish “It commanded a strategic crossing of the Euphrates River for caravans engaged in Syrian, Mesopotamian, and Anatolian trade”. No wonder, then, that the great neo-Assyrian king, Sargon II, might have eyed off Carchemish for his western capital as according to Gianni Marchesi: https://popular-archaeology.com/article/mesopotamian-king-sargon-ii-envisioned-ancient-city-karkemish-as-western-assyrian-capital/#google_vignette Mesopotamian King Sargon II envisioned ancient city Karkemish as western Assyrian capital By No Author Sat, Apr 20, 2019 UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS JOURNALS—In “A New Historical Inscription of Sargon II from Karkemish,” published in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Gianni Marchesi translates a recently discovered inscription of the Assyrian King Sargon II found at the ruins of the ancient city of Karkemish. The inscription, which dates to around 713 B.C., details Sargon’s conquest, occupation, and reorganization of Karkemish, including his rebuilding the city with ritual ceremonies usually reserved for royal palaces in capital cities. The text implies that Sargon may have been planning to make Karkemish a western capital of Assyria, from which he could administer and control his empire’s western territories. The cuneiform inscription was found on fragments from three different clay cylinders in 2015 as part of the Nicolò Marchetti-led Turco-Italian Archaeological Expedition at Karkemish. Now in ruins, the site is located on the Euphrates river on the border between present day Syria and Turkey. Marchesi analyzed and translated the total of thirty-eight lines of partially broken Akkadian text, using reference material, academic literature and other inscribed Assyrian artifacts as reference points for filling in the gaps. The lines of text ranged from two-thirds complete to much less, and no line of text was completely intact. “Even so, we can grasp much of the original text, which turns out to be very informative,” Marchesi writes. “In fact, unlike other Sargon cylinders, which contain relatively standard ‘summary’ inscriptions or annalistic accounts of the events of Sargon’s reign, the Karkemish Cylinder provides us with a completely new inscription, dealing almost exclusively with the newly conquered city on the Euphrates in a highly-elaborated, literary style.” In the inscription, Sargon tells of the “betrayal” of Pirisi [Pisiri], the Hittite King of Karkemish who exchanged hostile words about Assyria with its enemy, King Midas of Phrygia. Sargon invades Karkemish, deports Pisiri and his supporters, destroys his palace, seizes his riches as booty and incorporates Pisiri’s army into his own. He resettles the city with Assyrians. Mackey’s comment: A vital connection can be made between Carchemish and Babylon, I believe, if one first accepts my thesis that Sargon II (Sennacherib) was the same as Tukulti-Ninurta so-called I: Tukulti-Ninurta I folds well into Sargon II-Sennacherib (2) Tukulti-Ninurta I folds well into Sargon II-Sennacherib Tukulti-Ninurta had fought and defeated Kashtiliash so-called IV, king of Babylon. Kaštiliašu was captured, single-handed by Tukulti-Ninurta according to his account, who “trod with my feet upon his lordly neck as though it were a footstool”. And we have just read - what I would consider to be the parallel version to this - where Sargon II defeats and deports Pisiri[s], king of Carchemish. Previously, in my article: Borsippa may strengthen the case for Carchemish as mighty Babel-Babylon (2) Borsippa may strengthen the case for Carchemish as mighty Babel-Babylon I spelled out the striking parallels between the two scenarios:  Historical parallel – which I regard as being just the one historical event – we have Tukulti-ninurta attacking Babylon and removing its Kassite king, Kastiliash so-called IV, in chains to Assyria; and we have Sargon II attacking Carchemish and removing, its Hittite king, Piyashili (Pisiri), in chains to Assyria. Spelt out, Tukulti-ninurta/Sargon II attacks and takes the city of Babylon/ Carchemish and captures the Kassite/Hittite king, Kashtiliash/Piyasili, taking him in chains to Assyria. Kasht ili ash Piy ash ili[s] The article continues: Having previously blocked the water supply to Karkemish, the meadows “let go fallow, like a wasteland,” Marchesi translates, he now reactivates the irrigation system, planting orchards and botanical gardens. “I made the scent of the city sweeter than the scent of a cedar forest.” He also details an inauguration ceremony where he received gifts from Assyrian provinces and sacrifices them to deities. “My