David Rohl
David Rohl in typical expedition attire.
Born

David M. Rohl is a British Egyptologist and historian who has put forth several controversial theories concerning the chronology of Ancient Egypt and Palestine. Image File history File links DavidRohl_promo. ... ... A historian is a person who studies history. ... Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... In compiling the history of ancient Israel and Judah, there are many available sources. ...

Biography

Rohl traces his fascination with ancient Egypt to a visit of that country at the age of ten, which featured a journey on the Nile on King Farouk's paddle-steamer. The Nile (Arabic: النيل an-nīl), in Africa, is the longest river on Earth. ... Farouk of Egypt. ...

He first worked as a rock musician, forming a band in 1968, which eventually became Mandalaband, which released two albums, Mandalaband and The Eye of Wendor, in the early 1970s. About 1974, Rohl started work as a sound engineer, which career he pursued until he returned to his interest in ancient Egypt. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Audio engineering is the branch of engineering dealing with the production of sound through mechanical means. ...

Rohl has been the editor of the Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum since 1986. In 1988 he was accepted by University College, London and awarded the prestigious W.F. Masom History Research Scholarship by the University of London as well as being awarded his degree in Ancient History and Egyptology. Rohl started work towards his doctorate in 1990, but it is unclear if he has been granted this advanced degree. He is a past President of the Sussex Egyptology Society (SES) and edits the Eastern Desert Survey Report. He excavated at Kadesh in Syria for the London Institute of Archaeology during the 1990s, and is currently Co-Field Director of the Eastern Desert Survey in Egypt. Rohl has also been associated with the Institute for the Study of Interdisciplinary Studies (ISIS). The Front Quad University College London, commonly known as UCL, is one of the colleges that make up the University of London. ... Senate House, designed by Charles Holden, home to the universitys central administrative offices and its library The University of London is a federation of colleges and institutes which together constitute one of the worlds largest universities. ... Kadesh (the most popular spelling; more accurately Qadesh) was an ancient city of the Levant, located on the Orontes River, probably identical to the remains at Tell Nebi Mend, about 24 km southwest of Hims (ca. ...

The publication of his book, A Test of Time led to his role in a three-part television documentary, "Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest", which appeared late summer 1995 on Channel Four in the UK, and spring 1996 on The Learning Channel/Discovery in the USA. Channel 4 is a television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ...

Rohl's hobbies include photography.

Theories

Egypt

His published works A Test of Time and Legend set forth Rohl's theories for dating Egyptian kings of the 19th through 25th Dynasties, which would require a major revision of the conventional chronology of ancient Egypt, and less radical revisions of the chronologies of Israel and Mesopotamia. Rohl asserts that these would allow scholars to identify many of the main characters in the Old Testament with people whose names appear in archeological finds. One of Rohl's methods includes the use of archaeo-astronomy, which he uses to fix the date of a solar eclipse which happened during the reign of Amenhotep IV and was observed in the town of Ugarit. He used computer to calculate the exact time; the only possible time where such eclipse could be visible in Ugarit during the whole second millennium BC was 9th May 1012 BCE. According to conventional chronology, Ugarit was already destroyed in the 12th century BC and Amenothep IV (Akhenaton) 1353-1334 BC. Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Nineteenth Dynasty. ... Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty. ... This is a Conventional Egyptian chronology. ... Pictoral chronology of intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency Chronology is the science of locating events in time. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the concept of a New Testament. ... The sun rising over Stonehenge at the 2005 Summer Solstice Archaeoastronomy (also spelled Archeoastronomy) is the study of ancient or traditional astronomies in their cultural context, utilising archaeological and anthropological evidence. ... The French 1999 eclipse An eclipse (Greek verb: ekleipô, to vanish) is an astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another. ... Bust of Pharaoh Akhenaten. ... Entrance to the Palace of Ugarit Ugarit (modern site Ras Shamra رأس شمرة; in Arabic) 35°35´ N; 35°45´E) was an ancient cosmopolitan port city, sited on the Mediterranean coast of northern Syria a few kilometers north of the modern city of Latakia. ... Bust of Pharaoh Akhenaten. ...

Rohl's redating is based on criticism of three of the four arguments which he considers are the foundations of the conventional Egyptian chronology:

• He claims that the identification of "Shishaq ['Shishak'], King of Egypt" (1 Kings 14:25f; 2 Chronicles 12:2-9), first proposed by Jean-François Champollion, is based on incorrect conclusions. Rohl argues instead that Shishaq should be identified with Ramesses II, which would move the date of Ramesses' reign forward some 300 years. (See the articles on Shoshenq I and Shishaq.)

