ARK OF NOAH WAS A REED BOAT

( Image Source: https://www.yachtingworld.com/extraordinary-boats/viracocha-iii-chilean-reed-boat-pacific-voyage-123954  )

ARK OF GOPHER 

"Make for yourself a TEBAT (ark) of 

gopher wood.

 Make qinnim (nests) in the ark, and cover it with kopher (covering) to the house and outside." - Genesis 6:14

The writer here borrowed the Egyptian

 "t-b-t" 

to describe Babylonian word "tubbu," a round rectangular reed boat (of probably Tob sailors) in ancient Hit, Iraq. It could be from Arabic term "tubbu" or "tub," which in Assyrian Eastern dialect " tupa" means "to fold:" it folded the long rounded boat - that is, forming a rectangular-oblong boat. Or it could be referring to the 14th century BCE men of Tob at southeastern Sea of Galilee in northeastern Jordan in the direction of Hit, Iraq. Tob was Hebrew of "tubbu" or Ugaritic "thābu"  from Akkadian "jâbu" ('to be good'), which may mean 'desirable.' So, the boat is desirable. Ancient Germanic people might have retained such a boat with the name "tubbe." 

And he also untranslated the 2nd millennium BCE word "gopher," related to Assyrian "gipāru" ("woven reed mat"), derived from 2500 BCE Sumerian terminology "gipar." 

In Exodus 2:3 the Hebrew translation for "tebat 'āsê-gōpher" ("ark of gofer wood") is

 "tebat gōme" ("papyrus ark, ark of bulrushes," "wicker basket"), 

and it is clearly understood as such when Isaiah 18:2 describes "bikle gōme" ("papyrus vessels") for Egyptian ambassadors' sea-going vessels. 

Another possibility is that 

"asê-gopher" 

is a Hebrized of Sumerian two words "esir" ('bitumen') and "gapir" ('reed mat'), which may mean 'bitumized reed-woven shelter.'

Why "goper" is called "wood"? 

Because during the time of Noah (2029 BCE) and Moses (1309-1189 BCE), "reedwork" was designated as "wood." 

Judaeans and Jews likely did not know this designation that's why in the 1st century they understood it as cypress or cedar wood. 

That the said goper (reedwork) was belonged to woody materials is mentioned in the c. 2050 BCE "Enmerkar and the lord of Aratta." 

" I shall say it again in his 

gipar,

 fruitful as flourishing mesh-tree, to my king, the lord of Kulaba.

"Messenger, speak to your king, the lord of Kulaba, and say to him: " Let him put in his hand and contemplate a sceptre that is not wood, nor 

designated as wood

 [ ... ] not ildag wood, not shim-gig wood, not khashur cypress, nor palm wood, not cedar wood, nor zabalum wood, not cypress wood, not hard wood, not popular as in a chariot, not 

reedwork

 in whimp handles..." - "Enmerkar and the lord of Aratta" line 215-218, 397-405

Here "gipar" is a marriage house of gods (priests); formerly it was made of "reeds," but later the term was also applied to any palace of gods (priests), particularly the brick-made temple as bricks appear like reed-woven mat bed. Three other words are possibly branched out from the term "gipar" or "tebat asê-gopher" :

"gaparit" ([pitch of] sulphur, Gen.19:24, Deut.29:23, Job 18:15, Isa. 30:33);

"gōme" (bulrushes, reeds, papyri, etc. Exo.2:3, Isa. 18:2);

and 

"kufar" (made of palm-leaves, millow-branches, and so on, woven like a basket and coated with bitumen on the inside; Arabic "kufr," derived from Hebrew "gofer" and Arabic "quffa," from Akkadian "quppu" ['basket']), which was popularized by ancient Armenians and mentioned or depicted by Assyrian kings Assurnasirpal II (883-859), Sennacherib (705-681), and Gilgamesh Epic editor Assurbanipal (669- c.627). According to Herodotus (c.484 - c.425 BCE) it was used in Babylon. Historically, it was the ancient wine sellers of Ararat region who made the willow frames of kufars and might have transported the story of a huge ark of the Ararat river flood (cf. "The History of Herodotus,1" G. Rawlinson, 1885). 

In Gilgamesh Epic, the boat of the flood hero must be covered over like Apsu boats. Apsu may also mean a fresh water marsh near the temple of Ea. 

"Like the Apsu you shall roof it" - Atrahasis Epic 3.1.29,  & Gilgamesh Epic 11.31

"I will go down [the river] to the apsû to live with Ea, my Lord." - Gilgamesh 11.42

The temple of Ea at Eridu is called apsu-house or " E-abzu" ("House of the deep water"), as the holy shrine "gipar" for Inanna at Uruk called "E-ana" ("House of Heaven"). 

Aratta did not have great holy palace for Inanna in 2100 BCE and Inanna, through her priest, is asking the ruler of Aratta to make great temple for her.

Holy gipar could be understood too as "abzu shrine."

"Let Aratta build a temple brought down from sky - your place of worship, the Shrine Eana; let Aratta skilfully fashion the interior of the

 holy gipar,

 your abode; may I the radiant youth, may I be embraced there by you. Let Aratta bring down for me the mountain stones from their mountain, build the great shrine for me, make the great abode, the 

abode of the gods,

 famous for me, make my decree prosper in Kulaba, make the abzu grow for me like a 

holy mountain,

 make Eridug gleam for me like mountain range, cause the 

abzu shrine

 to shine forth for me like the silver in the life. When in the 

abzu

 I utter praise, when I bring the decree from Eridug, when, in lordship, I am adorned with the crown like a purified shrine, when I place on my head the holy crown in Unug Kulaba, then may the ... of the great shrine [bring you into the gipar, and may the great shrine] of the 

gipar

 bring me into the great shrine." - Enmerkar and the lord of Aratta, line 25-32

In this passage "Aratta" is understood as a "holy mountain" of abzu, suggesting that the term is derived from the ancestor of Sanskrit language. In Genesis 8:4 such word is untranslated as "Ararat" - an evidence that the source of Moses (Torah) was from 2000 or 1300 BCE.

Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta line 25-32 describes that Aratta (Urartu) has "gipar" made not of bricks and not as a holy place for Inana (moon god). 

During the time of Moses (1309-1189 BCE), holy gipar E-ana could be understood as "abzu shrine," as the former is for the high moon, the latter is for the lowest water. 

Abzu is very common in Ararat region because of the mouth of rivers in divers places. The term "abzu" is derived from Sumerian ZU.AB, which means "ab" ('water') + "zu" ('deep'), and in Genesis 7:11 it is mentioned as "fountains of the great deep." It is "apsû" in Akkadian language. 

Utnapishtim could be using a double meaning for the term "absu": house of Ea near the water, and gipar, a reed house that may mean also a reed boat. 

