Cor Hendriks – Het Velikovsky Syndroom (26): Shasu = Israëlieten

7 februari 2020Hendriks, Home, Locatie2

Via de site ACADEMIA (https://www.academia.edu/) word ik vrijwel dagelijks op de hoogte gehouden van artikelen of boeken, die als PDF op hun site verschijnen en die naar hun idee voor mij interessant zouden kunnen zijn (op basis van mijn download gedrag). Uiteraard vind ik niet al die artikelen interessant, maar er zitten voldoende artikelen bij, die me interesseren, om de toezending door te laten gaan. Een van de boeken, die ik onlangs kreeg toegestuurd, was ‘Mozes and the Exodus: Historical and Archaeological Evidence’ van Gerard Gertoux.

Het boek heeft absoluut niets met Velikovsky van doen! Het is geheel in de traditionele chronologie opgebouwd en uitermate uitgebreid onderbouwd, wat niet wil zeggen, dat de schrijver gelijk heeft. Zijn these is sowieso omstreden, namelijk dat de Exodus heeft plaatsgevonden en dat de Israëlieten en de Hyksos identiek zijn, een these bekend aan en hevig bestreden door Velikovsky (vanwege ingebouwd antisemitisme). In de huidige wetenschappelijke consensus wordt de Exodus ontkend: er is geen bewijs voor dat deze heeft plaatsgevonden (zie https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_(boek)). Ondanks dit gebrek aan bewijs wordt in religieuze literatuur de mening verkondigd, dat Ramses II de farao van de Exodus zou zijn, wat uiteraard heel gemakkelijk te weerleggen is en door Gertoux ook weerlegd wordt.

Binnen de huidige chronologische consensus zijn er redenen om de Exodus, die traditioneel ruim vier eeuwen voor de tijd van Salomon (circa 1000 VC) wordt geplaatst, in de tijd van de expulsie van de Hyksos uit Egypte door Ahmose te plaatsen. Op pagina 122 zegt Gertoux:

It is noteworthy that from Ahmose (circa – 1530) there is a complete disappearance (into nowhere!) of any reference to the Hyksos and Syro-Palestine “Retenu (Canaan)” became suddenly the “land of Kharru (Hurrians and Syrians)” for Egyptians. Shortly after, from Thutmose I (circa – 1490) and up to Ramses III (circa – 1160), appear (from nowhere!) in Palestine an important new Asiatic people, called Shasu [p. 409], who are extensively described in the Egyptian iconographic documents. “Shasu land” in the Egyptian inscriptions was not a small area of unknown nomads because in the following list of six place names on a chariot of Thutmose IV (1392 – 1383), “Shasu land” was considered potentially as a powerful enemy by the Egyptians like Naharin land (Western Mesopotamia) or Shinar.

Shasu Sinai Libya Nubia Philistia Arame Naharin Nubia Shinar (I, pagina 122)

Pagina 409. Shasu refer to Bedouin (“wandering” in Egyptian), called Habiru (“emigrants” in Akkadian) by Canaanites. This identification is confirmed by the Egyptian priest Manetho himself. He explains the word as Hyksos from hyk-sos “King Shepherd“, which is relatively accurate, because the Egyptian word ḥeq means “ruler and or chief” and the word šos actually means “shepherd”. Sahidic translation (late Egyptian) of Genesis 47:6: if you know any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle, used for example the word šos to describe these “rulers of cattle”. The Hyksos word actually comes from the Egyptian ḥeqaw ḫa’sw.t “Rulers of foreign lands”, but Manetho connected it to the Shasu appeared later and thus translated it as “Rulers of shepherds” ḥeqaw šosw (in Egyptian š3s means “travelling”). Studies on Shasu tend to rehabilitate this so called popular etymology (M.G. HASEL – Domination and Resistance. Egyptian Military Activity in the Southern Levant, Leiden, 1998, Ed. Brill, p. 217 – 239). In fact, the Egyptians understood the word shasu as a common noun designating semi sedentary shepherds staying mainly in the south of Palestine. They used the phrase “Lands of Shasu”, which shows that they originally included this phrase as a geographical designation. The fact that they wrote the word sometimes shas (š3s) “wandering” instead of the usual shasu (š3sw) also shows that they originally included the word as a synonym for “transhumant”.

