Some parallels between the biblical narration about the oppression of ancient Israelites and the historical context of the New Kingdom Egypt

While a significant portion of modern scholars reject the historicity of the exodus, this article points to some parallels between the account of the Exodus of the oppression of the Israelites and the historical context of New Kingdom Egypt. Thus, wall inscriptions and images from the graves of noble Egyptians of the New Kingdom era testify to the use of Semitic prisoners of war as workers in the field and in the manufacture of clay bricks. This fact, as well as the technology of making bricks presented in the above images, echoes what is described in the first chapters of the book of Exodus. In addition, the supply cities (ᶜārê miskᵉnôṯ) mentioned in Ex. 1:11, interpreted as warehouses, and not independent cities, can be attributed to economic buildings, the presence of which was archaeologically recorded in Upper and Lower Egypt during the 18th and subsequent dynasties. Finally, the names of some biblical characters mentioned in the book of Exodus are of Egyptian origin and date back to the era of the New Kingdom. These facts suggest that the biblical account of the oppression of the Israelites must be related to the context of Egypt in that era. The article is relevant for the Russian-speaking audience, since the topic of biblical archaeology is not covered in detail in Russian literature.