Volume 3 - The Genealogy of Ashakhet Part 1: From Amarna to Troy
In books one and two of our series we revised the history of Egyptian dynasties 20-26, tracing the beginnings of the 20th, 21st Tanite, and 22nd dynasties back to a common origin in the middle decades of the 8th century B.C. The current book begins with a chapter showing the reasonableness of the claim that these three dynasties overlapped one another, garnering evidence from the records (or lack thereof) maintained by the High Priests of Amun in Thebes, the devotees of the Memphite Osiris cult, and the Priests of Ptah in Memphis. Two important stele authored by the latter group of priests proved to be especially helpful, not only in confirming that these three dynasties did not run consecutively as claimed by the traditional history, but in providing an absolute chronology for the whole of the 18th and 19th dynasties that preceded them. Indeed, the so-called Berlin Genealogy of a high priest of Ptah named Ashakhet, contained within these stelae, proved so helpful for our 9th and 8th century Egyptian chronology, that it will be used in the fourth and final book of our series to establish a time line extending backward to the middle of the 2nd millenium B.C. Thus the subtitle "The Genealogy of Ashakhet" shared by both books.
In chapter two we skip over the 19th dynasty chronology briefly, and establish the chronology of the late 18th dynasty kings from Amenhotep III through to Haremheb, the terminal king of the dynasty. Several of these kings were mentioned by name in the Berlin genealogy, references sufficiently precise that we were able to date Amenhotep III with some certainty to the years 964-928 B.C. and his immediate successors to the remaining years of the 10th century. In the traditional history, these kings were the recipients of the body of correspondence known as the Amarna letters. We have therefore established rough dates for the "Amarna age" of Egypt in the revised history, 930-900 B.C. These dates correspond to the beginning of the divided monarchy in Israel, when, at the death of Solomon (970-930 B.C.) a "rebel" named Jeroboam led the northern tribes of Israel to separate from the Jerusalem based tribes headed by Rehoboam, son of Solomon. The balance of our chapter two attempts to prove that the "rebel Labaya", who figures so prominently in the Amarna correspondence, is actually the biblical Jeroboam.
The balance of the book attempts to prove that we have correctly positioned the 19th dynasty in the years 870-764 B.C. Chapter three sets the stage by outlining the regnal years for the kings of Egypt, Assyria, and Hatti (the Hittites). The rational is simple. When we move the Egyptian 19th dynasty from the 13th century into the 9th/8th centuries we must necessarily move the nation known as the Hittites, an Anatolian kingdom, forward in time the same 450 years. It can be shown by multiple strands of evidence that the Hittites and the 19th Egyptian dynasty were contemporaries. By producing a revised chronology for the Hittite kings we have at hand a second way of proving that the Egyptian 19th dynasty belongs to the 9th/8th centuries B.C. Proving that the Empire Hittites belong in that time frame turns out to be easier.
Chapter four is devoted to showing that the Empire Hittites belong to the 9th and 8th centuries. It begins by showing that the so called neo-Hittites, firmly positioned in the 9th/8th centuries by the traditional history, are actually the Empire Hittites. It continues by demonstrating that the first and last kings of the Empire Hittites, both named Suppiluliumas, are mentioned either in neo-Assyrian or Anatolian documents that date them to the years 908-858 and 765-760 B.C. respectively.
In chapter five and six we deal with matters related to the final years of the Empire Hittites (and thus also the 19th Egyptian dynasty), the time of Tudhaliyas IV (800-775 B.C.) and his two ephemeral descendants. We find documentary evidence that this is the time of the Mycenaean Greeks and the Trojans of Homeric Legend. We show that the tragic end of the Hittite nation, the burning of the cities of Troy and Ugarit, and the end of the 19th dynasty of Egypt, are all related to a catastrophy of unprecedented proportions that took place around the year 765 B.C., which we have identified as the explosion of the volcanic island of Santorini, near Crete. The event devastated the lands which bordered the eastern Mediterranean, burned their crops and covered their lands with pumice and ash. Famine prevailed everywhere, prompting mass migration of "Sea Peoples" in search of food, and spawning military aggression that dealt the final blows to many Hittite cities, to Ugarit and Troy, and likely also to Merenptah and the other terminal 19th dynasty kings.