The house of Utnapishtim was a reed house, as that was the common type of house during his time, particularly for goddess (priestess) and god (priest).

Such a house is also mentioned in this passage:

"His slave Enkidu ... replied to (deity) Gilgamesh "...so lacking in understanding! [ ... ] A captured high priestess returned to the gipar ! A captured gudug priest restored to his wig of hair!" - Gilgamesh and Humbaba (version B), lines 148-154

There was a famine of grain in Aratta in around 2050 BCE before the abundant water (probably from melted ice and much evaporation) flooded the mountains of Ararat. The lord of Aratta did not surrounder to the lordship of the king of Uruk, unless grain would be brought to Aratta. During this time was written the legendary story Enmerkar and the lord of Aratta, the account that says moon god Inanna, possibly through her priest, asked the lord of Aratta to send metals and precious stones (likely from Metsamor and Musasir) to build the apzu of Enki (Ea) at Eridu as she is not pleased to Aratta and made her allegiance to Unug (Uruk). 

 Ea (Ya), the God who made man out of earth's substances & life of god, intervened in Utnapishtim's dream and whispered an instruction that he should build a huge boat out of his reed house whatever the cost to save his life and of his beloved.

The Bible and Gilgamesh Epic use the same terminology for the covering material of the boat. 

The Bible mentions :

"... wa-kapharta (and cover)

'otah (it)

mi-bayit (to the house) 

u-mihus (and outside)

ba-koper (with pitch). " - Genesis 6:14

Kāphar is possibly Hebrized of Akkadian "kapāru" (to smear on). 

The untranslated "koper" (pitch, tar) here is mentioned "kupru" in the epic, and in 

Assyrian language it means "bitumen." 

"Three sars (3,600 units) of raw 

kupru (bitumen)

 I poured into the bitumen kiln" - Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh Epic 11.65

It is also reported that the builders were reedworkers. 

" Just as dawn began to glow

the people assembled around me.

The carpenter carried his hatchet,

the 

reedworker

 carried his flattening stone, . . . . . .

The child carried the pitch,

the weak brought whatever else was needed.

On the 5th day I had laid out her exterior.

It was a field in area,

its walls were each 10 times 12 cubits in height,

the sides of its top were of equal length, 120 cubits each [the boat was cubic].

Then I designed its interior structure as follows:

I provided it with six decks,

thus dividing it into seven levels.

The inside of it I divided into 

9 compartments.

I drove plugs to keep out water in its middle part.

I saw to the punting poles and laid in what was necessary." - Gilgamesh Epic, 11.48,54,58

What shape did the Noah's ark may have had? 

Here is how boats during the time of Noah (2029 BCE) look like. The bundles of reeds are arranged crosswise to the length of the boat. This very same arrangement could be discerned from the fossilized shape of the 515-foot ark-shaped mound in Akyayla site in the "mountains of Ararat." 

BOGUS SCIENTIFIC OPINION OF LORENCE GENE COLLINS AGAINST ARK-SHAPED MOUND

He's continuously using his position as a scientist to destroy what scientific instrument can show us by using his opinions or by not presenting scientific images as a counter attack.

He started his internet article with a title and then this paragraph: 

"Lorence Gene Collins                  

Department of Geological Sciences         

California State University Northridge    

Northridge, California 91330-8266

email: lorencecollins@gmail.com"

and ended it with the following line:

"Dr . Lorence G. Collins

Department of Geological Sciences

California State University Northridge

18111 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA 91330-8266

FAX 818-677-2820."

And then shamelessly, in his introduction, claims that

" investigators found the boat-like appearance (Figure 2) to be 

only 

superficial."

This claim in his article is a form of lie because investigators in 1960 - 1980 did not dig the deepest portion of the ship-shaped mound to found out that the structure's 

BOAT-LIKE APPEARANCE

would be 

ONLY SUPERFICIAL. 

The horrifying thing on this article is that he is dragging the name of science on this bogus scientific feeling-based opinion by using science publication. He says:

"The above has been published in the Journal of Geosciences Education, v. 44, 1996, p. 439-444..."

Why horrifying? 

Since when that geosciences are using ignorance as a tool to judge or to render bogus scientific opinion? 

("Ignorance" because no one of them really knew its inner 3-D appearance, except that the results of Fasold and Wyatt's testings are not considered valid for personal reasons.)

And to cover up his bogus scientific opinion, he is attacking subsurface scientific data without presenting his counter subsurface data but by stitching his imaginary explanations of some natural geological materials and processes, as if his imaginary opinions are superior than what scientific instruments can show us. 

First of all his bogus opinion that "investigators found the boat-like appearance to be 

only 

superficial"

  uphold by his fans is a lie because no investigators have entered the inner portions of the ship-shaped mound to claim that the boat-like appearance is ONLY SUPERFICIAL. 

And the most important, scientific instruments could slap his face by showing that the boat-like appearance is not just superficial rather even deep inside the said mound. 

If it is ship-shaped down inside the mound, then how natural geological processes could make such a boat-like shape in the soil?

So, we have to remind every one here that sometimes scientist is using his title (the name science) to abuse and mislead or even to lie to his fans. 

So, he has to prove first that there are investigators who entered in it by any means to claim that its boat-like appearance would be ONLY SUPERFICIAL, and he has to prove that it is "ONLY SUPERFICIAL"  by presenting scientific 3-D images of the deeper portions of the said mound.

 

Not because he could lie whenever he wanted to, it immediately means no one will react to his lie.

(Between 8 and 7 meters inside the structure is a boat-like appearance)

I can present direct counter evidence against his bogus scientific feeling-based opinion (which he has stitched from his imagination of natural geological processes). 

Here are scientific images derived from the data of ground penetrating resistivity scanning done in 2014 and so on by other scientists.

(Images released by Anadolu Agency, News Broadcasting System in 2019)

In 3-D images, we can see that deep inside the mound there is a ship-shaped structure, contrary to the bogus scientific feeling-based opinion of the antagonists. 

ARK SOIL

SHIP-SHAPED SOIL

As of now this could be the biggest fossilized shape and the most studied object of curiosity since 1959. 

On May 19, 1948 after heavy rains and three earthquakes in Telçeker village, the ark-shaped mound started to re-expose from the surrounding mud; and Reshit Sarihan, a Kurdish shepherd, discovered it. News writers might have distorted his report, claiming that he saw it on Mt. Ararat, the favorite mountain of the European chronographers, who identified Masis (Mashu) as the mountain where the Noah's ark was claimed had landed upon - and this was the reason why Europeans called Masis as "Mount Ararat." 

