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David M. Rohl (born 12 September 1950) is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Egyptologist
Egyptology

Egyptology is a major field of archaeology, the study of ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian literature, Ancient Egyptian religion, and Art of ancient Egypt from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century....
 and historian
Historian

A historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time....
 who has put forth several controversial theories concerning the chronology of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 and Israel
History of ancient Israel and Judah

The history of ancient Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judah is known to us essentially from the Hebrew Bible . Certain aspects of that history may also be derived from, elaborated and confirmed by other ancient sources and later classical writings such as the Talmud, the writings of Nicolaus of Damascus, Artapanus of Alexandria, Philo of A...
. He was born in Manchester
Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. Manchester was granted City status in the United Kingdom in 1853....
 and currently lives in the Marina Alta
Marina Alta

Marina Alta is a Comarques of the Valencian Community in the Provinces of Spain of Alicante , Valencian Community, Spain....
, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
.

Biography
Rohl traces his fascination with ancient Egypt to a visit of that country at the age of nine, which featured a journey on the Nile
Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the List of rivers by length in the world.The Nile has two major tributary, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and silt, but the former being the longer of the two....
 on King Farouk
Farouk of Egypt

Farouk I of Egypt ? , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I of Egypt, in 1936....
's paddle-steamer.

He first worked as a rock
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 musician, forming a band in 1968, which eventually became Mandalaband, which released two albums, Mandalaband and The Eye of Wendor, in the early 1970s.






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David M. Rohl (born 12 September 1950) is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Egyptologist
Egyptology

Egyptology is a major field of archaeology, the study of ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian literature, Ancient Egyptian religion, and Art of ancient Egypt from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century....
 and historian
Historian

A historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time....
 who has put forth several controversial theories concerning the chronology of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 and Israel
History of ancient Israel and Judah

The history of ancient Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judah is known to us essentially from the Hebrew Bible . Certain aspects of that history may also be derived from, elaborated and confirmed by other ancient sources and later classical writings such as the Talmud, the writings of Nicolaus of Damascus, Artapanus of Alexandria, Philo of A...
. He was born in Manchester
Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. Manchester was granted City status in the United Kingdom in 1853....
 and currently lives in the Marina Alta
Marina Alta

Marina Alta is a Comarques of the Valencian Community in the Provinces of Spain of Alicante , Valencian Community, Spain....
, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
.

Biography


Rohl traces his fascination with ancient Egypt to a visit of that country at the age of nine, which featured a journey on the Nile
Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the List of rivers by length in the world.The Nile has two major tributary, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and silt, but the former being the longer of the two....
 on King Farouk
Farouk of Egypt

Farouk I of Egypt ? , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I of Egypt, in 1936....
's paddle-steamer.

He first worked as a rock
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 musician, forming a band in 1968, which eventually became Mandalaband, which released two albums, Mandalaband and The Eye of Wendor, in the early 1970s. About 1974, Rohl started work as a sound engineer, which career he pursued until he returned to his interest in ancient Egypt.

Rohl has been the editor of the Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum since 1986. In 1988 he was accepted by University College, London and awarded the prestigious W.F. Masom History Research Scholarship by the University of London
University of London

Based primarily in London, England, United Kingdom, the University of London is a federal mega university made up of 31 affiliates: 19 separate university institutions, and 12 research institutes....
 as well as being awarded his degree in Ancient History and Egyptology in 1990. He is currently working on his doctoral thesis entitled “A re-examination of the Chronology of the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt”. He is a past President of the Sussex Egyptology Society (SES) and edits the Eastern Desert Survey Report. He excavated at Kadesh
Kadesh

This article is about Kadesh in the lands of the Amurru, bordering on Damascus Syria up to Hammath; see also Kadesh orKedesh Kadesh was an Cities of the Ancient Near East of the Levant, located on or near the headwaters or ford of the Orontes River It is surmised by Kenneth Kitchen to be the ruins at Tell Nebi Mend, about south...
 in Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
 for the London Institute of Archaeology during the 1990s, and is currently Co-Field Director of the Eastern Desert Survey in Egypt. Rohl has also been associated with the Institute for the Study of Interdisciplinary Sciences
Institute for the Study of Interdisciplinary Sciences

The Institute for the Study of Interdisciplinary Sciences was a United Kingdom scholarly and educational charity set up in 1985 to promote discussion on the history and chronology of the ancient world....
 (ISIS).