lords the gods Karhuha and Kubaba, who dwell in Karkemish, I invited them into my palace,” Marchesi translates. “Strong rams of the stable, geese, ducks and flying birds of the sky I offered before them.” Marchesi was struck by the attention that Sargon paid to Karkemish, in particular the elaborate inauguration ceremony and construction of botanical gardens, both indicative not of a typical provincial capital but of a royal palace. “Because of its glorious past and strategic position, Karkemish was fully entitled to become a sort of western capital of the Assyrian Empire: a perfect place in which to display the grandeur of Assyria, and from which to control the western and north-western territories of the empire,” Marchesi writes. This vision of Karkemish was short-lived, however. Though much care was taken to detail the city’s rise in these texts, the city is not mentioned in any known inscriptions of Sargon’s successors. “The unthinkable, ominous death of Sargon on the battlefield in Tabal [sic] probably prevented this project from being accomplished, and negatively marked the destiny of Karkemish itself, which no longer attracted the interest of Assyrian kings who followed after him,” Marchesi writes. But, if Carchemish were Babylon, as I am proposing, then the city would have plenty more “destiny” under Sargon II-Sennacherib’s mighty successor, the Chaldean, Esarhaddon, who was none other than Nebuchednezzar ‘the Great’: Esarhaddon a tolerable fit for King Nebuchednezzar (4) Esarhaddon a tolerable fit for King Nebuchednezzar the re-builder of the city of Babylon (Daniel 4:30): ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’

Famine Ankhtifi as Antef (Intef)

by Damien F. Mackey Now, given the likeness of the name Antef, to Ankhtifi, my Joseph … and the likeness of Antef’s variants, Intef/Inyotef, to Imhotep (Joseph), plus the fact that a great Famine occurred during the time of Intef, I may have been somewhat remiss to date for not including Antef/Intef in my list … of potential candidates for the biblical Joseph. Ankhtifi is the name closest to Joseph’s given Egyptian name, Zaphenath paneah (Genesis 41:45) amongst the names of all of my many proposed historical identifications for the biblical Joseph in ancient Egypt - for instance all of these names (below) as listed in my article: Was this the original ‘Famine Stela’? (7) Was this the original 'Famine Stela'? The multi-named Joseph From what we have just read, Joseph’s names may include Imhotep; Khasekhemwy-Imhotep; Hetep-Khasekhemwy; Khasekhem; Sekhemkhet; Den (Dewen, Udimu); Khasti; Uenephes; Usaphais (Yusef); Zaphenath paneah; Ankhtifi; Bebi and perhaps also: Hemaka; Kheti From stark obscurity, the historical Joseph now abounds! And I suspect that this will not exhaust the potential list of Egyptian (also including some Greek) names for the biblical Joseph. …. By now I could potentially add to this list the names Semerkhet, “… in his reign a very great calamity befell Egypt" (Eusebius following Manetho), Henuka and Peribsen. Now, given the likeness of the name Antef, to Ankhtifi, my Joseph (see above), and the likeness of Antef’s variants, Intef/Inyotef, to Imhotep (Joseph), plus the fact that a great Famine occurred during the time of Intef, I may have been somewhat remiss to date for not including Antef/Intef in my list above of potential candidates for the biblical Joseph. It was in my article: Ankhtifi a Joseph type saving Egypt in an extensive Famine (8) Ankhtifi a Joseph type saving Egypt in an extensive Famine that I provided the following explanation of: Joseph’s new name Genesis 44:45: “Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt”. Can the name Ankhtifi be found in Joseph’s given Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah? This is a difficult matter since no two commentators seem to be able to reach a consensus on the meaning of Joseph’s new name. Here I turn to professor A. S. Yahuda who has proven in the past to be a trustworthy guide in matters pertaining to Egyptian linguistics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaphnath-Paaneah “Abraham Yahuda suggested for Zapheath-paneah, ḏfꜣ n tꜣ pꜣ ꜥnḫ, "the living one is the sustenance of (the) land", or ḏfꜣ n tꜣ pw ꜥnḫ "the sustenance of the land is he, the living one." (Yahuda, A. S. (1930). Eine Erwiderung auf Wilhelm Spiegelbergs "Ägyptologische Bemerkungen" zu meinem Buche "Die Sprache des Pentateuch". Leipzig. p. 7., cited by Vergote, p. 144)”. In professor Yahuda’s explanation of this Egyptian name I think that we can basically find, in hypocoristicon form, the three elements that