We zien een duidelijke contradictie ten aanzien van de Shasu: enerzijds wordt gesproken over Bedoeïenen oftewel schaapherders, die in tenten wonen en rondtrekken, anderzijds over een door de machtige Egyptische farao als een machtige vijand beschouwd “Shasu land”. Gertoux heeft er geen problemen mee de Shasu als Israëlieten te zien en citeert regelmatig uit het boek Rechteren, omdat dit in zijn optiek in tijd overeenkomt met de tijd van de 18e dynastie. Maar in de tijd van het boek Rechteren bestond Israël als staat niet en de Israëlieten te zien als machtige vijanden voor Egypte wordt in het geheel niet gesteund door de Bijbel, waarin uitsluitend wordt gesproken over de Filistijnen als de vijanden van de Israëlieten.

In the south of Canaan (Judea) many Canaanite cities [p. 449] totally escaped Egyptian influence during the Late Bronze Age (1500 – 1200) such as: el-Khalil Hebron (Jos 14:15), Khirbet et-Tubêqa Beth-Zur (Jos 15:58), Tell Beit Misim (unidentified), Khirbet er-Rabud Debir (Jos 15:15), Tell Sera‘ Ziklag (Jos 15:21,31), Tel Halif Rimmon? (Jos 15:32), Tell Arad, Tel Malhata and Tel Masos Arad (Nb 21:1). These cities are never mentioned in Amarna letters despite their existence being confirmed by archaeology (below). The inhabitants of these southern cities of Canaan (Israelites according to the Bible) are a mystery to archaeologists, because they had no connection with the Canaanites and Egyptians, they only know that in the Egyptian tombs of el-Amarna those inhabitants are called Shasu (“wanderers”) (p. 132).

Hier hebben we het over steden, die genoemd worden in het boek Jozua en die later gelegen waren in het zogeheten Zuidrijk. In de chronologie van Velikovsky is de tijd van el-Amarna dezelfde tijd als van het Zuidrijk (circa 840 VC) en plaatsen uit het boek Jozua (circa 1400 VC) kunnen zijn verdwenen of tot onbeduidendheid gereduceerd. Of ze worden niet genoemd in de Egyptische annalen, omdat Egypte geen invloed had in dat gebied (iets wat Gertoux zelf ook beargumenteerd). Over de Shasu (Nederlands Sjasoe) heb ik eerder geschreven, zie https://robscholtemuseum.nl/cor-hendriks-de-shasu-van-jahwe-nieuw-bewijs-voor-de-chronologie-van-velikovsky/ evenals https://robscholtemuseum.nl/cor-hendriks-het-velikovsky-syndroom-22-de-assyrische-verovering-deel-3-seti-de-grote/.

Pagina 134: There is a complete disappearance of any reference to the Hyksos from Ahmose and Palestine “Lower Retenu (Syria)” became suddenly the “land of Ḫarru (Hurrians)” for Egyptians. Shortly after, from Thutmose I and up to Ramses III, there appears in Palestine an important new Asiatic people, called Shasu, who are extensively described in the Egyptian iconographic documents. One must note that “Ḫarru” meant a geographical area and not ethnicity because among 23 names found in Taanach Letters (circa – 1450), 14 are Semitic, 5 are Aryan and only 4 are Hurrian. Shasu refer to Bedouins, called Habiru (“emigrants” in Akkadian) by Canaanites.

