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Lesions covered the back, waist, arms and legs of the body and there was a mixture of papules, scabs and scars. Maspero described the mummy as being “scabrous in patches, and covered with scars”. In 1886 when the mummy of Thutmose II was unwrapped by Gaston Maspero there were scars from some type of infection which were still visible even after being embalmed. However, Alfred Edersheim proposed in his Old Testament Bible History that Thutmose II (1509-1479 BC) may have been the protagonist. A red, acidic Nile would have killed the fish, kept people from drinking from the river and, according to contemporary records, caused burns which later became infected with ‘larvae’. In a pre-industrial ancient Egypt, sulphates from a massive volcanic fall out would provide the simplest and most plausible scientific explanation for this contamination. Trevisanato believes that volcanic ash tainted the Nile causing it to become acidic and sediments found at the bottom of lakes along the Nile Delta seem to suggest that there was deposit of volcanic ash sometime during the Middle Bronze Age, which would be in line with the eruption on the Greek volcanic island. There are indications that the environmental effects of this eruption were felt around the globe – some scholars have also linked this eruption to the legend of Atlantis. Trevisanato (in his 2005 book The Plagues of Egypt: Archaeology, History, and Science Look at the Bible), suggested this eruption was also the trigger event for the plagues. During this time apocalyptic rainstorms, devastated much of Egypt, and were described on the Tempest Stele of Ahmose I, these have been attributed to short-term climatic changes caused by the Thera volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini around 1630 BC (although it has also been suggested that the storm reference is merely a metaphor for the chaos caused during the war). When did the plagues occur and who was the tyrannical Pharaoh? The Greek historian Herodotus put the dates around 1570-1550 BC when Egypt was under the rule of the Hyksos (an Asiatic tribe), but there was no Pharaoh, until Ahmose I (1550-1525 BC) raised rebellion and overthrew the invaders.
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“A massive volcanic fall out would provide the simplest and most plausible scientific explanation for this contamination” What if the plagues, however, involved villages and the countryside around Goshen, these might not have been referred to the royal court for insertion in official chronicles. The Egyptians were renowned for recording every event, whether temporal or religious in nature, but there are few references to plagues in ancient Egyptian literature. But were the plagues historical events or, as some historians have suggested, simply passed-down accounts of several natural disasters? Some scholars concede that from an historical standpoint, the first nine plagues resemble natural events and while some are disconnected, others appear to be part of a chain reaction with set patterns and a rapid succession. As a consequence, 10 plagues were inflicted on the Egyptians in a divine demonstration of power and displeasure designed to persuade the Pharaoh to reverse his decision.
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Moses asked the Pharaoh to let them return to their homelands in Canaan, but he refused. As children, many of us will have read how the Hebrew people living in Egypt were suffering under the cruel rule of the Pharaoh.