New Inscription of a Biblical Pharaoh May Solve a Thousands-of-Years-Old Mystery
Archaeologists in Egypt have announced a discovery that could resolve a long-standing historical mystery. During excavations at Tel Abu Seifi, near the Suez Canal, a sandstone lintel fragment was found featuring an inscription that mentions the ancient city of Mesen. The artifact bears the titles of Ramesses II and documents the restoration of a statue of Horus.
Archaeologists in Egypt announced over the weekend a discovery that may solve a long-standing historical mystery: during excavations at Tel Abu Seifi in Qantara Sharqiya, near the Suez Canal, a part of a sandstone lintel was discovered with an inscription mentioning the ancient city of Mesen. The inscription bears the titles of Ramesses II, associated with the biblical pharaoh, and tells of the restoration of a statue of Horus, described as the "Lord of the city of Mesen." The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities emphasizes that this is a significant piece of evidence, but not yet definitive proof that the lost city was indeed located at the site.
For more than a hundred years, researchers have tried to understand where exactly Mesen was located. The city's name is known from ancient Egyptian inscriptions, but its identification on the ground has remained controversial. Now, a finding discovered in northeastern Egypt may provide a significant clue to solving the mystery. During the excavations at Tel Abu Seifi, archaeologists found a large part of a sandstone lintel – a stone beam that was located above the entrance to a building. The stone was broken into two parts, and inscriptions were carved on three of its sides.
On the stone appear the royal titles of Ramesses II, one of the most famous pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. In addition, it documents the restoration work of a statue of Horus, a central god in ancient Egyptian religion, who is called in the inscription "Lord of the city of Mesen." This is the detail that makes the finding particularly intriguing: if the inscription was found where it originally stood, it may directly connect the excavated site to the city whose location was lost.
However, researchers are still cautious about declaring that the mystery has been solved. Hisham el-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, clarified that the inscription strengthens the archaeological and historical evidence linking Tel Abu Seifi to Mesen, but further excavations and checks are required before the identification can be confirmed.
The debate over the location of Mesen is not new. As early as 1887, stones were found at Tel Abu Seifi bearing the name of Ramesses II and mentions of "Horus of Mesen." However, the findings raised a question: was Mesen an independent city that was located in the area, was it an additional name for the fortified city of Tharu, or was "Mesen" actually the name of a temple of Horus in the area?
Later studies also did not solve the mystery. In a study published in 2013, it was claimed that in previous excavations at the site, insufficient evidence of activity from the period of Ramesses II was found. Researchers then raised the possibility that the stones bearing his name were moved there from a nearby site. The new inscription now brings the possibility that Mesen was indeed located at Tel Abu Seifi back to the center of the discussion.
The connection between Mesen, Horus, and the area adjacent to Egypt's eastern border is also known from previous studies. Egyptian sources link the cult of "Horus of Mesen" to the Tharu area and its role in defending Egypt's eastern border. If the identification is confirmed, the importance of the discovery goes beyond the discovery of another ancient city.
Mesen was apparently connected to the Way of Horus – a central route used by the Egyptians for movement eastward. One can think of it as one of the "main traffic arteries" of the ancient world: soldiers, messengers, and goods passed through it between Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula, and Canaan. Therefore, knowing where exactly Mesen was located can help researchers build a more accurate picture of how the Egyptians guarded their border, moved forces, and managed the connection with the areas to their east.
The excavations also changed the understanding of Tel Abu Seifi itself. A large wall built of mud bricks and exposed at the site was previously considered part of a temple. Now, researchers believe that it is actually a wall that surrounded the entire temple complex and underwent changes and expansions over the years. In addition, two stone roads were found that led from outside the fortified complex toward the temple. The older road was built during the period when the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt, while a narrower road was paved over it after the Romans took over Egypt.
Inside the complex, warehouses, service rooms, and remains of the most sacred place in the temple were found. Parts of it were destroyed in later periods when the building's stones were taken for reuse. Among the findings were also part of a statue of a soldier holding a small temple, another statue missing its head and feet, a torso of a king made of basalt, and fragments of falcon statues in the form of Horus. Hundreds of years after the period to which the inscription of Ramesses II is attributed, the site continued to change. The temple flourished in the Ptolemaic period, and in the Roman period, parts of the complex were converted into a military camp. Later, kilns were even built on the site that were used for the production of lime.
The great importance of the new finding is the possibility of connecting a name that has been known for thousands of years from ancient inscriptions to an actual point on the map. If further excavations confirm that Tel Abu Seifi is indeed Mesen, researchers will have another tool for understanding the eastern border of Ancient Egypt – an area that was of strategic importance because the roads to Sinai and Canaan originated from it. The excavations at the site are expected to continue, in the hope of finding additional evidence that could determine whether the city mentioned in the ancient inscriptions indeed stood there.
Ramesses II, whose name appears on the new inscription, reigned in the 13th century BCE. This is a period that is dated to the Exodus from Egypt and the beginning of Israel. The Book of Exodus tells that the Israelites were forced to build for the pharaoh "Pithom and Raamses," and therefore for years researchers have tried to connect the biblical Raamses to the Egyptian city of Pi-Ramesses and the period of Ramesses II to the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
What does make it interesting in the biblical context is the location: it is the eastern area of Egypt, near the routes that led through Sinai to Canaan – the same general geographical space that also stands in the background of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. At the end of the 13th century BCE, the name "Israel" already appears in a famous Egyptian source from the period of Merneptah, the successor of Ramesses II, testifying to a group by this name in Canaan.