• He claims that the record in the Ebers papyrus of the rising of Sirius in the ninth regnal year of Amenhotep I, which supposedly fixes the year to either 1542 BC or 1517 BC, is misread, and instead should be understood as evidence for a reform in the Egyptian Calendar.

• Papyrus Leiden I.350, which dates to the 52nd year of Ramesses II, records lunar observations that place that year of Ramesses' reign in one of 1278, 1253, 1228 or 1203 BC. Having questioned the value of the Ebers Papyrus, Rohl argues that since these lunar observations are accurate every twenty-five years, they could also indicate dates 300 years later.

Rohl bases his revised chronology (the New Chronology) on his interpretation of numerous archeological finds and genealogical records of several individuals. For example: Shishaq (Šîšaq שׁישׁק) is the biblical Hebrew form of the ancient Egyptian name of a pharaoh. ... The Books of Kings (Hebrew: Sefer Melachim ספר מלכים) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... The Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). ... Jean-François Champollion For the Champollion comet rendezvous spacecraft, see Champollion (spacecraft). ... nomen or birth name Ramesses II, Abu Simbel Ramesses II (also known as Ramesses the Great and alternatively transcribed as Ramses and Rameses) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty. ... nomen or birth name Hedjkheperre Setepenre Shoshenq I (Egyptian Å¡Å¡nq), also known as Sheshonk or Sheshonq I (for discussion of the spelling, see Shoshenq), was a Meshwesh Libyan king of Egypt and founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty. ... Shishaq (Šîšaq שׁישׁק) is the biblical Hebrew form of the ancient Egyptian name of a pharaoh. ... The Ebers Papyrus of about 1550 BCE is among the most important ancient Egyptian medical papyri. ... The Sothic cycle or Canicular period is a period of 1461 ancient Egyptian years (of 365 days) or 1460 Julian years (averaging 365. ... Regnal year: the year of the reign of a sovereign. ... nomen or birth name Djeserkare Amenhotep I (d. ... (Redirected from 1542 BC) Centuries: 17th century BC - 16th century BC - 15th century BC Decades: 1590s BC 1580s BC 1570s BC 1560s BC 1550s BC - 1540s BC - 1530s BC 1520s BC 1510s BC 1500s BC 1490s BC Events and Trends History of ancient Israel and Judah - earliest date for Amhose... (Redirected from 1517 BC) Centuries: 17th century BC - 16th century BC - 15th century BC Decades: 1560s BC 1550s BC 1540s BC 1530s BC 1520s BC - 1510s BC - 1500s BC 1490s BC 1480s BC 1470s BC 1460s BC Events and Trends 1512 BC (approx. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

• Rohl notes a gap in the stelae associated with the Apis vaults at Saqqara for the 21st and 22nd dynasties of Egypt, which combined with the placement of coffins at the Royal Cache (TT 320) of coffins, shows these two dynasties were contemporary. He also offers an interpretation of the relationship of the tombs of Osorkon I and Psusennes I at Tanis that supports his theory.

• Rohl offers inscriptions that list three non-royal genealogies, which—when one equates one generation to an average of 20 years—proves Ramesses II flourished at the later time Rohl believes.

The New Chronology was also the prime concern of ISIS. Building upon the Revised Chronology of Immanuel Velikovsky and the Glasgow Chronology presented at the Society for Interdisciplinary Studies' 1978 'Ages in Chaos' conference, the New Chronology puts the dates on the Traditional Chronologies Based upon Egypt out by up to 300 years at points prior to the universally accepted fixed date of 664 BC for the sacking of Thebes by Ashurbanipal. In Egyptian mythology, Apis or Hapis (alternatively spelt Hapi-ankh), was a bull-deity worshipped in the Memphis region. ... Saqqara (Arabic: سقارة) is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, featuring the worlds oldest standing step pyramid. ... Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Twenty-First Dynasty. ... Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Twenty-Second Dynasty. ... The son of Shoshenq I and Queen Karomama, Sekhemkheperre Osorkon I was the second king of Egypts 22nd Dynasty and ruled around 922 BC-887 BC. He succeeded his father Shoshenq I who died within 2-3 years of his successful 925 BC Biblical campaign against Ancient Israel and... Gold burial mask of King Psusennes I, discovered 1940 by Pierre Montet. ... or Tanis (Τάνις), the Greek name of ancient Djanet (modern صان الحجر Ṣān al-Ḥaǧar), is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of Egypt (). It lays on the Tanitic branch of the Nile (now silted up), and it was the supposed site of some of the action in the film... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Immanuel Velikovsky (June 10, 1895 (NS) – November 17, 1979) is best known as the author of a number of controversial books on pre-history, particularly Worlds in Collision 1950), Ages in Chaos 1952, and Earth in Upheaval 1956. ... Centuries: 8th century BC - 7th century BC - 6th century BC Decades: 710s BC 700s BC 690s BC 680s BC 670s BC - 660s BC - 650s BC 640s BC 630s BC 620s BC 610s BC Events and Trends 668 BC - Egypt revolts against Assyria 668 BC - Assurbanipal succeeds Esarhaddon as king of... Thebes [Θηβαι Thēbai] is the Greek designation of ancient Egyptian niwt (The) City and niwt-rst (The) Southern City. It is located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the Nile (25. ... Ashurbanipal, Assurbanipal or Sardanapal, (reigned 669 - 627 BCE), the son of Esarhaddon and Naqia-Zakutu, was the last great king of ancient Assyria. ...

