Joseph's famine early not late

Discussion about the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, archaeology, etc.
Post Reply
Japhethite
Posts: 88
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2015 2:39 am

Joseph's famine early not late

Post by Japhethite »

In our net/web postings about Joseph & Jacob being in the 3rd & 4th dynasties of Egypt many people refuse to consider our details matches evidences or synchronisms possible, and many keep contending that Joseph was in other later dynasties especially the 11th/12th (Courville, Rohl) or 15th/16th (conventional) or 18th/19th (some unconventional theorists). On again puzzling at why conventional scholars and others never accept any of our matches as even possible, and puzzling how to find/provide even more stark proofs/evidences one idea that occurred is that if Joseph's famine was worldwide as the bible says then surely this event can be shown to not match all the other suggested dynasties and to match ours. So this resulting post is an attempt to show evidences for Joseph's famine being early not late. Note particularly the Egyptian, Mesopotamian and prehistoric European ones.

This is a list of possible matches for Joseph's 7 yrs famine/drought in nations around the world. We can't be totally certain that all of them are Joseph's famine and not other later/earlier ones, but a lot of them do seem to match.
These other versions help to (1) confirm that the famine was for 7 yrs (rather than 7 just being a symbolic number for many years), (2) that the famine was worldwide like the bible says (rather than just the ancient known world), (3) confirm that Joseph was early in Egyptian history (3rd dynasty (Wyatt etc) not later 12th (Rohl) or 15th (conventional) or 18th dynasty), (4) confirm that the bible history is true (not "myth").

Greek/Hyperborean:
Abaris went around world without eating (Hyperborea)?

Greek/Hellenic/Classical:
Abduction of Persephone/Kore, life shrivels & dies, dry summer, grain stored in silos, Demeter wanders earth.
"During the 7 yrs that followed not a drop of rain fell in Thera, & every tree on the island, except 1, withered & died" (Herodotus).
Some compare Thales?
"Ethiopians came from the Silver Age"?

Classical Greek/Lydian (Turkey)/Etruscan (Italy) :
In reign of Atys son of Manes the whole of Lydia suffered from a famine (Herodotus).

Hittite (Asia Minor / Anatolia/Turkey) :
Telipinu disappeared, trees withered, springs dried up, famine crept over world.

Egyptian/UAR:
7 yrs drought/famine of Djoser/Zoser (3rd dyn, Sehel/Philae inscription). Imhotep in this story may be Joseph. [The story has the plenty & famine in reverse order to bible.]

Egyptian & prehistoric European/Swiss/Danubian:
Egyptian wheat found in Swiss lake dwellings built on dried up lake shores (Western neolithic). (Western neolithic synchronous with Merimde of predynastic Egypt, ref Childe. Danubian neolithics had a 7 yrs cycle/period. The meanings of the names of the sons of Japheth in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 have seeming matches with the prehistoric European cultures (see table) and in this scenario Elishah "God of salvation" might match the Danubian or Western neolithic and Joseph's famine.)
These tentative matchs between Biblical and prehistoric (European) cultures might also confirm Joseph matching neolithic:
Cambrian explosion - Creation?
Cretaceous - flood?
Paleolithic/Cromagnon/Capelid - hunter Nimrod
Mesolithic/Azil - Beersheba/Abraham (Zehren)
Neolithic - Joseph
Megalithic - Og/Moses
Stonehenge/Wessex - Gilgal/Joshua
Hallstatt - Gezer/Solomon?
iron - Elisha.

Egyptian:
Models of granaries in Old Kingdom tombs (3rd-6th dyn).
Unas famine scenes near to pyramid complexes of Djoser & Sekhemhet (5th dyn).
Grain storage bins in Step Pyramid complex of Djoser (3rd dyn, ref Wyatt).
The Bent Pyramid may represent the 7 yrs plenty & 7 yrs famine (3rd-4th dyn)?
"The Myth of the Heavenly Cow speaks of a great famine, which necessarily entails a failure of the inundation and the death of the population because they had no fresh water to drink."
The myth of Hathor & Sekhmet slaying men = "plagues & starvation which accompan the dry season immediately preced the rise of the river."

