Page 367 - Four Thousand Years Ago by Geoffrey Bibby

314 Bronze and Iron [1300-1230 b.c.]

news. The towns had been stormed, Ascalon and Gaza were
taken by the enemy, the whole of south Canaan was in Israeli
hands, the troops of Judah held all the coast from Joppa to the
Egyptian frontier—and the Egyptians had recognized the new
rulers. Though many of the troops had escaped in the naval
vessels which had remained to take them off, and were full of
plans to regain the lost cities, the old men shook their heads.
They knew that this was the end. Israel was there to stay.

THIS SCENE, TAKEN FROM AN IVORY INLAY FOUND AT MEGIDDO IN
NORTH PALESTINE, SHOWS PRISONERS OF WAR BEING ESCORTED BE­
FORE A CANAANITE KING. IT IS DATED TO THE EARLY TWELFTH CEN­
TURY, AND IS THUS CONTEMPORARY WITH THE WARS BETWEEN THE
CANAANITES AND THE ISRAELITES FOR DOMINION OVER PALESTINE.

It has long been agreed that the Exodus is a historical fact.
While the only written authority for it is the Old Testament
(which was admittedly first written down some six hundred
years later), the very detailed and circumstantial account given
in the Pentateuch and in Joshua agrees so closely with the
archaeological record that there seems to be little reason to
doubt that the conquest of Palestine by the Israelites did in fact
proceed as there described. The only major point at issue is the
date. The evidence seems strongly in favor of Seti I being the
pharaoh who knew not Joseph, and his son Barneses II the phar­
aoh who let Mosess people go. (Earlier and later dates, which
would make the two pharaohs either Akhenaten and Horemheb