Archeologists have found an ancient site that may have connections to the Book of Exodus in the Bible and a long lost ancient city in Egypt.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities recently announced the discovery during an excavation of Tell Abu Siefi in northeastern Egypt that may be the city of Mesen, Fox News reported Thursday.
“The site once stood along the Horus Military Road, a strategic route connecting Egypt with Sinai and Canaan, which some scholars have linked to the ‘way of the land of the Philistines’ in the Book of Exodus,” the article reads. “As Exodus details, the Israelites fled Egypt under Moses but were led away from the more direct route through the land of the Philistines, despite it being the shorter path toward Canaan.”
Archeologists uncovered a stone beam, also referred to as a lintel, featuring the name of the Egyptian ruler, Ramses (or Rameses) II, who has been linked to Moses.
His reign was the second longest in Egypt’s history. “In addition to his wars with the Hittites and Libyans, he is known for his extensive building programs and for the many colossal statues of him found all over Egypt,” according to Britannica.
An inscription on the lintel referred to the restoration of a statue of Horus, known as “Lord of the City of Mesen,” the Fox article noted.
Horus was an Egyptian god who took the form of a falcon, and Britannica noted that “Falcon cults, which were in evidence from late predynastic times, were widespread in Egypt.”
Archeologists also found a the remains of a fortified temple complex, two stone roads, pieces of falcon statues, and more sculptures.
“Mahmoud Galal, head of the archaeological mission, said excavations also uncovered a collection of finds with administrative and military significance,” Arab News reported. “He said the results of the latest excavation season, together with previous discoveries, supported the hypothesis that Tell Abu Seifi was associated with the ancient Egyptian city of Mesen, which is mentioned in Egyptian sources dating to the New Kingdom.”
In 2024, archeologists unearthed an ancient sword that may have belonged to the army of Ramses II, Breitbart News reported. More recently, archeologists found a statue believed to depict Ramses II that weighed between five and six tons, according to Fox.