Mural Discovered in Egyptian Temple Sheds Light on ‘One of Israel’s Greatest Enemies’

The Medinet Habu temple was built in honour of pharaoh Ramses III, considered to be the last great monarch of the Egyptian Empire. Ramses III played a key role in Egypt’s victory over invaders known as the Sea Peoples.

A mural that has been recently discovered in an Egyptian temple sheds light on the Kingdom of “one of Israel’s greatest enemies” – the Philistines, said Tom Meyer, professor of Bible studies at Shasta Bible College and Graduate School in California. According to Meyer, the 3,200-year-old mural gives an insight “into the fashion, employment, clothing, weaponry, instruments, modes of transportation and livestock of the Philistines”.

Experts previously assumed that the Philistines, who engaged in bitter territorial disputes with the Israelites, could in fact be the Sea Peoples, a confederation of ancient nations that attacked ancient Egypt and other regions of the East Mediterranean between 1200-900 BCE.

The Medinet Habu temple was built in honour of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses III, who played a key role in defeating the Sea Peoples. Walls in the temple mention a people called Peleset, which some scientists identified as the Philistines.

Professor Tom Meyer says that the Philistines may not have been attempting to invade Egypt, but were instead seeking refuge.

The professor noted that the mural corroborates allegations made in the Bible that the Philistines were in the Eastern Mediterranean Seaboard at the beginning of the Iron Age – 1200 to 1000 BC.

Sourse: sputniknews.com