At the back of that twin volcano (Masis) to the southern direction is a plain known in Gilgamesh Epic as 

"Waters of Death" 

possibly because molten materials from erupting Tendurek and Masis volcanoes are frequenting it in the pass, one of which was likely in 550 BCE and probably during the era of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (669- c. 627 BCE), a possible editor of recent standard Epic of Gilgamesh. 

Such volcanic activities became the sources of volcanic rocks.

There are two sites of sacred stones (now known as "Anchor or Drogue Stones") associated with the flood hero. Those stones on Nasar (Akyayla site) in Telçeker, near to the purported first landing site of the ark, and those in Arzap (Kazan) village. In the epic they are called "SACRED STONES " used by gods or priests (probably to determine the volcanic activity of Mt. Ararat). 

The hole of this Stone is toward the tip of Mt. Ararat (Masis).

(David Franklin Fasold  and the Sacred Stone at Arzap.)

Those were sacred most likely because they were from the volcanoes there, from Hades deep underground fire. The preliminary conclusion of Lorence Gene Collins of California State University Department of Geological Sciences supports the conjecture that those stones are indeed of volcanic origin, and as from the region of Mt. Ararat (Pearce and others, 1990), corroborating the biblical hint that Noah was from Ararat region. 

And the owner of those sacred stones, as told in the Gilgamesh Epic, was Urshanabi, the ferryman who lived in the then island of Arzap and a friend of the flood hero Utnapishtim (Noah) who was visited by a king of Uruk after the 2029 BCE river flood in Ararat. 

The volcanic earthquakes and eruptions and heavy rains could be the reason why the ark was carried away by mud flows from its former landing site to the lower ground.

(Image Source: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/3d-images-of-noahs-ark-site-to-be-shown-in-documentary-148738 )

Apparently the remains of the ark were repaired during the Iron Age as it became sacred and then Ararat's wine sellers were selling kufars' willow frames and popularizing to Babylon the story of a wine planter flood hero. This was also the time that the region where the big boat was located was identified as one of the hills of Nisir (a mountain range from Telceker down to between Great Zab river and Lake Umria to Adiabene). 

The big reed boat was looted in ancient days and the first historically referenced to do this was king Sennacherib (705-681 BCE), who called the relic as "Beth Nisroch," masculine form of "Nisar" of a Babylonian goddess of agriculture, as the vicinity was known Nasar by the inhabitants and made a temple which he called Araske, likely named after the Lesser Araske river near Arzap and Dogubeyazit. This Assyrian emperor made his version of ship house in what is now called Mt. Cudi. 

Subsequently Akyayla site became a pilgrimage area (hence the mountain where it is belonged is now called Ziyaret Dag) and many pilgrims in the 300 BCE to 1st century AD and 300 AD are reportedly having looted its remaining woods, leaving only its hardened rock and fossilized shape. 

Apparently, after Josephus gave notice to the world of this ark in Mt. Baris, it was repaired, measured its length and the woods were fastened with nails in the 2nd century AD, and Eusebius (c.275-339) became interested to find this ark, and Yaqob Nsibnaya (fl. 337 AD) found it in Sararad mountain in mountainous region of Armenia near the boundary of Ayrarat territory where Masis is located. But Armenians and pilgrims pulled out its nails and woods during the time of Philostorgius (c.368-439 AD).

Rains and mud flows might have moved it to a lower location and covered it, and by the time of historian Isidore (c. 560-636) its exact whereabouts was not known, and they only named Masis as the Mt. Ararat and the possible location.

Centuries, after when remained nothing on it but the shape which is full of natural sedimentary materials, it reappeared when under ground volcanic activities jiggled the covering soil. 

And soft and washable soil which might have detached by earthquakes and heavy rains were most likely also the reason why this fossilized ark shape has resurfaced in September of 1948.

In October 1959 Turkish Air Force Army Captain Ilhan Durupinar,a  cartography expert, took aerial photographs of the region on a mapping mission for NATO, and eventually saw the ship shape mound. 

By the altitude or distance of the aircraft to the object, the shadow of the ship-shaped object, and the measurements of the lenses, Captain Durupinar has calculated its approximated length to 500 feet. 

On a military aircraft, Turkish-Armenian photojournalist Ara Güler took the photographs, and said:

 “If this is the sign of Noah’s Ark, it’s like seeing God down there.”

And he shared to the world the photographs, and it was first published in Australian Pix magazine on July 9, 1960, and then by American Life Magazine (shown on the image).

“ Noah's Ark? A Boatlike Form Seen Near Mt. Ararat Raises a Fascinating Question

While routinely examining aerial photos of his country, a Turkish army captain suddenly gaped at the picture shown above. There, on a mountain 20 miles south of Mt. Ararat, the biblical landfall of Noah’s Ark, was a boat-shaped form about 500 feet long. The captain passed on the word. Soon an expedition including American scientists set out for the site.

At 7,000 feet, in the midst of crevasses and landslide debris, the explorers found a clear, grassy area shaped like a ship and rimmed with steep, packed-earth sides. Its dimensions are close to those given in Genesis: ‘The length of the ark shall be 300 cubits, the breadth of it 50 cubits, and the height of it 30 cubits,’ that is, 450x75x45 feet. A quick two-day survey revealed no sign that the object was man made. Yet a scientist in the group says nothing in nature could create such a symmetrical shape. A thorough excavation may be made another year to solve the mystery.”

The  Life magazine, September 5, 1960, p.112, speaks about two sides here: first the boat-shaped object and then the quick judgment that there is no man-made in it. 

 George Vandeman, captain Ilhan Durupinar, and professor of photogrammetry Brandenberger of Archeological Research Foundation (ARF) surveyed the site in September 1960 after the Turkish government received the report of this mound.

 Unlearned how to conduct other scientific means to study the subject, some of their companions destroyed one of its little portion by a dynamite, and found nothing on digging it but "dirt, rocks and more dirt," and their dig brought disappointment to the expedition members. 

The part of the ark structure destroyed by military dynamite under George Vandeman and Sigfried Horn.

Their 2 days archeological destructive digging and ocular inspection resulted to a conclusion that 

 "there were no visible archaeological remains" and that this boat-shaped object "was a freak of nature and not man-made."

Because of the dynamiting, the portion of the ark structure becomes penetrable by water and may lead to further destruction internally, as shown (red) here in a 3-D resistivity image photographed by John Larsen.

This is one of the possible reasons why destructive archaeologists are later not allowed to continue to destroy it, and it was not allowed to be destroyed even before the 1980's.

 And for this was one of the possible reasons too why biblical archaeologists do not recognize any other scientific study of the ark-formation as a valid scientific means to learn more about it. That is, they rejected any other scientific means to study it except by archaeological dig, and there are biblical archaeologists who do not even recognize it as ark fossil in layman's terms or as an ark-shaped formation. And on their comments, scientists who studied this ark-formation are considered under pseudo-archaeology, bringing the populace thinking that there are no other scientists except biblical archaeologists. 

