David Rohl

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David M. Rohl (born 12 September 1950) is a British Egyptologist and historian who has put forth several controversial theories concerning the chronology of Ancient Egypt and Israel. He was born in Manchester and currently lives in the Marina Alta, Spain.

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[edit] 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 on King Farouk's paddle-steamer.

He first worked as a rock 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 as well as being awarded his degree in Ancient History and Egyptology. Rohl started work towards his doctorate in 1990, but it is unclear if he has been granted this advanced degree. He is a past President of the Sussex Egyptology Society (SES) and edits the Eastern Desert Survey Report. He excavated at Kadesh in Syria 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 (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 in the UK, and spring 1996 on The Learning Channel/Discovery in the USA.

[edit] Theories

[edit] Egypt

His published works A Test of Time and Legend set forth Rohl's theories for dating Egyptian kings of the 19th through 25th Dynasties, which would require a major revision of the conventional 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 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 which happened during the reign of Amenhotep IV and was observed in the city of Ugarit. 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:

  • 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 vaults at Saqqara for the 21st and 22nd dynasties of Egypt, 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 and Psusennes I at Tanis 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 and the Glasgow Chronology presented at the Society for Interdisciplinary Studies' 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 by Ashurbanipal.

While Rohl's theories have been rejected by many Egyptologists, Rohl's most vocal critic has been Professor Kenneth Kitchen, 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.[1] Similarly, Egyptologists have pointed out that no other known king of Egypt fits the identification as well as Shoshenq I.[citation needed] 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 history, it would require a less severe revision of the chronology of Assyrian 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. Although it involves a 1000-year shift, his theory covers much more than the chronology of ancient Egypt.

[edit] Identifications

Rohl identifies:

  • Amenemhat III with the Pharaoh of Joseph, and Joseph with the Vizier of Amenemhat III.
  • The "new king who did not know Joseph" in Exodus 1:8 is identified by Rohl with either Sobekhotep III or Neferhotep I.
  • Neferhotep I with the adoptive grandfather of Moses.
  • Khanefere Sebekhotep IV, brother and successor of Neferhotep, with Khenephres, the Pharaoh from whom Moses fled to Midian.
  • The Pharaoh of the Exodus with Tutimaios, known also as Dudimose.
  • Ibni, Middle Bronze Age ruler of Hazor, with Jabin, king of Hazor in Joshua 11:10.
  • Sheshi, a Hyksos ruler, with Sheshai, a ruler of Hebron descended from Anak (Joshua 15:13-15).
  • Akish or Achish, king of Gath, is identified with Šuwardata, 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 name meaning "the Sun God has given."
  • Aziru of the Amarna Letters is identified with Hadadezer, Syrian king in II Samuel.
  • Labayu, a ruler in the Amarna Letters, with King Saul.
  • King David with Dadua in Amarna Letter EA256.
  • Mutbalu, 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 (Ishai in Hebrew), father of David.
  • Ayab, the subject of EA 256, is held to be the same as the Biblical Yoav (English "Joab").
  • Horemheb is identified with the Pharaoh who destroyed Gezer and later gave it to Solomon, together with one of his daughters as a wife. When Horemhab took Gezer he was not yet the ruler, but was acting under Tutankhamun. 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.

[edit] Rohl's revised chronology of Pharaohs

Dates proposed by Rohl for various Egyptian monarchs:

Gan Eden after Rohl
Gan Eden after Rohl

[edit] 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 in Iranian Azarbaijan, south-east of Tabriz. In the same work, he assumes a local flood theory for the Genesis Flood, 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 on the basis that the Hebrew word 'har' does not just mean 'mountain' but also 'hill' and 'city mound'.

[edit] Writings

[edit] Published Books

  • A Test of Time: The Bible - from Myth to History, 1995; U.S. edition: Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest, 1996. ISBN 0609801309
  • Legend: The Genesis of Civilisation, 1998.
  • The Lost Testament: The Story of the Children of Yahweh, 2002; Paperback edition: From Eden to Exile: The Epic History of the People of the Bible, 2003.
  • The Lords of Avaris: Uncovering the Legendary Origins of Western Civilisation (2007)

[edit] Videos

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

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ As reported in J.G. van der Land, "Pharaohs and the Bible: David Rohl's chronology untenable" (accessed 27 January 2007

[edit] External links