De Hyksos werden verslagen door Ahmose in Egypte, maar hun rijk strekte zich uit tot ver in Azië, waar ze werden verslagen door Saul en David, waarna de laatste een groot rijk vestigde in het vacuüm nagelaten door de Hyksos in Azië. Dit rijk werd geërfd door zijn zoon Salomon, die er waarschijnlijk al grote delen van verloor, want na zijn dood is er alleen nog sprake van een land, dat weldra uiteenvalt in twee delen, een Noord en een Zuidrijk, die verschillende loyaliteiten hadden onder andere ten opzichte van religie. Het Zuidrijk was traditioneel in de leer van Mozes (voor zover die leer bestond), terwijl het Noordrijk zich overgaf aan de verering van Astarte en Baal, overeenstemmend met de aangrenzende Feniciërs van Sidon en Tyrus, en tenslotte ten onder ging door de Assyrische verovering. In het Zuidrijk stond de tempel in Jeruzalem, waar ook het paleis van de koning was, en waar omheen een cultus was ontwikkeld met priesters, die een grote invloed hadden op het dagelijkse leven. De bevolking woonde niet alleen in steden en dorpen, maar bestond voor een groot deel uit herders, die rondtrokken en in tenten woonden, terwijl in steden kooplieden woonden, die met hun goederen rondtrokken om er mee te handelen en onderweg ook in tenten verbleven.

Shasu land (Gertoux III, p. 188)

This identification is confirmed by Manetho who explains the word Hyksos coming from hyk-sos “King Shepherd“, which is relatively accurate, because the Egyptian word ḥeq means “ruler and or chief” and the word šos actually means “shepherd“. Sahidic translation (late Egyptian) of Genesis 47:6: if you know any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle, used for example the word šos to describe these “rulers of cattle“. The Hyksos word actually comes from the Egyptian ḥeqaw ḫa’sw.t “Rulers of foreign lands“, but Manetho connected it to the Shasu appearing later and thus translated it as “Rulers of shepherds” ḥeqaw šosw (in Egyptian š3s means “travelling“). Studies on Shasu rehabilitate this so called popular etymology because the Egyptians understood the word shasu as a common noun designating semi sedentary shepherds staying mainly in the south of Palestine. They used the phrase “Land of Shasu“, which shows that they originally included this phrase as a geographical designation. The fact that they wrote the word shas (š3s) “wandering” instead of the usual shasu (š3sw) also shows that they originally included the word as a synonym. The spatial and temporal distribution of Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware (which is a distinctive ceramic ware of the late Middle Bronze Age name from its type site at Tell el-Yahudiyeh “Mountain of the Jews“), confirms that the Shasu of Canaan had an identical culture (p. 134 – 135).

Hier ontvouwt Gertoux zijn theorie van de identiteit van de Hyksos en de Shasu, dat zijn de Israëlieten. Zijn enige argument is de verbale overeenkomst van de woorden in het Egyptisch in de tijd van Manetho, terwijl het woord Hyksos in origine een andere betekenis had, namelijk ‘Heersers van vreemde landen’. Dat in Egypte werd gesproken van het “Land van de Shasu” om daarmee het Zuiden van Palestina aan te duiden, is alleen mogelijk in de tijd van het Zuidrijk, want vóór Saul en David, in de tijd van Rechteren, waarop Gertoux wijst, was er geen “land” van betekenis.

Shasu (Gertoux I, p. 151)

Several Egyptian depictions confirm the link between former Hyksos and Shasu, such as hairstyle and the use of a particular weapon: a curved trencher or scimitar. These shasu warriors are portrayed on Egyptian frescoes with this weapon, already used by the Hyksos (and by the Egyptians who had borrowed them) and before by the Sumerians. The axe of Canaanite type called garzen, was very common in the East and was also used by the Israelites (Dt 20:19). The first information about Asiatics appears with Ahmose Pennekhbet, a former Egyptian general, who recounts in his biography that at the time of [enthronement of] Thutmose II (circa – 1472) he made prisoners in Nubia and Naharin [Mitanni] and during a punitive expedition in the North (Canaan), some Shasu were in his passage forcing him to crush them: I followed the king Aakheperenre (Thutmose II), justified, what I brought from the country of Shasu: many prisoners alive. I could not count them. The term “country” (line 2) indicates a large area (inside Canaan) where the Bedouins Shasu permanently resided. The Egyptian records of Thutmose II mention neither Israel nor the Israelites (…) (p. 155 – 156).