So, there is no other scientific means in the world but archaeology and there is no other way of archaeology but to destroy it?  Good luck to your archaeology. 

Some scientists and proud experts are even blatantly lying in suggesting that this ship-shaped mound is not allowed to be scientifically studied because the local government wanting it to be a tourist destination, regardless if it is about Noah's Ark or not. But this lie is proved false many times when the local government there is allowing any other scientific method of studying it, except destructive. 

Nondestructive scientific studies, however, are allowed by the Turkish government in some instances.

One of these studies is by using nondestructive deep penetrating radar scanning. 

The first to conduct scientific research on the site and the ark fossil were geologist Dr. Salih Bayraktutan of Erzurum’s Atatürk University and the scientists of California University’s Los Alamos National Laboratory. They studied the ark fossil and the nearby places that have boat-shaped formations too, and on their 80-page scientific report suggests that:

“It is highly likely that the formation underground is [of] a ship. Archaeological excavations must be launched..."

Turkish scientist's studies made that area a protected archeological site, and government of that province made it a Noah's Ark park. 

Some pseudo-archaeologists are suggesting that it was the yellow-ribbon activity of Ron Wyatt the reason why it was made by the provincial government as a Noah's Ark tourist destination.  

And other pseudo-archaeologists say that the reason why this is protected by the government is for tourist attractions (needless to say, pseudo-archaeologists do not recognize other scientists from their preliminary scientific testings on the structure).

It was David Fasold who was permitted by the Rector of the Erzurum's Ataturk University under the project leader, Associate Professor Salih Bayraktutan.

Fasold discovered circumstantial evidence to suggest that this structure could have been the fossilized shape of an ark:

(1) Its length and width are in agreement with what the Bible prescribed:

 "300 by 50 cubits."

 (Egyptian cubit is between 523.6 mm, 20.6 inches and 529.2 mm, 20.84 in);

 (2) Nine divisions are detected inside the buried structure, corroborating with what has been described by Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh: "Its innards I divided into nine parts," and the ark-shaped formation displays an area of 44 100, similar to flood hero's description:

"One IKU (acre) was its whole floor space" (Gardner and Maier, 1984). 

Guner (1986) reported that other streamlined rock-shapes have been found in the area, but according to geologist Bayraktutan, these shapes do not display the same morphological and internal features. 

Dr. Bayraktun  found it difficult to explain why the site had so many geometric properties if it were just some randomly formed natural outcrop, thus seems to confirm what the ground-penetrating radar detected in the ark fossil, that is, it has symmetry and regular distribution (Fasold, 1988).

 

The haste conclusion of Lorence Gene Collins based on the feelings of other investigators that its boat appearance be 

"ONLY superficial" 

is proved wrong by other scientific studies. 

Why the haste conclusion of Collins is bogus? Because he or even other scientists are not using 3-D images of the internal parts of the said mound as supporting sources. So, his conclusion that the boat-like appearance is "Only superficial"  is purely based on imagination. 

In 2014 geophysicist John Larsen was given a permission by the Turkish government to conduct with a then advance ground penetrating resistivity scanner, so that we have had now a scientific 3-D resistivity images of the internal portions of the ark fossil. And what he has seen using that scientific instrument? 

Scientific instrument used by geophysicist John Larsen and archaeologist & computer engineer Andrew Jones reveals that even 8 or 7 feet below the ground, the appearance of the structure is still like a ship (© 2020 by these scientists).

The ark shape is not just superficial as claimed by Collins but in fact even deep inside the ground. And this scientific confirmation that it is ship-shaped has partly vindicated the belief of renowned photogrammetry and Earth scientist Arthur Brandenberger of Ohio University.

(Credit: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/vg/video-gallery/3d-images-of-noahs-ark-to-be-shown-in-documentary/0 )

After scientific testings using  nondestructive cables to sent to and receive reflected electric signals in the ark-shaped object done by John Larsen and also by computer engineer & archaeologist Andrew Jones, 

Cem Sertesen, the director of the documentary 2017 “Noah’s Ark," commented that these are the actual images of the ship-shaped structure.

"They are neither fake nor simulation." 

"They show," he said to Anadolu Agency, "the entire ship buried underground."

"It's a ship, but it’s too early to call it Noah’s Ark. We have to do a lot of work. This can only be done with the support of universities and the Turkish state.” 

Therefore, so-called scientific opinion that the ship-shaped structure is ONLY surface appearance is of the pseudo-archaeologist. So, all biblical archaeologists who also have the same feeling-based opinion are themselves pseudo-archaeologists. Therefore, the so-called anti-pseudoarchaeologists are themselves sometimes pseudo-archaeologists. One reason why this happens is because antagonists have the habit of using ignorance as a tool to judge rather than to based on scientific experimentations. Scientific instruments can show to us that it is ship-shaped even deep inside the soil. 

Pseudo-archaeologists, usually Noah's ark antagonists, are in a habit of using a lie or fallacy, like saying Noah had built ark in southern Mesopotamia, when the Bible suggests that Adam lived in western part of Assyria and the ark was floating on the flooded earth of Ararat (Genesis 2:14-15 & 8:4).

In Gilgamesh Epic, Utnapishtim (Noah) had built his big boat near a body of water, most likely on Lake Van or on Lesser Araske river near Arzap. 

I am not saying that all biblical archaeologists are practicing this, but most of them become pseudo-archaeologists with regards to Noah's ark structure in the "mountains of Ararat."

Instead to correct the erroneous terminology usually use by laymen, they brought them into more error. One of the erroneous terminology is the term "Noah's ark" itself. 

If Noah's ark was made of biodegradable materials, then it is expected that now its materials have already decomposed, so what would be left likely is its shape, as expectedly the "shape"  could be fossilized by natural geological activities. So, what could we have had now is the ark-shaped fossil, which is the fossilized shape of the ark. 

And if it is an ark-shaped fossil, it is very unlikely to destroy it, that is, destroyers of ark-shaped fossil are enemies of the ark-shaped fossil. 

But Dr. Andre A. Snelling on September 1, 1992 (in Creation 14, no. 4) accused Agri governor Sevkit Ekinci of having " a number of times intervened to stop a dig [on it] because he may not want to run the risk that excavation shows it not to be the Ark, and thus have no further tourist potential." 

This high speculation is a form of a lie because even before it was declared as Noah's Ark tourist destination

 it was forbidden to dig. 

And any scientific examination of it, except destructive, is allowable since 1985. 

Why some scientists are engaging themselves in such a lie? 

Because there are westerner experts and their adherents believing that Noah's Ark landed on Mt. Ararat (Masis). 

