Bible Archeology Discoveries

Ipuwer Papyrus
Discovered: Leiden, Netherlands
From: (c. 1450 BC)

The Ipuwer Papyrus is housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Leiden, Netherlands. The manuscript was discovered in Memphis, Egypt. The Papyrus is a lengthy scroll written in heiratic text, dating to circa 13th century BC. It is known to be a copy of an earlier work, but when the original was written is a mystery. Dating is merely guesswork, generally ranging from the early 2000s to the 1500s BC. (the latter end of the spectrum more closely aligns with the biblical date for the Exodus).

The Ipuwer Papyrus was written by a royal Egyptian scribe of that name. He tells a lengthy story of absolute calamity befalling Egypt. Many of the references within the papyrus are strikingly similar to the biblical account of the 10 plagues as well as other elements of the Exodus account. Many believe it to be merely a fictional account, although still a literary masterpiece. Others believe it may have been somewhat based on a real tragedy. Those "experts" who believe the Exodus account to have been fiction are, of course, unwilling to accept the notion of any parallels.

Added to the common dismissal by some is the dating for the papyrus. It is assumed to be much older than the time frame for the events culminating in the Exodus. However, that is not entirely accurate, since researchers simply don’t know the original dating for this document. it varies across many hundreds of years, with the latter dates aligning with the events of the Exodus. As shown in the summary link below, both documents complement each other very well indeed. A river that became blood. Pestilence. Destruction of crops, livestock and buildings. Fire and darkness. Healthy offspring dying. Slaves taking the riches of their masters and a shepherd people whose presence in the land ended in catastrophe.

Ipuwer and Exodus

"Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.
And thou shalt say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened.
Thus saith Jehovah, In this thou shalt know that I am Jehovah: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river."
Exodus 7:15-18

Select Pages

- page 26 of 71 -

Notable Finds

Much of what is described in Bible text is lost to history, requiring readers to assume the historicity of the scriptures.

However, many of the places and events described in the Old and New Testaments are periodically corroborated by archeological finds.

Some finds simply help us to better understand things from the ancient world. However, others provide important evidence as to the truth of scripture regarding things about which there had previously been skepticism.

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