Egyptian & Arab/Muslim:
The fire & flood of Surid (Masoudi) may match the plenty & famine of Joseph (3rd/4th dyn)? (Surid is either Soris/Seris/Ser or Sharu. Seris may match Djoser/Zoser/Ser.)

Egyptian:
Old Kingdom legends claim the 2nd dynasty king Neferkasokar saved Egypt from a long lasting drought.

Egyptian & geological/prehistoric European:
The 2 droughts between the Ice Age(s) and the 1st dynasty in Cambridge Ancient History might match the ones of Abraham and/or Isaac and/or Jacob/Joseph in the bible, and they might have really been contemporary with the early dynasties? (These droughts/famines might have been linked with post-flood unstable climate?) Alternatively, the famines of Abraham, Isaac & Joseph might be linked with the 3/4 glacial or interglacial periods?

Egyptian:
Joseph's famine was worldwide. The 4th dynasty has a global air/feel to it, eg the Great Pyramid's encoded geodesic info.
The Qebeh "cool" name of Shepseskaf's pyramid might be from post-famine climate (4th dyn)?
Shu "dryness, air" is the 3rd of the 10 god-kings (and the god-kings might be parallel with the dynasties).
The match of the 3 reincarnations of Jewish tradition with the 3 Hermes of Egyptian tradition, and the match of the latter with the 3 kingdoms of Egyptology might confirm that Joseph is Old Kingdom, Moses Middle Kingdom, and David New Kingdom.
3 reincarnations: Seth (Shem/Abraham/Joseph), Moses, Samuel.
3 Hermes: Set, Shu/Num, Thoth.
3 kingdoms: Old, Middle, New.

Ethiopian/Abyssinian/Cushite & Egyptian? :
"The country that Anayer had come from had been afflicted by 7 yrs of famine" (Ethiopian, Hancock). Anayer is said to have been a grandson of Canaan. He meet the founder of the Falasha religion (Abraham? Moses?) Anayer might match Anat-her (14th/15th/16th dyn)?

Egyptian & Biblical:
Joseph in the 3rd-4th dynasty fits with other Egyptian-Biblical matches before and after such as Abraham in te 1st dynasty (see table).

Egyptian & Mesopotamian:
4.2 kilo year event: "A worldwide famine has been dated beginning about 2200 BC and lasted for 100 years." (Though they claim this coincided with the 6th dynasty and the Akkadian empire.)

Canaanite/Palestine:
Drought at Jericho between Natufian & Munhata/Yarmukian phases might be one of Abraham or Isaac or Joseph.

Phoenician (Lebanon)/Ugaritic (Syria)/Canaanite (Israel/Palestine):
"There are several references to seven-year periods in texts from Ugarit.... One text refers to a seven-year period of abundance, another to a 7-year drought."
Where/after they mention Genos and Genea they then mention great drought(s) and praying/worship of Beel-samin.
Mot (sterility/drought/death) slays Baal, 7 yrs drought/sterility. "Also in the Baal Myth: 7 years the god is abundant…." "Baal defeats Mot and fertility reigns for 7 years (7 good years), but then Mot re-emerges again, bringing drought, famine and death."
Salem & Sahar huge appetites, spend 7 yrs amoung crops/pasture while food accumulates in barns.
In the Aqhat Legend: "7 years has Baal failed, 8 [years] he who rides upon the clouds; No dew, no clouds, no upsurging [of water] from the deeps [to provide water for wells], no goodly voice of Baal."
In the Ugaritic Aqhat Legend, Danel (father of Aqhat) is foretold: "the farmer’s nightmare: drought! But this is no ordinary drought. For an epic 7 years neither dew nor rain will fall; the wells, deriving their water from the subterranean deeps, will dry-up, as will the riverbeds."
Danel puts 7 yr curse on earth?
Drought Keret (2 wives, 7 sons)?

Yemen/Aden/Himyar/Hadhramaut/South Arabian:
A Yemenite inscription of Tajah daughter of Dzu Shefar of Hamyar allegedly mentions famine & Joseph (ref Grant Jeffrey)?