The Bible does not say that the ark landed on Mt. Ararat, rather it says it had rested on the 

"mountains of Ararat." 

The Bible gives the region where it was rested, not the name of the "mount." 

 "Mountains" is plural and may refer to an area or region. 

DEIR 'ALLA - Station of the Messengers

DEIR 'ALLA - Station of the Messengers

A settlement located in ancient Succoth east of Jordan Valley at 32°11'20" N 35°36'11" E, one mile north of Jabbok. It was anciently called "Tilmun" ('Dilmun') for a copper forging there, and one of the possible three "Tilmuns" in Bronze Age (cf. 1Kings 7:46).

 This was a possible station if a traveler would come from Harran, and here Jacob built booths for his cattle, and since then the Hebrews called it Succoth ("Booths"). One of its areas was called "Peniel" by Jacob from his expression "I saw the  face to God" (cf. Gen. 33:10) after forcing a man in a wrestling. The man could be a messenger of chariot hero "Israel" of Ugarit, Syria who that time was crossing the path of Jacob. Desperate for his duty because Jacob tarried him, and as a spy must not be exposed to daytime, the messenger blessed Jacob and had given the alias "Israel," most likely derived from the name of his boss Israel of Ugarit (cf. Genesis 33:17 & 32:17,24-30).

This incident suggests to us that as early as the time of Jacob (1578-1432 BCE) Deir 'Alla was a place where messenger had been trodden by. 

During the Late Bronze Age collapse, there were three copper mining sites valuable for the mass production of copper swords and armaments - namely, Capthor (Enkomi, Cyprus), Athika (Timna Valley, Edom) and Succoth Jordan (Deir 'Alla), and all of these were occupied by the troops of Moses and apparently became the suppliers of the arms of the Sea Peoples.

There were three places visited by Queen Tausert and likely permitted to be destroyed and used by the troops of "Yarsu" (Moses): namely,

 Athika (Timna Valley),

 Deir 'Alla, and

 Akko.

 The pharaoh (Tausert) conspired with Yarsu (Osarsuph) as her ' Chieftain in the forein land.'

There was a public receiving house in Deir 'Alla where seers, like Bala'am ben Beor, were stationed before further travelling south. And in fact (archaeologically), Bala'am bar Beor (d. 1190 BCE) was popular diviner (seer) in that receiving sanctuary-house before it was destroyed and before he was killed by the troop of Joshua, general of Moses. 

Around March, 1190 BCE Moses divided the troops. The troops led by his sister Miriam reached Zin Kadesh, and the other troop (the captain people) was led to Athika (Timna Valley, Edom), and the 3rd troop, mostly elders led by Aaron to Moserath and the Livites were separated to minister for the ark of the covenant (Deut. 10:6-8), and the fourth part was the spy troop, led by Zimri ben Salu, a captain of Simeonite clan,  who managed to enter Sittim, near the tel Sodom (cf. Numbers 23:10). 

Seeing this troop was increasing in number, tent by tent by twelve, Balak ben Zippor king of Moabites convened a council with the Midianite elders for the matter. His solution, called for Bala'am bar Beor of Patorah (Pethor, Pitru) in Aram, Mari. And let him curse Israel (probably mimicking what Bentisina had done to Babylon several decades ago). Their messengers brought money for Bala'am to curse Israel, and as an astute diviner Bala'am said that even "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Yah (Ea) my God, to do less or more." 

Knowing the circumstances of the Sea Peoples that were now sporadically destroying many countries, and the evil that Asshur (Isru/Isser) had done against Kenites (which this time were in Judah and east of Phoenicia), and the troops of Kharu leader (Moses) from Kition (Cyprus), Bala'am became cautious of his acts and wordings, particularly two messengers of different gods went him and advised him "not to go"  and on the other one "to go." This may mean that Bala'am was aware that there was a spy (messenger) from Yahweh following him (cf. Num. 24:21-24). 

In a dark place of forest that messenger was waiting for his passage to kill him, but Bala'am managed to make a drama that he got mad at his donkey and he talked to his donkey. Historically, Bala'am was known in his habit of talking to animals even though men around him could not hear the talks of his animals. His security guards and the Moabite ambassadors might have given him a time to talk to his donkey privately, and in doing so they might have walked away for a while, a chance for Bala'am to directly talk to the malakh (messenger) of YHWH. The messenger warned him not to curse Israel. 

How Bala'am might have learned that a spy or messenger was following him? He might have discovered it at the sanctuary of Deir 'Alla. 

Because in that receiving house a troop of Salma left a message that they would set fire on Sharon, likely to Akko. With that situation, he said to Balak :" Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh has put in my mouth?" (Num. 23:12)

During his 4th oracle he alluded the then rising star "Sirius"  on 17 July 1190 BCE (Numbers 24:17), which was sign of one week feast of gods for the Egyptians. And yes, the astute Bala'am may have asked Midianites to have a feast for elohim (gods) and used Moabite women to entice the troop of Zimri ben Salu for the evil plan (Num. 31:16). No less than Cozbi, the princess of king Zur (president of the Midianite confederation), who led the enticement, and since the spy of Israelite Zimri  heard good things from the mouth of Bala'am, the troops of Zimri joined the feast of gods at Baal-Peor, not knowing that a pandemic disease would be transmitted by those women (Num. 25:1-18). 

They attended the feast on July 27, the same day that Moses and many elders were officiating the election of Eleazar as successor of Aaron at Mt. Hor in Moseroth, where, likely because of shortening of oxygen in the height, Aaron died. It was around September 6, 1190 BCE when the mourning had finished. 

It was too late, more than 20,000 were already infected by the disease and dying when Moses arrived and discovered the incident of Baal-Peor. He asked the help of "judges" headed by Phinehes ben Eleazar ben Aaron to impose capital punishment for those leaders who were involved in the spread of the pandemic disease. Some of the "judges" this time were likely Jair, Tola ben Pua, and Bedan (cf. Num.26:23, Judges 10:1; Num.32:41, Judg.10:4; 1Chronicles 7:16-17).

They readied for a revenge because of the 24 thousand people died of the pandemic disease. 

They killed the five Midianite kings (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), which were the dukes of Amorite king Sihon, and they also killed Bala'am ben Beor, likely in Deir 'Alla (Joshua 13:21-27, Num. 31:1-8). 

"And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire." - Numbers 31:10 (KJV)

The Egyptian faience jar of Queen Tausert turned black as the sanctuary in Deir 'Alla was obliterated in a fierce fire. Fortunately, archaeologists found that Egyptian faience vase, and they discovered who was the owner of it when they read from a cartouche the name of Queen Tausert. 

