The Shasu

The Shasu of Yahweh Part I

Soleb is an ancient city situated about 60 kilometers north of the third cataract (of the Nile) in ancient Nubia - present day Sudan. It is home to a large Egyptian temple, constructed by Amenhotep III as the Southern-most construction project of his reign. The dating of this temple is roughly 1400 BC - 1350 BC. Amenhotep III ruled for nearly 40 years and was the son of the great Thutmose IV. Most people know part of the 18th century dynasty due to one modern Pharaoh of fame (though a minor Pharaoh in the dynasty), King Tut(ankhamun). For anyone that has been to the pyramids, you would also know of Thutmose IV even though you might not recognize his name, as he is responsible for the Dream Stele in between the feet of the Sphinx. More on that inscription later.

Before we speak of the Shasu (šꜣsw) of YHWH, let’s first review the very important 18th Dynasty of Egypt. Here are the Pharaoh’s of the 18th Dynasty listed below. There are five Pharaoh’s in the middle of this lineage I will focus future posts on.

Ahmose I, Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Thutmose II

Hatshepsut

Thutmose III: 

Amenhotep II: 

Thutmose IV: 

Amenhotep III: 

Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Neferneferuaten, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb

Now, back to Soleb. It is here that Amenhotep III built a temple, much of which can be seen today. Like many temples of the Egyptian dynasties, there are wonderfully preserved reliefs and inscriptions to be found throughout, primarily listing conquered people groups. Today I draw your attention to this inscription found on one of its pillars:

tꜣ šꜣsw Yhwꜣ - Meaning: “The Land of the Shasu (nomads) of Yahweh”

Shasu is an Egyptian term for Bedouin, nomads, and/or Semitic speaking wanderers of the Southern Levant and can be found in multiple references dating back to the 15th century BC. Yahweh of course, is the Tetragrammaton - YHWH - the most holy four-letter Hebrew name for God: יהוה… Yod (Y), He (H), Waw (W), and He (H). Side note: Hebrew vowels were not introduced until roughly the 7th century AD. It is this name that the Israelite God defines Himself (see Exodus chapter 3, specifically 3:13-15).

The 14th century BC constructed temple records an oddity of a people in that they bear no particular location or city anchor like the rest; nope, they are nomads: The nomads of Yahweh.

1 Kings 6:1 “Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.”

It is well attested that Solomon’s reign began in 971-970 BC (see Kitchen, Thiele, Albright, among others). This would make 967-966 BC his fourth year in this context. Do the math. Think about it.

(Research high middle and low chronology of 18th dynasty) :

Ebers papyrus: · Finally, the Ebers Papyrus was the document that recorded the heliacal rise of Sothis during the ninth regnal year of Amenhotep I (1541 BC). The Ebers document is one of the longest and most complete medical papyri from ancient Egypt, but it also contains astronomical and calendrical data, most notably a reference to the heliacal rising of Sirius (Sothis) The primary center of scholarship and political power at the time was in Memphis and Heliopolis, in the south, in Lower Egypt, suggesting that the astronomical observations must have been made in that region.

relation to The heliacal rising of the star Sothis (Sirius)

Before we begin: I will be basing dates on what is known as the high chronology. The differences between using a high, middle or a low chronology view of the 18th dynasty comes down mostly to this: There were two main observation points (cities) in ancient Egypt of perhaps the most important agricultural (and hence calendrical date) of the year: The day marking the annual imminent flood of the Nile, which brought fertile soil for crops. This day was known as the heliacal rising of the star Sothis (Sirius). These two observation points were in the south in Luxor and Thebes (which are actually known as Upper Egypt); and in the north, associated with Memphis and Heliopolis (of Lower Egypt). I’ll put up an overview of these places, the chronology systems, and their archaeology at another time. For now, just know, an important peg in this discussion begins with Thutmose III; to highlight the different schools of thought, this would summarrize the differences: high, 1504–1450 BC; middle, 1490–1436 BC; low, 1479–1425 BC.

**(future series) With ancient sites, one thing that would be helpful is to lay out every single detail provided by text in a list format. Proposed site and or chronology needs to mesh with all of it. Though it wouldn’t prove it, it would most certainly disprove it if those details are lacking (erroneous or conflicting).