Mesopotamian/Iraq:
"have you saved grain, yes for 7 yrs", Gudana "the Bull of Heaven" causes 7 years famine (Epic of Gilgamesh). (Humbaba in the Epic may be Hobah in Genesis 14.)
Descent of Ishtar, dry, dusty, vizier, 7 gates/judges, on earth springs of fertility ran dry, Ea secured her release by means of a brilliant Eunuch which captivated the heart of the mistress of infertility & death.
In the Atrahasis Epic we read ".... Let the fig tree be cut off from the people; in their bellies let vegetables be wanting. Above let Adad make scarce his rain.... (there then followed 7 harsh years/periods/series of famine.)" (Ref Alford.)
"Would that famine had wasted the world rather than the flood."
"In later Sumerian as in old Babylonian writings flood and deluge are sent by the gods along with equally catastropic visitations of plague, drought and famine."
Granaries of Lagash (Childe)?

Iranian/Persian:
During the reign of Afrasiyab, king of Turan, over Persia, it did not rain for 8 years (Pishdadid dynasty).
Apaosha demon of drought vs Tishtriya/Tir (Sirius/Sothis).

Indian/Hindu:
Vritra/Ahi/drought (7 heads) versus Indra.
"Once the earth was deprived of moisture, Ganges/Ganga washing only sky, land filled with ashes, to put an end to this terrible drought ... sought to bring the Ganges out of heaven".
Jahnu "flood" and drought about right/same early time.
Prithu/Prithivi (earth goddess) famine/drought myth.
Granaries Mohenjodaro/Harappa (Indus Valley civilisation)?

Samoyed/Vogul (Eurasian) :
"After seven years of drought, the Great Woman said to the Great Man that rains had come elsewhere; how should they save themselves. The Great Man counselled the other giants to make boats from cut poplars, anchor them with ropes of willow roots 500 fathoms long, and provide them with seven days of food and with pots of melted butter to grease the ropes. Those who did not make all the preparations perished when the waters came. After seven days, the waters sank. But all plants and animals had perished, even the fish."

Mongol/Tatar/Turk:
Famine myth of 7 suns (6 suns & 7th sun).

Chinese:
Ch'en T'ang 1765-1752 (Shang/Yin dynasty) In his reign China suffered from seven years of famine, shortly before that of Egypt (Jackson's "Chronology of Most Ancient Nations", vol. II, 455).

Japanese:
A source seemingly implies that Joseph's famine is found in myth of Yamasachihiko.

Polynesian/Oceanic/Pacific:
The great drought of Ta'aroa.

Huron American Indian:
Tsenta (Set?) made life possible on earth by defeating the Great Frog which had swallowed all the (deluge) waters and returning them to the rivers and valleys.

Cherokee American Indian:
The sun-goddess hated people and cursed them with a great drought (Flem-Ath.)

Mexican:
In the 4th age a great famine prevailed (DA MacKenzie)?
Tollan stricken by drought & then famine, all rivers and wells dry up, grainaries invaded by vermin. (Pears.)

Peruvian/Andean:
Deluge followed by a famine (though this could also/alternatively be the lack of food after the Flood)?
"Lonnie G. Thompson of Ohio State University and his colleagues found a dust spike preserved in a Peruvian mountain glacier that marks "a major drought" in the Amazon Basin about 2200 B.C., give or take 200 years."
Con transformed their land into desert where no rain ever fell?

Dogon African:
The dry and barren earth in the Nommo and Ogo/Yurugg story of Dogon (Sirius) myth might relate?

Yoruba (West Africa) :
Ifa left earth whereupon famine descended.

Rhodesian:
"then Mwuetsi sickened: rain didn't fall, plants withered, streams ran dry, animals and people died."

Bambara:
Faro (vs Teliko/desert wind) came to earth after long period of drought during which most living things died (ref: M Jordan)?

Norse/Germanic:
7 Fimbul weathers/winters?
The giant Hrungnir "hunger"?
Thor drinks the sea lowering sea levels? (Matches Ice Ages?)