constitute the name, Ankhtifi: viz., Ankh (ꜥnḫ); ti (tꜣ); fi (fꜣ). …. Egyptology currently proposes about eight (I-VIII) Antefs/Intefs. I suspect that a large degree of duplication may have occurred here, as with the similar amount (I-IX) of Sobekhoteps. On this last, see e.g. my articles: Abydos and Saqqara lists exclude Sobekhotep I-IX (9) Abydos and Saqqara lists exclude Sobekhotep I-IX and: Too many pharaohs named Sobekhotep (9) Too many pharaohs named Sobekhotep Sobekhotep Khaneferre was, in fact, the traditional “Chenephres” who married “Merris”, Egyptian Meresankh, the Egyptian foster-mother of Moses, and who gave Moses a hard time while the latter was officiating in Egypt during Israel’s Oppression: King “Chenephres” of Egypt - an ancient type of King Saul https://www.academia.edu/87167524/King_Chenephres_of_Egypt_an_ancient_type_of_King_Saul King “Chenephres” recurs in various dynasties, as e.g. Khafre/Chephren (Fourth); Pepi Neferkare (Sixth); Sesostris Neferkare (Twelfth); and Sobekhotep Khaneferre (Thirteenth). Like “Chenephres”, his wife, “Merris”, Meresankh/Ankhenesmerire, is like a golden thread weaving together parts of ancient Egyptian history that have become separated. In “Was this the original ‘Famine Stela’?” article (above), I wrote regarding the Famine at the time of Intef (perhaps duplicated here as, now Wahankh, now Nakht-Nebtepnefer): Arkadiy Demidchik, member of Saint-Petersburg State University, Oriental Faculty, has picked up what he calls “a fairly similar story” between the famous Ptolemaïc Famine Stela on Sehel Island and a far more ancient document of Wahankh Intef and Nakht-Nebtepnefer Intef of Egypt’s so-called Eleventh Dynasty (wrongly dated here): A ‘Famine Stela’ Episode under the Early XIth Dynasty https://www.academia.edu/36620751/A_Famine_Stela_Episode_under_the_Early_XIth_Dynasty This is what Arkadiy Demidchik has written about it: On the orders of the early XIth dynasty kings Wahankh Intef and Nakht-Nebtepnefer Intef, the chapels for the gods Satet and Khnum on Elep[h]antine were constructed with stone doorjambs, lintels, columns, etc. This is the oldest example of pharaohs’ monumental stone building for gods in provincial temples. What was the incentive for this grand and labor-intensive innovation in the troubled times when the young Theban monarchy controlled only a smaller part of Egypt? Careful scrutiny of the inscriptions from the chapels shows that Khnum was invoked there first and foremost as the lord of the sources of the Upper Egyptian inundation, believed to be situated at the First Cataract. Together with a good number of other texts examined in the paper, this indicates that the Intefs’ stone building project on Elephantine was undertaken in order to deliver their Theban kingdom from too low or unseasonable Nile floods which resulted in poor harvests. Almost two millennia later, a fairly similar story would be told on the famous “Famine Stela” about the pharaoh Djoser’s making lavish donations to the temple of Khnum on Elephantine in order to terminate the seven years’ famine. The idea of K[h]num’s revelation to a king in a dream, which is said to have happened to Djoser, is also attested as early as in the XXth century BC. [End of quote] But this is not all. The same Arkadiy Demidchik has also been able to point to what he has called: A Northern Version of the “Famine Stela” Narrative? https://www.academia.edu/36620738/A_Northern_Version_of_the_Famine_Stela_Narrative Here he writes: According to the “historical” introduction to the royal decree to the “Famine Stela” on the island of Sehel, the king Djoser managed to cease the seven years’ famine only due to the discovery of the source of the Upper Egyptian inundation and its gods by the sage Imhotep. However, since the Egyptians usually distinguished also Lower Egyptian inundation, with its own source near Heliopolis, there must have existed a kind of “northern” version of the “Famine Stela” story with Imhotep’s discovering the Heliopolitan source, regulated by Atum with his entourage. As early as 1999 this was pointed out by O.D. Berlev. There are mentions of “7 years” when the inundation-Hapi did not come, of the “temple of Atum of Heliopolis” and its high priest Imhotep on British Museum hieratic papyrus fragment 1065, first read by J. Quack. Could this not be scraps of that “northern” version of the “Famine Stela” narrative? [End of quote] Clearly, we are in the time of the highly famed Imhotep (Third Dynasty) - replicated in the so-called Eleventh Dynasty – the biblical Joseph, son of Jacob, when there occurred a seven-year Famine (Genesis 41-47).