The publication of his book, A Test of Time led to his role in a three-part television documentary, "Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest", which appeared late summer 1995 on Channel 4
Channel 4

Channel 4 is a UK Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television broadcaster which began transmissions on 2 November 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the #Channel Four Television...
 in the UK, and spring 1996 on The Learning Channel/Discovery in the USA.

Theories


Egypt


His published works A Test of Time and Legend set forth Rohl's theories for dating Egyptian kings of the 19th
Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, New Kingdom....
 through 25th Dynasties
Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt

The Twenty-Fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Ethiopian or Nubian dynasty, was a line of rulers originating in the Kingdom of Kush. They reigned in part or all of Ancient Egypt from 760 BC to 656 BC.....
, which would require a major revision of the conventional chronology
Conventional Egyptian chronology

This is a Conventional Egyptian chronology....
 of ancient Egypt, and less radical revisions of the chronologies of Israel and Mesopotamia. Rohl asserts that these would allow scholars to identify many of the main characters in the Old Testament
Old Testament

In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christianity Bible Biblical canon. These works correspond to the Hebrew Bible , with some variations and additions....
 with people whose names appear in archeological finds. One of Rohl's methods includes the use of archaeo-astronomy, which he uses to fix the date of a solar eclipse
Eclipse

An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another. The term is derived from the ancient Greek noun , from verb , "I cease to exist," a combination of prefix , from preposition , "out," and of verb , "I am absent"....
 which happened during the reign of Amenhotep IV and was observed in the city of Ugarit
Ugarit

Ugarit was an ancient cosmopolitan port city, sited on the Mediterranean coast. Ugarit sent tribute to Ancient Egypt and maintained trade and diplomatic connections with Cyprus , documented in the archives recovered from the site and corroborated by Mycenaean Greece and Cypriot pottery found there....
. He used a computer to calculate the exact time; the only possible time where such eclipse could be visible in Ugarit during the whole second millennium BC was 9 May 1012 BCE. According to conventional chronology, Ugarit was already destroyed in the 12th century BC and Amenothep IV (Akhenaton) reigned in 1353-1334 BC.

Rohl's redating is based on criticism of three of the four arguments which he considers are the foundations of the conventional Egyptian chronology:

  • He claims that the identification of "Shishaq
    Shishaq

    Shishak or Shishaq is the biblical Hebrew language form of the first ancient Egyptian name of a pharaoh mentioned in the Bible....
     ['Shishak'], King of Egypt" (1 Kings
    Books of Kings

    The Books of Kings are a part of Judaism's Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. They were originally written in Hebrew language and were later included by Christianity as part of the Old Testament....
     14:25f; 2 Chronicles
    Books of Chronicles

    LocationIn the masoretic text, Chronicles is part of the third part of the Tanakh, namely Ketuvim . In most printed versions it is the last book in Ketuvim ....
     12:2-9) with Shoshenq I
    Shoshenq I

    Hedjkheperre Setepenre Shoshenq I , also known as Shishak, Sheshonk or Sheshonq I , was a Meshwesh Pharaoh of History of Ancient Egypt--of Ancient Libya ancestry--and the founder of the Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt....
    , first proposed by Jean-François Champollion
    Jean-François Champollion

    Jean-Fran?ois Champollion was a France classical academia, philology and orientalism.Champollion deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs with the help of groundwork laid by his predecessors: Athanasius Kircher, Silvestre de Sacy, Johan David Akerblad, Thomas Young , and William John Bankes....
    , is based on incorrect conclusions. Rohl argues instead that Shishaq should be identified with Ramesses II
    Ramesses II

    Ramesses II was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt. He is often regarded as Ancient Egypt's greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh....
    , which would move the date of Ramesses' reign forward some 300 years.


  • He claims that the record in the Ebers papyrus
    Ebers papyrus

    The Ebers Papyrus of about 16th century BC is among the most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt. It is also commonly called Papyrus Ebers ....
     of the rising of Sirius
    Sothic cycle

    The Sothic cycle or Canicular period is a period of 1461 ancient Egyptian years or 1460 Julian calendar years . During a Sothic cycle, the 365-day year loses enough time that the start of the year once again coincides with the heliacal rising of the star Sirius ....
     in the ninth regnal year
    Regnal year

    A regnal year is a year of the reign of a monarch. From Latin regnum meaning kingdom, rule.The oldest dating systems were in regnal years, and considered the date as an ordinal number, not a cardinal number....
     of Amenhotep I
    Amenhotep I

    Amenhotep I was the second Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt of History of Ancient Egypt. His reign is Amenhotep I#Dates and length of reign....
    , which supposedly fixes the year to either 1542 BC or 1517 BC, is misread, and instead should be understood as evidence for a reform in the Egyptian Calendar.