Celtic/Arthurian/British:
"Artorious Rex Discovered also mentions the great pestilence in Britain when all plants and vegetation died, and all men, animals, birds, fish and even reptiles, and the whole population fled to Brittany until it was safe to return Page 128 Artorious Rex Discovered"?

Criticisms that "there were many famines/droughts in Egyptian history" don't disprove/prove anything much. There were not many 7 yrs famines or many worldwide famines. We can rule in or our which droughts/famines do or don't match with all the details of the Joseph story. Moreover we can match the famines/droughts of Biblical with the ones of Egyptian.
Rohl's correspondence of the 7 yrs famine of Joseph with the 12 yrs flood of the 12th dynasty is dubious.

List of droughts/famines in Egyptian:
Shu "dryness, hot, air"?
Busiris one (9 yrs).
Seth "desert, sterility"?
2 droughts between iceage and 1st dynasty.
Egyptian wheat in Lake Dwellings ("prehistoric").
"Scorpion"?
Uenephes/Ata/Semti great famine 1st dyn (Bey, Clayton).
Neferkasokar saved Egypt from a long drought (2nd dyn).
Surid "fire" 3rd-4th dyn?
Djoser/Zoser 7 yrs drought/famine 3rd dyn.
Unas famine scenes 5th dyn.
models of granaries in Old Kingdom tombs 4th-6th dyn.
8 famines attributed to the "Dark Age" immediately following the collapse of the Old Kingdom.
A king of 9th dyn was Kaneferre, a famine in his reign.
Ipuwer papyrus famine "FIP or SIP"?
9 famines attributed to the period from the Dark Age to the reunification of Egypt under Mentuhotep I.
"7 empty years" or 7 yrs anarchy between end 11 & beg 12th dyn (Mentuhotep?).
'hungry rock' Hapy failed to come period 7 yrs, grain scant
none hungered/thirsted Amenemhet 1?
Mentuhotep distributed food/grain 12th dyn (Montgomery, Courville)?
"years of famine" Ameny (Senusret 1) 12th dyn.
famine Amenemhat Beni Hasan?
12 yrs flood 12th dyn (Rohl, Alford).
Ipuwer papyrus famine "FIP or SIP"?
"many years" famine, Beba (Seqenenre), 17th dyn?
("7 year famine Amenhotep 1"?)
stick figures / famine Tuthmosis 3, 18th dyn.
Amarna 3 yrs 18th dyn (refs BBC, Velikovsky, Lehman, Jim, etc).
Granaries/silos at Piramses & Pithom (19th dyn).
drought & famine 19th dyn ((Ramses &) Merneptah?)
seed of Israel (Merneptah Stele)?
Libya burnt up in Atlantis Account (Libya first mentioned in 19th dyn)?
13 fatal yrs 19th-20th dyn?
"upset weather conditions, Canopus inscription 240s"?

List of droughts/famines in Biblical:
"scarcity of food after Flood"?
Elishah's name meaning may be connected with Joseph's famine?
Abraham's famine ca 5 yrs.
Isaac's famine.
Joseph 7 yrs famine.
Ruth 10 yrs.
David 3 yrs.
Drought & famine in "13th cent bc" "late 2nd millenium bc" (date too long/early).
Elijah 3 & a 1/2 yrs (1 Ki 18).
dearth Elisha 2 Ki 4.
great famine Elisha 2 Ki 6.
7 yrs famine Elisha 2 Ki 8.
drought Haggai 1:11.
famine in Acts/Josephus.
40 hour famine (modern).
black horseman of Apocalypse/Revelation (though may only be inflation not "famine" as supposed).

There are of course alot more horizontal details matches evidences of persons, places, etc in the Joseph & Jacob story with the 2nd/3rd to 4th/5th dynasties period (and also other matches of Biblical & Egyptian persons/events before and after Joseph & the 3rd-4th dynasties), and lots of other vertical Egyptian chronological evidences, but they are too many/long to include here and are covered in articles of ours elsewhere.

Any one is free/welcome to discuss any of our famine/Joseph matches or any other famine/Joseph matches of your own or of others. Though I am particularly interested in confirming the 3rd-4th dynasty placement.
Post Reply