The Famine Pharaoh, Joseph and his wife, in Archaïc Egypt

by Damien F. Mackey “Traces of other such enclosures have also been found: one to the immediate west of Netjerikhet’s complex and one apparently between Sekhemkhet’s pyramid and the ‘Great Enclosure’. It has been suggested that these enclosures bear a striking resemblance to similar structures found near Umm el-Qa’ab. The largest of these enclosures, named Shunet ez-Zebib, has been identified as having belonged to Khasekhemwi. It is believed that this structure was intended as a simulacrum of the royal palace, a copy that the king would take with him to the hereafter”. ancient-egypt.org 2025 Introduction The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom has proven to be something of a rich goldmine for discovering historical proof of the reality of Joseph and the Famine, as recorded late in the Book of Genesis (esp. Chapters 41-43). Joseph as the celebrated vizier, Imhotep, the pious sage serving Horus Netjerikhet, had saved Egypt from a seven-year Famine. This is famously recorded in a late (Ptolemaïc) document, the Sehel Famine Stela. But there may now have been identified much earlier, apparent originals, of this Ptolemaïc inscription. On this, see my article: Was this the original ‘Famine Stela’? (6) Was this the original 'Famine Stela'? Imhotep was the quasi-pharaonic Khasekhemwy-Hetep-Imef (= Im-hotep), who built huge enclosures (storage facilities) at Nekhen, at Abydos (known as Shunet ez Zebib), and the massive Gisr el-Mudir at Saqqara. He was also the like-named (to Khasekhemwy) Sekhemkhet-Djoser-ti (see below). Thus Imhotep was Djoser (Zoser), and Netjerikhet, thought to have been him, was not. https://www.ancient-egypt.org/history/early-dynastic-period/2nd-dynasty/horus-seth-khasekhemwi/great-enclosure-at-saqqara.html Great Enclosure at Saqqara To the west of the unfinished pyramid of Sekhemkhet, a large rectangular structure was discovered composed mainly of a gigantic enclosure wall. With its 600 by 300 metres, this enclosure encompasses an area that is even considerably larger than Netjerikhet’s neighbouring complex. It as long been assumed -without any substantial examination of this structure- that this wall, known as the ‘Great Enclosure‘ or by its Arab name ‘Gisr el-Mudir‘ (wall of the director), was part of an unfinished mortuary complex of an unidentified 3rd Dynasty king. There is, however, no trace of a step pyramid inside this wall. Furthermore, this wall seems to have been completed, which would make the building of a pyramid within its compounds quite impossible. Recent research by the EES has shown that Gisr el-Mudir may at least be one generation older than the Horus Netjerikhet, thus dating to the 2nd Dynasty. Traces of other such enclosures have also been found: one to the immediate west of Netjerikhet’s complex and one apparently between Sekhemkhet’s pyramid and the ‘Great Enclosure’. It has been suggested that these enclosures bear a striking resemblance to similar structures found near Umm el-Qa’ab. The largest of these enclosures, named Shunet ez-Zebib, has been identified as having belonged to Khasekhemwi. It is believed that this structure was intended as a simulacrum of the royal palace, a copy that the king would take with him to the hereafter. If indeed these palace-copies are similar to the Saqqara enclosures, then it is likely that the Saqqara enclosures were related to the 2nd Dynasty tombs which were located in the vicinity. If the enclosures at Saqqara are indeed of 2nd Dynasty date and not, as was assumed in the past, of the 3rd Dynasty, then the ‘Great Enclosure’ is to be considered the oldest known building constructed, at least partially, in stone! These were ‘gigantic enclosures’ built for storing vast quantities of grain. They were not, as wrongly thought, mortuary complexes, or copies of palaces. This was all Joseph-Imhotep’s divinely inspired work. Absolutely amazing to think that all of this infrastructure was built in anticipation of a great and protracted