The Identification Of Pharaoh During The Time Of Moses
Islamic Awareness
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First Composed: 7th September 2008
Last Updated: 4th January 2012
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Assalamu Ężalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu: 1. Introduction
Created for the purpose of evangelising the native peoples the colonialists were encountering as they expanded across the globe, the missions of the Christian missionaries were one of the breeding grounds for biblical archaeology in the nineteenth century[1] - and remain so until this present day. Although the earliest excavations in Egypt were not purposely developed with the intention to underwrite the biblical narrative, scholars were cognizant of the fact that ancient Egypt had been mentioned in the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Genesis and Exodus.[2] As the mass excavation of Egypt beckoned, the colonial powers rushed forth to analyze a country full of ancient treasures spanning different religions and cultures over several millennia. In Victorian Britain much of the popular interest revolved around the ancient Egyptian connections with the Bible, especially the Exodus narrative. It is in such a context that Amelia Edwards, an amateur Egyptologist, and Reginald Stuart Poole of the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum, founded the Egypt Exploration Fund (now Egypt Exploration Society) in 1882.[3] Many of the early financial donors to the fund were from the clergy and those interested in finding archaeological evidence that would support the biblical narratives in