  • Papyrus Leiden I.350, which dates to the 52nd year of Ramesses II, records lunar observations that place that year of Ramesses' reign in one of 1278, 1253, 1228 or 1203 BC. Having questioned the value of the Ebers Papyrus, Rohl argues that since these lunar observations are accurate every twenty-five years, they could also indicate dates 300 years later.


Rohl bases his revised chronology (the New Chronology) on his interpretation of numerous archeological finds and genealogical records of several individuals. For example:

  • Rohl notes a gap in the stelae associated with the Apis
    Apis (Egyptian mythology)

    In Egyptian mythology, Apis or Hapis , was a bull-deity worshipped in the Memphis, Egypt region.According to Manetho, his worship was instituted by Kaiechos of the Second dynasty of Egypt....
     vaults at Saqqara
    Saqqara

    Saqqara or Sakkara, Saqqarah is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis, Egypt....
     for the 21st
    Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt

    The Twenty-First, Twenty-Second, Twenty-Third, Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Third Intermediate Period....
     and 22nd dynasties of Egypt
    Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt

    The Twenty-First, Twenty-Second, Twenty-Third, Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Third Intermediate Period....
    , which combined with the placement of coffins at the Royal Cache (TT 320) of coffins, shows these two dynasties were contemporary. He also offers an interpretation of the relationship of the tombs of Osorkon I
    Osorkon I

    The son of Shoshenq I and his chief consort, Karomat A, Osorkon I was the second king of Egypt's Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt and ruled around 922 BC-887 BC....
     and Psusennes I
    Psusennes I

    Psusennes I, or [Greek language ???s?????], Psibkhanno or Hor-Pasebakhaenniut I [Egyptian language ?r-p3-sb3-?ˁ?--n?wt] was the third Pharaoh of the Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt who ruled between 1047 – 1001 BC....
     at Tanis
    Tanis, Egypt

    Tanis , the Greek language name of ancient Djanet , is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of ancient Egypt. It lies on the Tanitic branch of the Nile ....
     that supports his theory.


  • Rohl offers inscriptions that list three non-royal genealogies which, when one equates one generation to an average of 20 years, proves Ramesses II flourished at the later time Rohl advocates.


Rejecting the Revised Chronology of Immanuel Velikovsky
Immanuel Velikovsky

Immanuel Velikovsky was a Russian-born American independent scholar, best known as the author of a number of controversial books reinterpreting the events of ancient history, in particular the US bestseller Worlds in Collision, published in 1950....
 and the Glasgow Chronology presented at the Society for Interdisciplinary Studies
Society for Interdisciplinary Studies

The Society for Interdisciplinary Studies is a membership-based organization "formed in 1974 in response to the growing interest in the works of modern catastrophism, notably the highly controversial Dr Immanuel Velikovsky"....
' 1978 'Ages in Chaos' conference, the New Chronology lowers the Egyptian dates (established within the traditional chronology) by up to 350 years at points prior to the universally accepted fixed date of 664 BC for the sacking of Thebes
Thebes, Egypt

Thebes was a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile . It was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian Nome ....
 by Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal

Ashurbanipal , the son of Esarhaddon, was the last great monarch of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. He established the first systematically organized library in the ancient Middle East, the Library of Ashurbanipal, which survives in part today at Nineveh....
.

While Rohl's theories have been rejected by many Egyptologists, Rohl's most vocal critic has been Professor Kenneth Kitchen
Kenneth Kitchen

Kenneth Anderson Kitchen is Personal and Brunner Professor Emeritus of Egyptology and Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies, University of Liverpool, England....
, formerly of Liverpool University. One of Kitchen's major objections to Rohls' arguments concerns his alleged omission of evidence that conflicts with Rohl's theories. Kitchen has pointed out that the genealogies Rohl references to date Ramesses II omit one or more names known from other inscriptions. Similarly, Egyptologists have pointed out that no other known king of Egypt fits the identification as well as Shoshenq I. Redating the floruit of Ramesses II three centuries later would not only reposition the date of the Battle of Qadesh and complicate the chronology of Hittite
Hittites

The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a Hittite language of the Anatolian languages of the Indo-European languages family, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia ca....
 history, it would require a less severe revision of the chronology of Assyria
Assyria

Assyria was a political state centered on the Upper Tigris river, in Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times in history....
n history prior to 664 BC.