In de Bijbel is de naam Israël gereserveerd voor het Noordrijk, terwijl het Zuidrijk Juda wordt genoemd naar de grootste stam. Dit zijn natuurlijk geen internationale termen, mogelijk zelfs geen termen, die in die tijd gebruikt werden. Het land, het grote gebied (in Kanaän), waar de Bedoeïenen Shasu permanent resideerden, is het zogeheten Zuidrijk.

Kaart van Shasu gebied ten tijde van Thutmosis III (Gertoux III, 135)

Under the Thutmose III’s reign (1472 – 1418), information about Asiatics (Aamu) in Canaan and Hyksos appear in the stela (below) relating his 1st campaign into Retenu (Syro Palestine), dated in the year 23 of his reign (circa – 1450) (…)

Volgens Velikovsky zijn de Aamu en de Hyksos min of meer identiek. De Aamu zijn de Amalekieten, die Mozes tegenkwam na het vertrek uit Egypte, bevocht en versloeg, waarna de Amalekieten Egypte binnenvielen en veroverden. Ze werden verslagen in Azië door Saul, maar bleven ook daarna nog machtige vijanden van de Israëlieten.

In the topographical lists of Thutmose III about this campaign no place is cited in southern Palestine, usually associated with Shasu, with the exception of the Negeb. The Egyptians therefore met few Shasu only around Megiddo and Taanach.

Taanach and Megiddo are mentioned as Canaanite cities by Thutmose III (circa – [137] 1450), given that Talwashur the Canaanite mayor of Tanaach had had an assistant, Ahiami, who was an Israelite (and probably it was the same for Megiddo) Thutmose III was able to meet some Shasu at the north of Palestine. It should be noted that he carefully avoided the land of Shasu (Palestine) in all his campaigns towards Syria.

Ook hier zien we het land der Shasu als het Zuidrijk. Taänak was een oude Kanaänitische koningsstad in de vlakte van Jizreël (NW Palestina), reeds genoemd in Egyptische teksten sinds Thutmosis III en in de Amarna brieven, en werd, aldus het Bijbels Woordenboek, ondanks Joz 12:21 pas onder David aan Israël onderworpen en toen bij West Manasse gerekend (Joz 17:11; 21:25; 1 Kr 7:29). Onder Salomon vormde Taänak met Megiddo een eigen district (1 Kg 4:12), maar wordt verder niet meer in het OT vermeld (…) (BW 1372a) De geschiedenis vanuit opgraving perspectief wordt als volgt weergegeven. Uit de vroeg bronstijd dateren vier achtereenvolgende massieve versterkingssystemen. Circa 2500 schijnt de stad verlaten te zijn geweest. Nieuwe bewoning tegen het einde van de 17e eeuw (Hyksos); verwoestingen circa 1600 en 1468 (Thutmosis III) en nieuwe opleving na 1300. In het laatste kwart van de 12e eeuw grondige verwoesting. Nieuwe opbloei in de 10e eeuw; verwoesting door Sisak in 918.

De Egyptische koning Sisak, die Megiddo in 918 zou hebben verwoest, is niet de in de Bijbel met de naam Sisak aangeduide farao, maar Sjosjenk I van de zogeheten Libische Dynastie, die in de Bijbel farao So wordt genoemd (2 Koningen 17:4), die aan het BW niet bekend is (BW 1333a), dat de naam ‘weg’ vertaalt: de Egyptische naam van Saïs is s3w. Daarom kan men de tekst van Koningen beter vertalen met: hij zond boden naar So (= Saïs), naar de koning van Egypte. Daarmee is uiteraard nog steeds niet het raadsel opgelost wie die Egyptische farao was. Volgens Velikovsky is So een van de Sjosjenks (zie https://robscholtemuseum.nl/cor-hendriks-het-velikovsky-syndroom-20-de-assyrische-verovering-deel-1-de-tijd-van-jesaja/; zie ook https://robscholtemuseum.nl/cor-hendriks-het-velikovsky-syndroom-24-de-ark-van-het-verbond-in-egypte-nieuwe-bewijzen/).