Famine, as foretold to Pharaoh by the prescient Joseph. Whenever, before, or even after, has the like of this been done! “No one like Joseph has ever been born …”. (Sirach 49:15) Waterways and canals were also constructed by Joseph the water bringer, along with large dams. One immediately thinks of the Bahr Yusef canal, named after Joseph. Much of this was erected hastily, without the usual Egyptian decoration, purpose-built to serve for only a specified period of time. Then it fell into disuse – or was appropriated and enhanced by the mighty Pyramid building oppressor-pharaohs of the subsequent Fourth Dynasty: the era of Moses. With a necessary folding of Egypt’s Old Kingdom into its so-called ‘Middle’ Kingdom, which simply duplicates the Old Kingdom, we encounter all over again the Famine era, including, among other things, mention of “seven empty years” (Heqanakht papyri). For Horus Netjerikhet of Egypt’s Third Dynasty was the same king as the powerful Netjerihedjet (Mentuhotep II) of the Eleventh Dynasty – the Famine Pharaoh. Having come to these twin conclusions some time ago now, that the biblical Famine belonged historically to the Old Kingdom, but is duplicated with the ‘Middle’ Kingdom, I never expected to find a ‘third’ manifestation of it all, back in Egypt’s Archaïc Period. Archaic Period: Dynasties 1-2; Old Kingdom: Dynasties 3-6; First Intermediate Period: Dynasties 7-11 (part of); Middle Kingdom: Dynasties 11-12. First Dynasty biblical scenario Although Egypt’s First Dynasty is conventionally set out like this: http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn01/dyn01.html Menes Djer Merneith Djet Den Anedjib Semerkhet Qa'a Sneferka the listing, I would strongly suggest, is in need of a major overhaul. While the famous Menes, the first mentioned king in this list, traditionally belongs to the time of Abram (Abraham), with which syncretism I would agree (see my article): Dr. W.F. Albright’s game-changing chronological shift (7) Dr. W.F. Albright's game-changing chronological shift the next four listed personages, Djer, Merneith, Djet and Den, all belong to - as we are going to find out - the era of Joseph (c. 1700 BC), which era is, roughly speaking, two centuries later than that of Abram (Abraham) (c. 1900 BC). Perhaps that yawning gap in the First Dynasty list is filled out by the Second Dynasty: http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn02/dyn02.html Hetepsekhemwy Reneb (Nebre) Weneg Ninetjer Sened Nubnefer Neferkare Neferkaseker Hudjefa I Peribsen-Sekhemib Khasekhemwy But, then again, perhaps not! There immediately appear to be some obstacles to such a suggestion, with the first listed ruler, Hetepsekhemwy, being, yet once again, I would suggest, Joseph-Imhotep himself, as Hotep-Im (= Hetep-Imef) Khasekhemwy, who, it needs to be noted, emerges again at the end of this Second Dynasty list. And, while I do not want to become bogged down here with the Second Dynasty, which, to date, I have not studied at great length, I think that a case could be mounted also for Ninetjer (Nynetjer) in this list to be the same ruler as Djer (Nine-tjer) in the First Dynasty list, a contemporary of Joseph as I shall be arguing – for Ninetjer, too, may have experienced a great famine (see 1. below). And, intriguingly, Peribsen in the list was once thought (the idea is not popular today) to have introduced monotheism to Egypt (as could perhaps be expected from Joseph) along the lines of Akhnaton at a much later date. On this last, see e.g. my article: Akhnaton’s Theophany (11) Akhnaton's Theophany Whilst, in the lengthy Phouka king list above, a full five regal names separate Ninetjer (potential Famine Pharaoh) from Seth-Peribsen (tentatively, Joseph), Peribsen immediately follows Ninetjer in the (roughly) half as long list here at Higher Intellect: https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/other/crystalinks/dynasty2.html Hotepsekhemwy - 'Pleasing in Powers' Reneb - Re is the Lord Ninetjer - Godlike Peribsen - Sekhemib - 'Powerful in Heart' Khasekhemwy - "The Two Powerful Ones Appear" Could it be that more than half (8 out of 14) of the names listed for these supposedly two distinct dynasties – {here following the shortened version of the Second Dynasty} - pertain to the era of the biblical Joseph? There could well be much more to be said about all of this! 1. Famine Pharaoh: Archaïc Period Returning to the First Dynasty list, to Djer, Merneith, Djet and Den, about all of whom I wrote above that they belonged to the era of the biblical Joseph, we can put aside Merneith, a female, who obviously could not have been Joseph’s Pharaoh. Den (Udimu) was, I have already concluded most emphatically, Joseph himself: Joseph also as Den, ‘he who brings water’ (6) Joseph also as Den, 'he who brings water' Djer and Djet I would consider to be two manifestations of just the one Pharaoh - paralleling the already discussed Third Dynasty and Eleventh Dynasty syncretism - respectively, Horus Netjerikhet as Djer, and Mentuhotep Netjerihedjet as Djet. Above, I tentatively included the long-reigning Second Dynasty ruler, Ninetjer (-djer). Djet and Ninetjer had in common long reigns and celebration of the Heb Sed festival, which (supposedly occurring every 30 years) was probably far less common in those early times as may be thought, but which may have become duplicated (or more) due to an inaccurate, repetitive Egyptology. Not only did Djet and Ninetjer, in common, enjoy a Heb Sed festival, however, but Djet, certainly, and Ninetjer, potentially, experienced a severe Famine. Regarding pharaoh Djet and the Famine, see e.g. my article (revised, with Imhotep now intended as Djoser): Taking a Djet to Djoser’s Famine (6) Taking a Djet to Djoser's Famine And, regarding a possible lengthy famine at the time of Ninetjer, we read as follows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nynetjer “Egyptologists such as Barbara Bell believe that an economic catastrophe such as a famine or a long lasting drought affected Egypt around this time. Therefore, to address the problem of feeding the Egyptian population, Nynetjer split the realm into two and his successors ruled two independent states until the famine came to an end. Bell points to the inscriptions of the Palermo stone, where, in her opinion, the records of the annual Nile floods show constantly low levels during this period”. Likewise, Miroslav Bárta has written in his article: Journey to the West The world of the Old Kingdom tombs in Ancient Egypt. Prague 2012 https://www.academia.edu/23316703/Journey_to_the_West_The_world_of_the_Old_Kingdom_tombs_in_Ancient_Egypt_Prague_2012 that: “… probably at the end of the First and start of the Second Dynasty, a time marked by internal conflicts connected with low levels of flooding and failed harvests …”: “… low levels of flooding and failed harvests …” the perfect mix of ingredients for Famine in ancient Egypt. 2. Joseph and Asenath: Archaïc Period No need to repeat here what I have already written (in my “Joseph also as Den …” article above) about Den (Udimu) as Joseph-Imhotep. While the name Den, “he who brings water”, so fitting of Joseph, may have been posthumously assigned, it, and his other names, especially Usafais (Manetho) - clearly Joseph (Usaf-) - and Khasti, “the one of the desert”, or “foreigner”, mark him as: JOSEPH; FOREIGNER FROM THE DESERT; THE ONE WHO BRINGS WATER. I have further identified Joseph with the famous Chancellor of this time: Joseph as Chancellor of Egypt, Hemaka https://www.academia.edu/121954546/Joseph_as_Chancellor_of_Egypt_Hemaka Most recently of all, I believe that I may have found evidence for Joseph’s wife, Asenath: A possible identification of Asenath, the wife of Joseph (4) A possible identification of Asenath, the wife of Joseph The name is obviously an Egyptian one, whose later element, - nath, pertains to the goddess Neith. The woman in question is the highly important, Ahaneith (wikipedia.org): “Ahaneith was an ancient Egyptian woman, who lived during the First Dynasty of Egypt. She was named after the goddess