Who was with the troop of Phinehas and Joshua (fl. 1228- c. 1150 BCE) when they destroyed the houses in the land? Archeological findings can show to us that there are Mycenaean and Cypriot pots (of Late Bronze: LH IIIB - Iron Age IA) in the vicinity together with the faince bottle of Queen Tausert. This simply means, there were Mycenaean and Cypriot fighters helping the troops of Joshua. 

Although Deir 'Alla was devastatingly burned to ash, archaeological finding shows that there was habitation after the conflagration. 

And the reason? 

Joshua 13:24-27 says Moses gave it as an inheritance to the families of Gad, and hence it was inhabited even up to the time of king Solomon and the Babylonian Captivity (1Chronicles 4:16-19).

Note: literature :

B.A. Levine, "The Deir 'Alla Plaster Inscriptions", in: W.W. Hallo (ed.), Context of Scripture, vol.2 (2003), 140-145.

ISRAEL, CIRCUMCISED FIGHTERS WERE TARGETED BY THE PHARAOH

ISRAEL, CIRCUMCISED FIGHTERS, TARGETED BY PHARAOH

A pharaoh in 1207 BCE reported an incident of 1208 BCE when he encountered the tribe he identified "wandering many rebellious men and women Israel." He was almost in a merge of comparing Israel to "Libyans" except that he distinguished the latter as a state of many Libyan  men & women. 

This means Tehenu Libyans has there city-state, whereas Israel is wandering tribe from the border of Egypt proper. In 1209 BCE the pharaoh fought Libyans, Issacharites (Shakares), Asherites (Akwesha), and Tursha (Atlantis fighters) and enabled to defeat them. This incident was taken advantage by Deborah, who tried to gather enough number to fight against Sisera, the general of king Jabin of Hazor. She might have received a warning from Issacharites (Shakarus) that impending attack might be followed after Canaanites were defeated in Gezer in 1209 BCE. The difficult to fight was King Jabin, and even king Rameses the Great (1279-1213 BCE) recognized how valuable the Kishon of Jabin. Since Kishon river was serving as a "wall" between south and north, Deborah asked Barak ben Abinoam to gather 10,000 Naphtalites and Zebulunites to Kedesh, just east of Pe-Kanah (Phoenicia). Danites (Denyen) and Asherites were busy with their overseas' matter (most likely with Moses), and did not send their fighters to Deborah. Besides Hazor was infested with many Kushite Kenites, as the son of Hobab brother-in-law of Moses lived in Kedesh as early as 1227 BCE. Even Egyptian scribe Hori (fl. 1207-1160 BCE) was describing how noticeable were the Kenites (fighters of Ken).

 During the days of Jael a Kenite woman (fl. 1227 - 1209 BCE), there was a volcanic eruption, melting Sinai "mountains" and making the highways unoccupied and ceasing villages of Israelites. The remaining population of Israel that time, as reported by Deborah, was 40,000. Within this period, the sons of Jair (fl. 1191-1169 BCE) were training to be governors of YHWH. And when Canaanite rulers tried to loot them, they fought, and they defeated them (Judges 5:4-11). 

And likely under Ehud in 1209 BCE they even burned Gezer, a land of Kharu which was assigned to be the lot of Moses' family. 

When king Merneptah discovered the restlessness of roaming Israel in those lands, he made a surprise attack by starting the fight in Ugarit, Syria, which was under the Hittite dominion, pharaoh's ally. And the he boastfully, officially reported:

" Tribe Israel of many wandering rebellious men and women is desolated, his

 seed no longer exists;

Kharu (Syrian) is become a widow because of Egypt. 

All lands united are in peace themselves. 

Anyone who was restless, he subdued by the King of Upper and Lower Egypt,..." - Merneptah Stele, lines 27-29 (Cairo no. 34025)

The pharaoh here is reporting that the tribe Israel has no "seed." 

King Rameses III identified what this "seed" refers to when he said: 

"Those who reached my boundary, their 

seed 

is no more,..." 

(cf. J.H. Breasted. 1906, iv, sections 65-66, Extracts from Medinet Habu inscription)

The "seed" refers to those who disturbed the boundary of the pharaoh.

Why king Merneptah was thinking of being sure that there was no "seed" of Israel? 

The reason was because he was targeting circumcised fighters since 1209 BCE, and in fact the pharaoh reported in his bulletin that he had killed

" 2201 circumcised Asherites (Akwesha), " 

besides of 222 Issacharites (Shakares). 

King Merneptah made a special distinguishing to easily determine the number of circumcised and uncircumcised enemies. He ordered his soldiers to have ocular inspection one by one on the genitals of their enemies. If the enemies are uncircumcised, they have to cut their penises; and if circumcised, they have to cut their hands. 

Even king Rameses III retaimed that cutting  off of the hands of enemies, and made an inventory.

To be specific, the servants of king Merneptah made a tally:

"From the heaps, [Egyptians] brought to the pharaoh the penises of the 6,111 men. And from circumcised slain, they carried the hands of 2,370 men"

and even reported that they 

" have cut off the penises of 6 Libyan princes."

(Egyptian inscription: KR 4.7-9, or line 46)

 

In this situation, Israel had to stop circumcising Hebrew babies, which is also mentioned by general Joshua.

" Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them 

they had not circumcised. 

For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were 

men of war, 

which came out of Egypt, were consumed, ... " - Joshua 5:5-6 (KJV)

Since there had no circumcised Hebrew baby, the pharaoh has boastfully reported on his document (Merneptah Stele, line 27) that 

the tribe Israel 

has "no seed."

And Moses became contented in saying that their God YHWH 

"will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your 

seed, 

to love YHWH your God with all your heart,..." (Deuteronomy 30:6)

Two opposite parties (pharaoh and Joshua & Moses) are describing the same thing about circumcision. And this is the hard evidence that the report about certain events of Moses and Joshua are historically true. 

And it was king Merneptah who became interested to determine the number of killed circumcised enemies, that he even allowed updating report of the inventory, giving the reason why the two bulletins (Athribis stela and Karnak inscription) of the same invent have different figures of slain circumcised enemies.

It was only on March 28th, 1189 BCE when Joshua resumed the circumcision rite.

Joshua 5:4,7,9

" And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 

And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. 

And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the 

reproach of Egypt

 from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. " - Joshua 5:4,7,9 (KJV)

COPPER SNAKE FROM EDOM

COPPER SNAKES

Moses (Torah) reported " nahasim," which can be understood 'two serpents' (as the " -im" if we will consider as a short form of "-ayim", a dual suffix). 

They encountered at least two snakes, one is poisonous and the other one is likely not deadly. 

Traditionally, snakes when depicted or sculptured must be in a pair. That is attested even by the 1600 BCE Minoan Snake Goddess in Crete. Even in Hazor a bronze sketced with a goddess' head and two snakes is telling us that it was a standard in antiquity to have two copper snakes. 

