A researcher believes he has discovered the first physical evidence of the Biblical Moses in a 3,800-year-old inscription carved into the walls of an ancient Egyptian turquoise mine, and says it could be archaeological proof for the biblical Book of Exodus.
Independent researcher Michael Bar-Ron spent eight years analyzing high-resolution images and 3D scans of markings found at Serabit el-Khadim in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. He claims the Proto-Sinaitic inscription reads “zot m’Moshe,” which translates to “This is from Moses” in Hebrew.
The carving, discovered near the famed Sinai 357 in Mine L, dates back to around 1800BC during Egypt’s late 12th Dynasty. These writings are among the earliest known alphabetic scripts, likely created by Semitic-speaking workers in the ancient mines.
According to the Bible, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and famously received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. However, no archaeological evidence of Moses’ existence has ever been found until now.
The discovery becomes more intriguing when considered alongside other inscriptions found in the same area. Bar-Ron identified references to “El,” a deity associated with early Israelite worship, and evidence that the Egyptian goddess Hathor’s name had been deliberately defaced.
“We find worshipful inscriptions lauding the idol Ba’alat, with clearly an El or God-serving scribe coming in later and canceling out certain letters, in an effort to turn the message into a God-serving one,” Bar-Ron told Patterns of Evidence. “This is ground zero for this conflict.”
The researcher found additional evidence of religious and cultural tensions among the workers. Some carvings honoring Ba’alat appeared to have been scratched over by El-worshippers, possibly reflecting a power struggle among the ancient Semitic-speaking laborers.
The inscriptions also contained references to slavery, overseers, and a dramatic rejection of the Ba’alat cult, which Bar-Ron suggests may have led to a violent purge and the workers’ eventual departure from the site. These details echo the Exodus narrative of defiance and departure from Egypt.
A burned Ba’alat temple, built by Pharaoh Amenemhat III, and references to the “Gate of the Accursed One,” likely Pharaoh’s gate, may also hint at resistance against Egyptian authority. Some scholars have proposed that Amenemhat III, known for his extensive building projects, could have been the pharaoh mentioned in the Book of Exodus.
Bar-Ron also discovered a second possible reference to “Moshe” (Moses) in the mine complex, though its exact context remains unclear.
However, mainstream experts remain extremely skeptical of the controversial claims. Dr. Thomas Schneider, an Egyptologist at the University of British Columbia, dismissed the claims as “completely unproven and misleading,” and said that arbitrary letter identifications could distort ancient history.
However, Bar-Ron insists he approached the research with scientific rigor rather than seeking sensational discoveries.
“I took a very critical view towards finding the name ‘Moses’ or anything that could sound sensationalist,” he said. “In fact, the only way to do serious work is to try not to find elements that seem ‘Biblical,’ but to struggle to find alternative solutions that are at least as likely.”
The language used in the carvings appears to be an early form of Northwest Semitic, closely related to biblical Hebrew, with traces of Aramaic. Bar-Ron used high-resolution images and 3D casts studied at Harvard’s Semitic Museum to analyze the inscriptions.
Critics argue that the weathered carvings are more than likely simple Semitic graffiti from migrant workers rather than evidence of biblical figures.
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First words of Moses found in Ancient Egyptian CaveResearcher Michael Bar-Ron released a 3,800-year-old Proto-Sinaitic inscription, found at Serabit el-Khadim in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, that reads 'zot m'Moshe,' Hebrew for 'This is from Moses.' pic.twitter.com/D5r2c4GUwe
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