Neith”. The name Ahaneith is essentially the same name as Asenath, bar one consonantal variation. And she lived at the right Archaïc period for my revised Asenath. Whether or not Merneith of the First Dynasty was also Joseph’s wife, Asenath, under a variant name form I am not able to determine at this stage. What is apparent is that scholars cannot decide between whether she was the wife of Djet or the mother of Den (impossible if Den was Joseph as I am claiming him to have been): https://www.livius.org/articles/person/merneith/ “Queen Merneith lived during Egypt’s Early Dynastic Period and was presumably the great wife of King Djet and mother of King Den. She is named in one of Egypt’s earliest known King Lists, which has led scholars to believe that Merneith may have been a pharaoh in her own right”.

A possible identification of Asenath, the wife of Joseph

by Damien F. Mackey “Ahaneith was an ancient Egyptian woman, who lived during the First Dynasty of Egypt. She was named after the goddess Neith”. wikipedia.org By an enlargement of the Famine Era of the biblical Joseph - as having occurred in the popularly considered (in part due to the Famine Stela) Third Dynasty (Old Kingdom) reign of Horus Netjerikhet, assisted by his sage, Imhotep (Joseph himself) - I have also included Netjerihedjet (known as Mentuhotep II) of the so-called ‘Middle’ Kingdom’s Eleventh Dynasty, he being favoured by some scholars as being Joseph’s Pharaoh. But the Horus name, Netjerihedjet, with its -djet ending, would lead me further to conclude, in my rather fancifully named article: Taking a Djet to Djoser’s Famine (4) Taking a Djet to Djoser's Famine that my composite pharaoh was also king Djet of the Archaïc period’s First Dynasty, apparently, too, a time of “great famine”: “Manetho states that during the reign of [King Djet], there was a great famine but the Palermo Stone, which reports the flood levels of the Nile … is broken precisely in correspondence with the reign of Djet”. Cairo Top Tours Now, during the reign of this pharaoh, Djet (c. 2980 BC, conventional dating), there existed an important woman, Ahaneith, thought to have been either the king’s wife, or the wife of one of his high officials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahaneith “Ahaneith was an ancient Egyptian woman, who lived during the First Dynasty of Egypt. She was named after the goddess Neith. The First Dynasty pharaoh Djet was buried in tomb Z in Umm el-Qa'ab and there is a stele bearing Ahaneith's name in that tomb.[1] The stele is named UC 14268.[2] Whether Ahaneith was the wife of the king, a royal official or a relative of the king, is not known”. I tentatively suggest that Ahaneith was the same woman as Asenath, the wife of Joseph (Genesis 41:45): “Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On [Heliopolis], to be his wife”. There may be much more to know about all of this. What would be fitting, though, is the Jewish tradition that Asenath, of Egyptian name, was the daughter of Dinah, the raped daughter of Jacob – for one would expect that the pious Hebrew, Joseph, would have followed his ancestors in marrying a woman of his own race. Here follows the Jewish account of the most intriguing Asenath: https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/asenath-midrash-and-aggadah Asenath: Midrash and Aggadah by Tamar Kadari …. In Brief There are two approaches to the issue of Asenath’s descent in the Rabbinic texts. One view presents her as an ethnic Egyptian who converted in order to be married to Joseph, joining a series of positive examples of women converts in the Bible. The second approach argues that Asenath was not an Egyptian by descent, but was from the family of Jacob, directed by God to end up in Egypt so that Joseph would find a suitable wife from among the members of his own family. In either case, Asenath is accepted as part of the family and her sons are accepted as worthy descendants by Jacob. …. Asenath as Part of the Family Asenath is mentioned in the Torah as “the daughter