Moses made a change on this tradition, and according to king Rameses III, he treated gods as merely humans.  

The people of captain (generals) was led by Moses to Athika in Edom. And this was likely under the permission of the pharaoh (Queen Tausert). 

While the other population was in Horma, the " am rabh " (captain people) was headed toward a lake (Edom suph) for water. 

" And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the 

yam suph [reeds' sea],

 to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 

And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, 

neither is there any water; 

and our soul loathes this light bread. 

And YHWH sent burning serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. " -Numbers 21:4-6 

Since "edom" means "red," later Jewish Greek writers had translated 'Edom suph' as "Erythra thalassa" ("Red Sea"). And Herodotus (c.440 BCE) called the sea south of this lake as "Erythra" ("Red") as what he had learned from the Judaeans.

There was a locality there called by the Hebrews as "Athakh" (1Samuel 30:30), the same area called by king Rameses III (1186-1155 BCE) as "Atika," and Moses became known as "Musaeos of Attica" probably because of this place. 

The group of people Moses hid here were " generals" and coded as "Leprous," most likely so that no foreign enemies would dare to touch them. He mentioned their sending in this way:

" wasalahti (and I will send)

'et-ha (the)

sir'ah (hornets)

lepaneka (ahead of you)

wagerasah (and which shall drive out)

'et-ha-hiwwi (the Hivites),

ha-kana'ani (the Canaanites),

we'et (and)

ha-hitti (the Hittites)

milapaneka (before you)." - Exodus 23:28

Moses plays a pun of word here, including the jargon that only them could quickly comprehend.

"Tsaraath" ("leprosy") is the rootword of both 

sir'ah ("hornets, wasps")

and

"Zorah." 

This part of people coded as "leprous" is historically also mentioned in the Aegyptiaca (History of Egypt) written by the Egyptian Greek priest Manetho (fl. c. 285 - c. 239 BCE), saying:

"... 'the people of Jerusalem came accordingly upon the Egyptians, ... and for that priest who settled their polity and their law,' he says,' he was by birth of Heliopolis, and his name was 

Osarsuph,

[derived]  from [the name] Osiris god of Heliopolis, but that he changed his name, and called himself 

Moses.'

 [Manetho] then says that 'on the 13th year afterward Amenophis [Amenmesse] of his misfortune, came upon them out of

 Kush

 with a great army, and joining battle with the shepherds and with the polluted people, overcame them in battle, and slew a great many of them, and pursued them as far as bounds in Syria. ...for the leprous people, and the multitude that was with them, although they might formerly have been angry at the king, and at those that had treated them so coarsely, and this according to the prediction of the prophet; yet certainly, when they come out

 of the mines,

 and had received of the king [Tausert] a city, and a country, they would have grown milder toward him...." - Manetho, Aegyptiaca (preserved in Apion 1.28-29, Josephus)

According to the Egyptian history that Manetho had learned, this incident of Moses (Osarsiph/Yarsu) with a troop of Kush in mining sites (Athika) happened in the Year 13 of pharaoh Amenmeses.

Amenmesse ruled between 1201-1198 BCE, and his Year 13 was in 1190-1189 BCE. 

This is an independent extra biblical source written in a national History of Egypt in the 3rd century BCE.

Athika, now known "Timna Valley, Edom," was a mining site. Queen Tausert visited this place in 1190 BCE after the death of her predecessor Siptah. She became the "king of Egypt" (and traditionally, in hieroglyphic writings, masculine pronouns could be used for her when speaking to her as the "king"), and  according to Rameses III this "king" conspired with "Yarsu" (Moses). 

According to Rameses III, Athika was not heard by his father as it was a secret place that his family did not know earlier. It is expected since the people of generals were hid by Yarsu (Moses) in that place. Queen Tausert made secret about Athika.

"... to the land of 

Atika

 to the great copper mines which are there. ... It had

 not been heard of

 since the kings [earlier than me]. Their mines were found and yielded copper  ..." - Rameses III (Papyrus Harris I, column 78, lines 1-4)

Yarsu (Osarsu) became the "Chieftain" of pharaoh (Queen Tausert), admitted by Rameses III in his official report in Papyrus Harris I, column 75, lines 3-6.

There in Athika, Edom, Kushite Midianites were very acquainted both by inhabitants and place. And tradition was that to appease the goddess of snakes, they probably need to make replica of snakes.

Why they needed to appease the goddess of snakes?

"... wayamat (and died)

'am (people)

rabh (captain)

miyisra'el (of Israel)." - Numbers 21:6

Many captain people died because of snake bites. But Moses changed the tradition. Instead to make two bronze snakes, he sculptured one and this 

"nahas" (snake)

was an advice to him by his God.

Midianites, whether with or without the knowledge of Moses, made another copper snake (and fortunately, archaeologists discovered that very copper snake). 

" And YHWH said unto Moses, Make a burning [snake], and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live. 

And Moses made a copper snake, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to it, he lived. " - Numbers 21:8-9

"PILLARS OF HERCULES"

 "Pillars of Hercules" refers to the landmark of the start of the rebellion. 

Herakles (Hercules) was a legendary ruler of Tyre or west coast of Syria between around 1264 and 1226 BCE, next to or contemporary of Aribas, after Phoenix. 

Phoenix is a transliteration of "Pekanan," a toponym east of Phoenicia. Joshua called this place "Kanah," where Phoenicians were probably kept safe by Muksus (Moses) when they landed in it. 

King Seti I (1290 BCE) depicted "Pekanan" as on a hill surrounded by trees. This was the farthest place he fought during his first year of reign. 

"Year 1. King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menmare (Seti I). The destruction which the mighty sword of the Pharaoh L.P.H. made among the vanquished of the Shasu, from the Fortress of Tharu to

 Pekanan,

 when his majesty marched against them like a fierce-eyed lion, making them carcasses in their valleys, overturned in their blood like those that exist not." - Seti I (1290 BCE)

From Pekanan king Seti probably divided his troops, one moved to Beth-Rehob in the north of Palestine (cf. Numbers 13:21) and the other troop to Hamath and Yenoam. 

Pekanan could be the place where he got the tree or pillars symbolizing Osiris' rescue. 

Phoenicia was a transliteration of "Pekanan" which was popularized likely during the time of king Rameses III (1186-1155 BCE). 

 According to Xanthus (FGH765F 17), an ancient Lydian historian, Mu-ka-sa ("Moxos" in Luwian hieroglyphics) had his military operation in Phoenicia. 

How Moses got in the region?

 It was when Moses left Kadeshbarnea after Miriam and Aaron questioned his marriage to Zipporah, a Kushite woman. Likely it was after Moses gave importance to the Kushite families, the incident of which was when on May 19, 1228 BCE he asked Hobab (the brother of his wife) to help him to scout the northern area. 