While the vast majority of Egyptologists reject Rohl's theories, Rohl's most vocal critic has been Professor Kenneth Kitchen, formerly of Liverpool University. One of Kitchen's major objections to Rohls' arguments concerns his alleged omission of evidence that conflicts with Rohl's theories. Kitchen has pointed out that the genealogies Rohl references to date Ramesses II omit one of more names known from other inscriptions. Similarly, Egyptologists have pointed out that no other known king of Egypt fits the identification as well as Shoshenq I. Redating the flourit of Ramesses II three centuries later would not only reposition the date of the Battle of Qadesh and complicate the chronology of Hittite history, it would require a less severe revision of the chronology of Assyrian history prior to 664 BC. Kenneth Anderson Kitchen (born 1932) is Personal and Brunner Professor Emeritus of Egyptology and Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies, University of Liverpool, England. ... The University of Liverpool is a university in the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. ... The Hittite (red) and Egypt (green) spheres of influence overlapped at Kadesh The Battle of Kadesh (also spelled Qadesh) took place between Egypt and the Hittite forces of Muwatallis, on the Orontes River, during the reign of Ramesses II (1304 – 1237 BC). ... Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire Hittites is the conventional English-language term for an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language and established a kingdom centered in Hattusa (Hittite URU) in north-central Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century... Relief from Assyrian capital of Dur Sharrukin, showing transport of Lebanese cedar (8th c. ...

Rohl's theory should not be confused with a theory by Russian mathematician Anatoly Fomenko, also known as New Chronology, which also involves a 300-year shift, but goes much further than revising the history of Egypt alone. Anatoly Timofeevich Fomenko (Анато́лий Тимофе́евич Фоме́нко) (born 13 March 1945) is a Russian mathematician, known as a topologist, and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. ... The New Chronology of Anatoly Timofeevich Fomenko is an attempt to rewrite world chronology, based on his conclusion that world chronology as we know it today is fundamentally flawed. ...

Garden of Eden

In addition to his theories on Egypt, Rohl has put forth other theories related to the Old Testament. In his published work, Legend: The Genesis of Civilisation, he posits a location for the Garden of Eden in Iranian Azarbaijan, south-east of Tabriz. The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach, a 16th century German depiction of Eden The Garden of Eden (from Hebrew Gan Ēden, גַּן עֵדֶן) is described by the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man - Adam - and woman - Eve - lived after they were created by God. ... Long Live Azerbaijan. ... Tabriz City Hall, built in 1895, by Arfaol molk, with the aid of German engineers. ...

Writings

• List of Books in Print

Published Books

• A Test of Time: The Bible - from Myth to History, 1995.
• Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest, 1996. (U.S. edition of A Test of Time)
• Legend: The Genesis of Civilisation, 1998.
• The Lost Testament: The Story of the Children of Yahweh, 2002.
• From Eden to Exile: The Epic History of the People of the Bible, 2003. (Paperback edition of The Lost Testament)
• The Lords of Avaris. (still forthcoming)

Videos

• Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest, 1995.
• In Search of Eden, 2002.
• The Bible: Myth or Reality, 2005.

External links

• Yahoo Group: New Chronology: David Rohl
• Yahoo Group: New Chronology 2: David Rohl: NC Highlights
• A Test of Time Home Page
• ISIS - Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum
• A Website Critical of Rohl
• The Revision of Ancient History - A Perspective
• Rohl at Catastrophism.com