Exodus: Escaping Egypt

The actuality of the Exodus has generated much discussion and argument throughout the centuries. The fact that the Exodus is not referred to in Egyptian documents or inscriptions does not in any way mean that it didn’t take place. The Egyptians were masters of spin and never held back in rewriting their own history to maintain the universal balance that was Ma’at. There are no lengthy accounts of battles lost, no stories of plague or famines; they simply ignored them; in fact, to the Egyptian mind, to write something down was to give it life and power. With the death and destruction brought about by the earthquakes that hit the Eastern Delta, Pharaoh was only too keen to let Moses and his followers go. According to the Bible, the proto-Israelites were given everything that they might need for their journey, including gold and silver; such was the urgency of the Egyptians to get rid of them. But how did they leave? Which way did they go to escape Egypt’s boundaries? If the reality of the Exodus has raised questions, then even more so has the route taken by Moses and his followers. Many theories as to the actual route out of Egypt have been put forward without much clarity. Let us investigate the possible course taken by Moses and the proto-Israelites from after the tenth plague to the point that they exited Egypt and began their journey across the Sinai. Let us look at these first stations of the Exodus from Egypt with a 21st-century eye and, through a mixture of modern and ancient thinking, derive a hypothesis as to why and where these events took place.

We’re excited to be joined once again by special Ancient Origins contributor, author, and expert Ted Loukes for an exploration into the mysteries of the past.

Ted Loukes is an independent researcher in the field of ancient civilizations. He has been on a voyage of discovery for over forty years, questioning man's origins by digging through ancient texts, inscriptions, myths and legends. His particular fascination with Ancient Egypt began in 1972 with a visit to the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition, held at the British Museum. His book Moses and Akhenaten: Brothers in Alms grew from a single page blog post to a two-and-a-half-year project that incorporated several field trips to Egypt herself. This passion led to the forming of GnT Tours, specializing in small private tours in Luxor focusing on the archaeology and Egyptology of the Tombs & Temples of Ancient Egypt.