Rohl's theory should not be confused with the theory advocated by Russian mathematician Anatoly Fomenko, which is also known as New Chronology
New Chronology (Fomenko)

The New Chronology is a theory which main contention is that the conventional chronology is fundamentally flawed. It also contains a reconstruction, a version of world chronology derived by methods of the theory....
. Although it involves a 1000-year shift, his theory covers much more than the chronology of ancient Egypt.

Identifications

Rohl identifies:
  • Amraphel
    Amraphel

    In the Tanakh or Old Testament, Amraphel was a king of Shinar in Genesis xiv.1 and 9, who invaded the west along with Chedorlaomer, king of Elamite Empire, and others, and defeated Sodom and the other Sodom and Gomorrah in the Battle of the vale of siddim....
     (Genesis 14) with Amar-Sin
    Amar-Sin

    Amar-Sin was the third ruler of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He succeeded his father Shulgi .Amar-Sin's reign is notable for his attempt at regenerating the ancient sites of Sumer....
    , king of Kish
    Kish

    Kish may refer to:...
     in Sumer
    Sumer

    Sumer was a civilization and a historical region located in Southern Iraq , known as the Cradle of civilization. It lasted from the first settlement of Eridu in the Ubaid period through the Uruk period and the Dynastic periods until the rise of Babylon in the early 2nd millennium BC....
     (1834-1825 BC/BCE by Rohl's chronology).
  • Tidal, King of Goyim/King of Nations (Genesis 14), with Tishdal, Hurrian ruler from the Zagros mountains.
  • Amenemhat III
    Amenemhat III

    Amenemhat III, also spelled Amenemhet III , was a pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. He ruled from ca.1860 BC to ca.1814 BC, the latest known date being found in a papyrus dated to Regnal Year 46, I Akhet 22 of his rule....
     with the Pharaoh of Joseph, and Joseph
    Joseph (Hebrew Bible)

    Joseph or Yosef , is a major figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible . He was Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first. He is also mentioned favourably in the Qur'an....
     with the Vizier
    Vizier

    A Vizier , is a term for a high-ranking political advisor or minister, often to a Muslim monarch such as a Caliph, or Sultan. It sometimes refers to ministers and advisors of the Persian Empire's Shahs....
     of Amenemhat III.
  • The "new king who did not know Joseph" in Exodus 1:8 is identified by Rohl with either Sobekhotep III
    Sobekhotep III

    Sobekhotep III was an Ancient Egypt king of the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt.Sobekhotep III is known from a high number of objects, although he is thought to have reigned for only three years....
     or Neferhotep I
    Neferhotep I

    King Neferhotep I was an Ancient Egypt Pharaoh of the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt and one of the most powerful kings of this dynasty. The Turin Canon assigns him a reign length of 11 years....
    .
  • Neferhotep I
    Neferhotep I

    King Neferhotep I was an Ancient Egypt Pharaoh of the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt and one of the most powerful kings of this dynasty. The Turin Canon assigns him a reign length of 11 years....
     with the adoptive grandfather of Moses
    Moses

    Moses is a Hebrew Bible Hebrews religious leader, lawgiver, prophet, to whom the Mosaic authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbeinu in Hebrew , he is the most important prophet in Judaism, and also an important prophet of Christianity, Islam, the Bah?'? Faith, Rastafari movement, Chrislam and many ot...
    .
  • Khanefere Sebekhotep IV
    Sobekhotep IV

    Sobekhotep IV Khaneferre was one of the most powerful Egyptian kings of the 13th Dynasty. He was the son of the 'god's father' Haankhef and of the 'king's mother' Kemi....
    , brother and successor of Neferhotep, with Khenephres, the Pharaoh from whom Moses fled to Midian
    Midian

    Midian was a land bordered by the Arabah between Moab and Elat and by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Its East had no borders.In Bible history, Midian was where Moses spent the 40 years between the time that he fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian who had been beating an Israelite, and his return for leading the Israelites....
    .
  • The Pharaoh of the Exodus
    Pharaoh of the Exodus