Pagina 139: Archaeologists claim that Shasu were only a small tribe of nomads poorly localized, but according to the Egyptian documents of that time, they were at least several tens of thousands and their country in Palestine was considered as one of the nine enemy countries of Egypt. For example, Amenhotep II’s stele (circa 1410 BCCE) gives some ethnic information through a list of prisoners: Great ones of Retenu land 127; Brothers of the Great ones 179; Apiru 3.600; living Shasu 15.200; Ḫarru land (north Canaan) 36.300; living Nuhasse land (Syria) 15.070, their families 30.652; total amount 89.600 (sic). The high number of Shasu captured (some of whom would serve later in the Egyptian army), half of Ḫarru (Canaanites), shows that Shasu constituted a population of first magnitude at that time. It was not a small group of families who emigrated to Palestine, but, as argued by the biblical text, a large group of people. If the Egyptian text distinguishes Shasu and Apiru this does not prove that there was no link between these two groups, because the terms Shasu and Apiru were not proper names but common names. In the Amarna letters, the settlers conquering Palestine are Apiru “refugees” or Hapiru “migrants“, with the meaning “rebels“. The word Habiru means “migrants” in Semitic languages hence its later meaning “wanderers“. The list of Amenhotep II can be understood: Factious (Apiru) 3.600, Bedouins (Shasu) 15.200. If for Egyptians the Shasu, including those of Palestine, were perceived as wanderers, all wanderers (or factious) were not Bedouins (Shasu).

We zien hier, dat de Apiru of Hapiru met de betekenis ‘opstandelingen’ en de Shasu niet identiek zijn. Uiteraard schenkt Velikovsky veel aandacht aan deze ‘Habiru’ en begint met de theorie, dat Israël Egypte verliet ten tijde van de expulsie van de Hyksos en Palestina bereikte als de Habiru ten tijde van Akhnaton. Maar deze hypothese zou een meer dan 200 jaar durende omzwerving in de woestijn inhouden versus de traditionele 40 jaar en wordt daarom als onwaarschijnlijk beschouwd. (AiC 6) Sommigen van hen, die de theorie niet konden accepteren, dat de Hebreeën Kanaän al hadden betreden in de tijd van Amenhotep III en Akhnaton, identificeerden de Habiru als de Apiru, de werkers in de Egyptische mijnen op het Sinaï schiereiland, op hun seizoensmatige reistocht van daar naar hun huizen in Libanon; anders identificeerden hen als migranten van het Babylonische district Afiru. (AiC, p. 219)

Pagina 140: According to figures from Amenhotep II‘ list, the Shasu (shepherds of Palestine) were four times more numerous than the Apiru (factious or outlaws). Once again the Egyptians met few Shasu as well as Syrians only in the northern part of Palestine, however the Israelites at that place were mixed with Canaanites.

Pagina 141: The aim of Amenhotep II’s campaigns was to secure the major trade route called “Via Maris” linking Egypt to Aleppo in Syria. He therefore established some garrisons of soldiers in Canaan to perform police operations. Amenhotep II (1420 – 1392) established a number of garrison towns in Canaan such as: Gaza, Joppa, Beth-Shean, Ulaza, Sumur and Ikathi (near Damascus?), Gaza being the most permanent one for defending the coastal road to Egypt. Note that no garrison is located in Palestine (Upper Retenu) the land of Shasu because Gaza and Joppa belong to Philistine territory, Beth-Shean (south of Hazor) is north of Palestine (Lower Retenu), Kumidu belonged to Phoenician territory and Sumur belongs to western Syria (Djahy).