Asiatics (e.g. of Syria-Palestine) were well known as " ibrw " (Hebrew) during the time of king Rameses II scouting many places for military gathering information. So, it could be a jealousy of Miriam about who could be best scouts, the Hebrews (homophone of "ibrw ") or the Kushites? This debate may give also reason why his sister was called "Miriam," an ideogram name derived from king Rameses II's name " Miriamun" to mean "rebellious." 

Numbers 10:11-12,29-33,35

" And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. 

And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 

And Moses said unto

 Hobab, 

the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. 

And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. 

And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. " - 

Numbers 10:11-12,29-33,35 (KJV)

Moses had an idea to scatter the enemies, and this might made him to decide to left his family (and put them under the leadership of his elder siblings, Miriam and Aaron) in Kadeshbarnea, and to destroy Hittites and other potential enemies before the 40th year would come (he ordered the Hebrews to stay at wilderness within 4 decades). He was absent in Kadeshbarnea between 1227 and around 1194 BCE. 

Where Moses did go? 

" Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab of the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. 

Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. " - Judges 4:11,17

They went in the territory of king Jabin of Hazor. Heber the Kenite lived in Zaanaim near Rukkath (Lukka) and had a good relationship with Jabin because since 1227 BCE until 20th year they were paying taxes or tribute to the king (Judges 4:2-3). 

Zaanaim, where they stayed, is in the west of Pe-kanah (Phoenicia). 

King Seti depicted "Pekanan" as on a hill surrounded with trees, and from them or probably from Byblos he got the trunks that could be used to make into "djed" ("pillars") and offer them to Isis. 

It was a practice of a pharaoh to send representative in Byblos to ask for a wood that could be used to by Egyptians for their idol, like in the report of Wenamun (fl. 1129-1070 BCE).

And Herakles is said had reigned in Phoenicia and was deified at his death in 1226 BCE. He was before Moses had started the rebellion. 

There were two strategic places of Moses' movement: first was in Phoenicia, and next was in Caphtor. 

The term Caphtor itself has two meanings: the place anciently known "Kaphtara" (read by Minoans as "ku-pa-ro", the toponym "Cyprus," with silent "t"), 

and 

in Hebrew "kaphtor" could be understood as "pillar" (e.g. Amos 9:1, Zephaniah 2:14). 

The name "Kaphtor" was in itself may mean "Pillar." 

And the source of Egyptian "pillar" was Byblos or Phoenicia. 

Plato described these "Pillars" as located at the distant point of ocean of Atlantis on front of Atlantis' island and surrounded by a continent encompassing an ocean.

Paraphrasing an Egyptian priest via Solon (c. 630 - c. 560 BCE) and Timaeus (700 BCE), Plato reported:

" For it is related in our records how once upon a time your State stayed the course of a mighty host, which, starting from a 

distant point in the ocean

 of Atlantis' ocean, was insolently advancing 

to attack the

 whole of Europe, and Asia 

to boot.

 For the 

ocean there was at that time navigable; 

for in front of the mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, 

'the pillars of Heracles,' 

there lay an island which was [surrounded by] larger  than  Libya [Libu tribe]  and Asia [Assuwa] together; and it was possible for the 

travelers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that veritable ocean. For all that we have here, lying within the 

mouth

 of which we speak, is evidently a haven having a narrow entrance; but that yonder is a real ocean, and the land surrounding it may most rightly be called, in the fullest and truest sense, a continent. Now in this 

island of Atlantis

 there existed a 

confederation of kings, 

of great and marvelous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many other islands also and parts of the continent." (Plato's Timaeus 24e - 25a)

Later Greek writer identified these "pillars" as pillars of "Melcarthus," as the term was derived from " Melqart," which simply means " king (of Byblos or Tyre)" and later referred to a god, most likely Hercules (a deified Tyre's king of 1226 BCE). 

Plutarch in his book 'On Isis and Osiris' indicated that Melcarthus was the king of Byblos, most likely the way "Caesar"  is the king of Rome and "pharaoh" is the king of Egypt.

It was after the death of Herakles (1226 BCE) when Cyprus' towns (Enkomi, Kition, Palaekastro, and Sinda) were destroyed (archaeologically in LC IIC), but the destroyers lived in them and remained untouched by other Sea Peoples decade after decade.

King Rameses III reported that "Kush" was causing disturbances to the people of Syria. This may mean that the Kushite tribe became known at this instance. This may give a likely hint to us that "Kushmeshusha" could be a pretender native ruler of Alashiya, Cyprus being referred to of the tribe causing disturbances in Syria.

" I made the infantry and chariotry to dwell [at home] in my time; the Sherdana and Kehek were in their towns, lying the length of their backs; they had no fear, for there was no enemy from 

Kush, from Syria. 

Their bows and their weapons were laid up in their magazines, while they were satisfied with drunk and joy. Their wives were with them, their children at their side [for] was with them as the defense and protection of their limbs "(cf. Papyrus Harris I; Standard, The Sea Peoples, p.133) 

 The name "Kush-Meshusha" means "Moses of Kush" or a translation of 

"Yah-Moses" 

since "Kushuh" was a moon of god of Harran, the way "yah" was a former moon god of Egyptians. If this is correct, then this may mean that Moses was using "Kush" as an ideogram for "Yah" and a phonogram for "Kush," the tribe of Moses' wife, and as a logogram for the Syrian land (e.g. Harran, as his patriarch Jacob and Abram were from Harran).

It seems that "Kushmeshusha" got the heart of the people in Cyprus and Ugarit, Syria, by enticing them for a good relationship, as what the Kushite Kenites did to Sisera of king Jabin in Hazor. 

Not knowing the traditional royal correspondences, Kushmeshusha identified himself as "sharru" ("king"), which was very unusual that time because Cyprus was not claiming to be independent kingdom. Although this may imply also that Cypriots liked this independency from Hittite or Egyptian rulership. 

Kaphtor, the "Pillar" island, could be Enkomi, where a Kharu leader led a reform by his Peleset fighters. And king Rameses III identified this Kharu leader who usurped the authority of Egypt to foreign land (e.g. Cyprus) as 

"Yarsu" ("Yah-Moses").

"Yah-Moses" could be translated into "Kushmeshusha." This person Kushmeshusha (Yah-Moses) was the first to claim to be the king of Alashiya in the Late Bronze Age. And Cyprus was the best starting point for reform since it was connected to various points of the ancient world, particularly to the Minoans, Atlantis (Tursha), and Mycenaean islands. This distant island was marked as "Pillar of Hercules," where Hercules was a symbol of Melqart or king of Phoenicia that era.