In chapter two we skip over the 19th dynasty chronology briefly, and establish the chronology of the late 18th dynasty kings from Amenhotep III through to Haremheb, the terminal king of the dynasty. Several of these kings were mentioned by name in the Berlin genealogy, references sufficiently precise that we were able to date Amenhotep III with some certainty to the years 964-928 B.C. and his immediate successors to the remaining years of the 10th century. In the traditional history, these kings were the recipients of the body of correspondence known as the Amarna letters. We have therefore established rough dates for the "Amarna age" of Egypt in the revised history, 930-900 B.C. These dates correspond to the beginning of the divided monarchy in Israel, when, at the death of Solomon (970-930 B.C.) a "rebel" named Jeroboam led the northern tribes of Israel to separate from the Jerusalem based tribes headed by Rehoboam, son of Solomon. The balance of our chapter two attempts to prove that the "rebel Labaya", who figures so prominently in the Amarna correspondence, is actually the biblical Jeroboam.
The balance of the book attempts to prove that we have correctly positioned the 19th dynasty in the years 870-764 B.C. Chapter three sets the stage by outlining the regnal years for the kings of Egypt, Assyria, and Hatti (the Hittites). The rational is simple. When we move the Egyptian 19th dynasty from the 13th century into the 9th/8th centuries we must necessarily move the nation known as the Hittites, an Anatolian kingdom, forward in time the same 450 years. It can be shown by multiple strands of evidence that the Hittites and the 19th Egyptian dynasty were contemporaries. By producing a revised chronology for the Hittite kings we have at hand a second way of proving that the Egyptian 19th dynasty belongs to the 9th/8th centuries B.C. Proving that the Empire Hittites belong in that time frame turns out to be easier.
Chapter four is devoted to showing that the Empire Hittites belong to the 9th and 8th centuries. It begins by showing that the so called neo-Hittites, firmly positioned in the 9th/8th centuries by the traditional history, are actually the Empire Hittites. It continues by demonstrating that the first and last kings of the Empire Hittites, both named Suppiluliumas, are mentioned either in neo-Assyrian or Anatolian documents that date them to the years 908-858 and 765-760 B.C. respectively.
In chapter five and six we deal with matters related to the final years of the Empire Hittites (and thus also the 19th Egyptian dynasty), the time of Tudhaliyas IV (800-775 B.C.) and his two ephemeral descendants. We find documentary evidence that this is the time of the Mycenaean Greeks and the Trojans of Homeric Legend. We show that the tragic end of the Hittite nation, the burning of the cities of Troy and Ugarit, and the end of the 19th dynasty of Egypt, are all related to a catastrophy of unprecedented proportions that took place around the year 765 B.C., which we have identified as the explosion of the volcanic island of Santorini, near Crete. The event devastated the lands which bordered the eastern Mediterranean, burned their crops and covered their lands with pumice and ash. Famine prevailed everywhere, prompting mass migration of "Sea Peoples" in search of food, and spawning military aggression that dealt the final blows to many Hittite cities, to Ugarit and Troy, and likely also to Merenptah and the other terminal 19th dynasty kings.
Table of Contents & Preface
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Chapter 4: Hittite Synchronisms with the 9th/8th Centuries Dark Ages & Ghost Cultures Suppiluliumas I and II Other Parallels Possible Objections Chapter 5: Ugarit & Troy The Problem of Ugarit The Expulsion of Niqmaddu The Emergence of Troy The Santorini Explosion Chapter 6: Sea Peoples & Natural Disasters Burning of the Hatti Land The Furnace of Ugarit Raash in Syria Endless Night in Assyria Sea Peoples Swarm Egypt |
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