of Poti-phera” (Gen. 41:45), who was married to Joseph in Egypt. The Rabbis found it difficult to accept that Joseph, who withstood the wiles of Potiphar’s wife and proclaimed his loyalty to the Lord in the palace of Pharaoh, would marry a non-Israelite woman. The question of Asenath’s origins has significant consequences for the standing within the Israelite tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, the two sons born to Asenath and Joseph. There are two Rabbinic approaches to the issue of Asenath’s descent. One view presents her as an ethnic Egyptian who converted in order to be married to Joseph. She accepted the belief in the Lord before she was married and raised her children in accordance with the tenets of Judaism. The second approach argues that Asenath was not an Egyptian by descent, but was from the family of Jacob. God directed matters so that she would end up in Egypt, so that Joseph would find a suitable wife from among the members of his own family. Accordingly, Ephraim and Manasseh are worthy descendents, who continue the way of Jacob. Asenath the Convert The traditions that maintain that Asenath was a convert present her as a positive example of conversion, and include her among the devout women converts: Hagar, Zipporah, Shiphrah, Puah, the Daughter Of Pharaoh, Rahab, Ruth and Jael (Midrash Tadshe, Ozar ha-Midrashim [ed. Eisenstein], p. 474). Mackey’s comment: But see my article: Bible critics can overstate idea of ‘enlightened pagan’ (4) Bible critics can overstate idea of 'enlightened pagan' The Rabbis learn from Joseph’s marriage to Asenath that a favorable attitude is to be exhibited to converts, who are to be drawn closer. Thus, Joseph married Asenath daughter of Poti-phera, and Joshua son of Nun, who was a chieftain of the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 13:8), would be descended from this union. The midrash adds that Joseph’s behavior served as an example for both Joshua and David, when they acted charitably with the Gibeonites and drew them closer to Israel (Midrash Samuel [ed. Buber], 28:5, based on Josh. 9 and II Sam. 21:1–9). An additional midrashic dictum notes a number of converts who became members of the families of the righteous leaders of Israel. Thus, Joseph married Asenath, Joshua wed Rahab, Boaz took Ruth for a wife, and Moses married the daughter of Hobab (= Jethro) (Eccl. Rabbah 8:10:1). Asenath the Daughter of Dinah The traditions that trace Asenath to the family of Jacob relate that she was the daughter born to Dinah following her rape by Shechem son of Hamor. Jacob’s sons wanted to kill the infant, lest it be said that there was harlotry in the tents of Jacob. Jacob brought a gold plate and wrote God’s name on it; according to another tradition, he wrote on it the episode with Shechem. Jacob hung the plate around Asenath’s neck and sent her away. God dispatched the angel Michael to bring her to the house of Poti-phera in Egypt; according to yet another tradition, Dinah left Asenath on the wall of Egypt. That day Poti-phera went out for a walk near the wall with his young men, and he heard the infant’s crying. When they brought the baby to him, he saw the plate and the record of the episode. Poti-phera told his servants, “This girl is the daughter of great ones.” He brought her to his home and gave her a wet nurse. Poti-phera’s wife was barren, and she raised Asenath as her own daughter. Consequently, she was called “Asenath daughter of Poti-phera,” for she was raised in the home of Poti-phera and his wife, as if she were their own daughter. This narrative teaches that all is foreseen by God. Each of Jacob’s sons was born together with his future spouse, except for Joseph, who was not born together with his mate, since Asenath daughter of Dinah was fit to be his wife. God directed matters so that Joseph would find a wife when he went down to Egypt, and Asenath was suitable for him (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer [ed. Higger], chaps. 35, 37; Midrash Aggadah [ed. Buber], Gen. 41:45). ….