Pagina 151: However if the Shasu are not quoted in Amarna letters they are regularly portrayed (below) in Amarna tombs:

Pagina 163: The marauding Habiru of Late Bronze Canaan, generally designating seditious and factious at this time, have often been described in both social and linguistic terms as the precursors to the earliest Hebrews, but the pastoral nomadic Shasu, another social group from the east, provides a more fitting background for Israel’s origins. Egyptians knew well the area of Syria-Palestine which they called Retenu until Thutmose III (1469 – 1418), then from Amenhotep II (1420 – 1392): Upper Retenu (Palestine) and Lower Retenu (Syria). From Thutmose II (1472 – 1469) appears the new term “Land of Shasu (Israel and Judah)” instead of “Upper Retenu” which would be later exclusively used in the numerous topographical lists written under Amenhotep III (1383 – 1345). A list of toponyms enumerates: Pella foreign land (pḥ-r ḫ3st), Shasu foreign land (š3-sw-w ḫ3st), Qatna (qd-d-ÿ-n3), Gezer (q-3-d-3-r), however, Shasu’s name refers to both the country and the people of Palestine. For example a list of four toponyms reads: Land of Shasu after Maat (t3 š3-sw-w s3 m-’-ti-i), Land of Shasu those of Yehua (t3 š3-sw-w y-h-w3 w), Land of Shasu showing respect to Bel (t3 š3-sw t-w-r-ÿ b-l), Bait house of Anat (b-3-i-ti h ‘-[n-t]). It is noteworthy that in his treaty with Duppi-Tešub (1312 – 1280), King of Amurru, are mentioned “the Hapiri gods” by Muršili II (1322 – 1295), King of Hatti.

The Shasu of Jahwe (Gertoux II, p. 118)

The inscription (above), which contains the Tetragram, is easy to decipher. Indeed, just take an elementary grammar of Egyptian to transcribe this sentence into hieroglyphs by: t3 š3-sw-w y-h-w3-w, which is vocalized in the conventional system (3 = a, w = û, ÿ = i) as: ta shasû-w yehûa-w (the final w is a plural) and which can be translated as: land (ta) of the Bedouins (shasû-w) of Yehoua those (yehûa-w), because û is pronounced ou. (…) So (…) the Egyptian Tetragram Y-h-w3 should be read Yehua (Yehoua). If this Tetragram was pronounced Yahweh, Egyptians would have spelled it phonetically Y-3-h-w-h (Yâhûeh) and not Y-h-w3 (Yehûâ) (II, p. 118f).

De verdeling in Opper Retenu en Lager Retenu komt overeen met de realiteit van de verdeling van het land van de Israëlieten in het Noord en het Zuidrijk. Lager Retenu, door Gertoux met Syrië gelijkgesteld, is het Noordrijk, dat een groot deel van Syrië omvatte. Opper Retenu, door Gertoux Palestina genoemd, is het Zuidrijk, het land van de Sjasoe, en dus alleen Juda en niet ook Israël, zoals Gertoux meent.

Het is duidelijk dat Maat, Yehua, Bel en Anat goden zijn, aan wie deze steden zijn gewijd. Yehua is Jahwe. Maat is Egyptisch, Bel is Babylonisch en Anat is noordwest Semitisch. Gertoux zegt er zelf over in een andere publicatie (II, 168):

‘In contrast, Maat (“truth and or harmony” in Egyptian) was a major goddess of Byblos, Yehowah was the Israelite God, Bel (Is 46:1) was the Babylonian Baal (“Lord”) and Anat (“Anu’s wife”) was a major Syrian god. So, the Egyptians distinguished among different kinds of Canaanite nomads (Shasu) by the chief god they worshiped.’

We komen nu in de tijd van Seti I (zie https://robscholtemuseum.nl/cor-hendriks-het-velikovsky-syndroom-22-de-assyrische-verovering-deel-3-seti-de-grote/).