    In the Bible, the name of the Pharaoh of the Exodus is not given. He is simply called "Pharaoh." Muslims also believe in the exodus, as the story is told in the Muslim holy book the Qur'an , although some details of the story are different....
     with Tutimaios, known also as Dudimose
    Dudimose

    Dudimose was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. He was the last king of Egypt's Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt, during the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt....
    .
  • Ibni, Middle Bronze Age ruler of Hazor
    Hazor

    Hazor is the name of several places in the biblical and modern Israel:Biblical locations:* Tel Hazor, site of an ancient fortified city in the Upper Galilee, among the most important Caananite towns, and the largest ancient ruin in modern Israel and UNESCO World Heritage Site....
    , with Jabin
    Jabin

    Jabin is a Biblical name meaning 'discerner', or 'the wise'. It may refer to:* A king of Hazor, at the time of the entrance of Israel into Canaan , whose overthrow and that of the northern chief with whom he had entered into a confederacy against Joshua was the crowning act in the conquest of the land ....
    , king of Hazor in Joshua 11:10.
  • Sheshi
    Sheshi

    Maaibre Sheshi was a pharaoh of Egypt during Egypt's fragmented Second Intermediate Period. Sheshi is difficult to precisely place chronologically....
    , a Hyksos
    Hyksos

    The Hyksos were an Asiatic people who invaded the eastern Nile Delta, in the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt initiating the Second Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt....
     ruler, with Sheshai
    Sheshai

    Sheshai was a clan of Anakim living in Hebron named for a son of Anak in the Holy Bible . The clans were driven out of the city by Caleb and the Tribe of Judah ....
    , a ruler of Hebron
    Hebron

    Hebron is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south, 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is home to some 166,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Israelis....
     descended from Anak
    Anak

    According to the Book of Numbers, during the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites, Anak was a well known figure, and a forefather of the Anakites who have been considered strong and tall descendants of the Nephilim ....
     (Joshua 15:13-15).
  • Akish
    Akish

    According to the Book of Mormon, Akish was a prominent figure in the society of the Jaredites, as related in the Book of Ether. In the book's narrative, Akish first established secret combinations among the Jaredites after they came to the Promised Land....
     or Achish
    Achish

    Achish is a name used in the Hebrew Bible for two Philistines rulers of Gath . It may mean "angry," and is perhaps only a general title of royalty, applicable to the Philistine kings....
    , king of Gath, is identified with Šuwardata
    Šuwardata

    ?uwardata, also ?uardatu, was the 'mayor' of Qiltu, during the 1350 BC-1335 BC Amarna letters Text corpus. ?uwardata was the author of 8 letters to the Ancient Egypt pharaoh....
    , King of Gath in the Amarna letters. Akish is believed to be a shortened form of the Hurrian name Akishimige, "the Sun God has given." Shuwardata is an Indo-European
    Indo-European languages

    The Indo-European languages are a Language family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau , Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent ....
     name meaning "the Sun God has given."
  • Aziru
    Aziru

    Aziru was the Canaanite ruler of Amurru, modern Lebanon, in the 14th century BC. He was the son of Abdi-Ashirta, the previous Egyptian vassal of Amurru and a direct contemporary of Akhenaten....
     of the Amarna Letters is identified with Hadadezer
    Hadadezer bar Rehob

    Hadadezer the son of Rehob was king of the Aramaean kingdom of Zobah during the early tenth century BCE. According to II Samuel, Hadadezer allied with the Ammon against King David of Kingdom of Israel but was defeated....
    , Syrian king in II Samuel.
  • Labayu, a ruler in the Amarna Letters
    Amarna letters

    The Amarna letters are an archive of correspondence on clay tablets, mostly diplomatic, between the Ancient Egypt administration and its representatives in Canaan and Amurru during the New Kingdom....
    , with King Saul.
  • King David with Dadua in Amarna Letter EA256.
  • Mutbaal
    Mutbaal

    Mutbaal was a Canaan king of the Amarna period. He is identified in the Amarna letters as a son of Labaya, the ruler of Shechem.Mutbaal may be the son whose association with the Habiru raiders Labaya denounced in EA 254....
    , writer of the letter, is identified with Ishbaal (aka Ishbosheth). The two names have exactly the same meaning: "Man of Baal."
  • Benemina, also mentioned in EA256, is identified by Rohl with Baanah, Israelite chieftain in II Samuel 4, who would later betray and assassinate Ishbosheth.
  • Yishuya, also mentioned in EA256, is identified with Jesse
    Jesse

    Jesse or Yishay is the father of the Biblical David, who became the king of the nation of Israel. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse" ....
     (Ishai in Hebrew), father of David.
  • Ayab, the subject of EA 256, is held to be the same as the Biblical Yoav (English "Joab
    Joab

    Joab was the nephew of King David, the son of Zeruiah in the Bible. He was made the captain of David's army . He had two brothers, Abishai and Asahel....
    ").
  • Horemheb
    Horemheb

    Horemheb was the last Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt from 1319 BC to late 1292 BC, although he was not related to the preceding royal family and is believed to have been of common birth....
     is identified with the Pharaoh who destroyed Gezer
    Gezer

    Gezer was a town in ancient History of ancient Israel and Judah. Scholars believe that Gezer is Tel Gezer , a site around midway on the route between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv....
     and later gave it to Solomon
    Solomon

    Solomon is a figure described in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. The biblical accounts identify Solomon as the son of David. He is also called Jedidiah in the Tanakh , and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah split; following th...
    , together with one of his daughters as a wife. When Horemhab took Gezer he was not yet the ruler, but was acting under Tutankhamun
    Tutankhamun

    Tutankhamun , Egyptian language was an Ancient Egypt Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt , during the period of History of Egypt known as the New Kingdom....
    . However, he became Pharaoh not long after, and Tutankhamun died too young to have left any marriageable daughters.
  • Ramses II (hypocoristicon = Shysha) with Shishak in the Bible.


Rohl's revised chronology of Pharaohs

Dates proposed by Rohl for various Egyptian monarchs:
  • Wegaf
    Wegaf

    Khutawyre Wegaf was an Egyptian king of the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt who is known from several sources, including a stelae and statues. There is a general known from a scarab with the same name who is perhaps identical with this king....
     : 1632-1630 BCE
  • Dudimose
    Dudimose

    Dudimose was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. He was the last king of Egypt's Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt, during the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt....
     : 1450-1446 BCE. The Exodus
    Exodus

    Exodus is the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament. It tells how Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the Mountain of God Sinai....
     took place in 1447 BCE in Rohl's chronology.
  • Ahmose I
    Ahmose I

    Ahmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. He was a member of the Thebes, Egypt royal house, the son of pharaoh Tao II the Brave and brother of the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt, King Kamose....
     : 1194-1170 BCE. The end of the Hyksos
    Hyksos

    The Hyksos were an Asiatic people who invaded the eastern Nile Delta, in the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt initiating the Second Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt....
     rule at Awaris
    Avaris

    Avaris , was located near modern Tell el-Dab'a in the northeastern region of the Nile Delta. As the main course of the Nile migrated eastward and the delta sedimented up and moved with the river, its position at the hub of Egypt's delta emporia made it a major administrative capital of the Hyksos "Phoenician kings" and other traders....
     took place in 1183 BCE, according to Rohl.
  • Amenhotep I
    Amenhotep I

    Amenhotep I was the second Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt of History of Ancient Egypt. His reign is Amenhotep I#Dates and length of reign....
     : 1170-1150 BCE
  • Ramses II : 944-878 BCE


Garden of Eden


In addition to his theories on Egypt, Rohl has put forth other theories related to the Old Testament. In his published work, Legend: The Genesis of Civilisation, he posits a location for the Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden is a location described in the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam , and his wife, Eve , lived after they were created by God....
 in Iranian Azarbaijan, south-east of Tabriz
Tabriz

Tabriz is the largest city in northwestern Iran. It is situated north of the volcanic cone of Sahand, south of the Eynali mountain. It is the capital of East Azarbaijan Province....
. In the same work, he assumes a local flood theory for the Genesis Flood
Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is a large vessel featured in the mythology of Abrahamic religions. Narratives that include the Ark are found in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an ....
, positing that the biblical reference to the covering of "all the high mountains" is merely a description of the flooding of cities in the plains of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is the area of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern Iraq, as well as some parts of northeastern Syria, some parts of southeastern Turkey, and some parts of the Khuzestan Province of southwestern Iran....
 on the basis that the Hebrew word 'har' does not just mean 'mountain' but also 'hill' and 'city mound'.

Writings



Published Books

  • Published in the U.S. as * Published in paperback as

Videos

  • Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest, 1995.
  • In Search of Eden, 2002.
  • The Bible: Myth or Reality, 2005.


See also

  • Glasgow Chronology


Footnotes


External links

  • (originally published in KMT)