I, pagina 168: Campaign in Djahi: Year 1 of the Renaissance (…) Then one came to say to his majesty: the foe belonging to the Shasu are plotting rebellion. Their tribal chiefs are gathered in one place, waiting on the mountain ranges of Kharu (…) His majesty kills them all at one time, and leaves no heirs among them. He who is spared by his hand is a living prisoner, carried off to Egypt (…) The desolation which the mighty arm of Pharaoh – life, prosperity, health! – made among the foe belonging to the Shasu from the fortress of Sile (Tjaru) to the Canaan. His majesty prevailed over them like a fierce lion. They were made into corpses throughout their valleys, stretched out in their (own) blood, like that which has never been (…) Lebanon. Cutting down [cedar for] the great barque upon the river,”Amon-User-het,” as well as for the great flagpoles of Amon (…) The return of his majesty from Upper Retenu, having extended the frontiers of Egypt. The plunder which his majesty carried off from these Shasu, whom his majesty himself captured in the year 1 of the Renaissance.

The land of Shasu (Israel) was inhabited by Asiatics (Aamu) around 1300 – 1200 (II, 174)

I, pagina 169: At that time the term “Shasu (Bedouins)” was still used in its original meaning “those who travel or traverse” but mainly for describing the inhabitants staying in the very South of Palestine (Edomites), but not anymore those in Palestine (Israelites), who were again called Aamu (Asiatics) as in the past. However, the description of these Shasu around – 1200 shows the Egyptian concept on this motley group was negative: he takes what is left and joined the [ranks of] miserable ones. He mingles with the tribes of Shasu and disguises himself as Asiatic (…) Narrow gorge is infested with Shasu hiding in bushes, some of them are 4 or 5 cubits from head to foot, fierce face, their heart is not soft and they do not lend an ear to the blandishments. The Shasu were perceived as perpetual seditious. On stelae, attributed to Ramses II, for example, one reads:
He who has stripped Asiatic kings in their country: he ruined the heritage of Shasu’s country (Stele of the Shardanes); who reduced to nothing the rebellious nations (…) has been [bring their tribute to] Shasu’s country (Stele V); [who pushed back] Asiatics, who captured [the people of] Shasu’s country (Stele IX).

Na de val van het Noordrijk werd de ‘bevolking’ (dat wil zeggen de elite) weggevoerd door de Assyriërs en het land herbevolkt door ‘Aziaten’, die werden aangeduid met de term Aamu.

Pagina 170: However, as Shasu from these stela are associated with the Hittites (enemies of Egypt) they were Syrians rather than Hebrews, especially as a lintel in Tell er-Ratabi shows Ramses II in the process of cutting down a Syrian (identifiable by his hair and his costume). Although Shasu are often mentioned during the reign of Ramses II (1283 – 1216) they no longer appear in the conventional list of nine hereditary enemies of Egypt (…)

One notes that the clothes of these Asiatics living in Palestine have tassels at the four corners (p. 170)

In de tijd van Ramses II (farao Necho) is het Zuidrijk formeel een bondgenoot van Egypte. De zogenaamde Hittieten zijn de Babyloniërs onder leiding van Nebuchadnezar, die uiteindelijk de Judeeërs afvoerden naar Babylon. Na 70 jaar mochten ze terugkeren en vestigden een rudimentaire priesterstaat met het verwoeste Jeruzalem als hoofdstad.

I, pagina 173. Hori describes a dangerous area infested with Shasu which fits accurately to the tribe of Asher (Jos 17:7-11; 19:24-31): Thou hast not gone to the land of Hatti, thou hast not seen the land of Upi (Damascus area). Khedem (Lebanon?), thou knowest [not] its nature, nor Yegdy either. What is it like, the Simyra of Sessi (nickname of Ramses II) — life, prosperity, health!? On which side of it is the city of Aleppo? (19:1) What is its stream like ? Thou hast not gone forth to Kadesh [on Orontes] and Tubikhi. Thou hast not gone to the region of the Shasu with the bowmen of the army. Thou hast [not] trodden the road to the Magur, where the sky is darkened by day and it is overgrown with cypresses and oaks and cedars which reach the heavens. Lions are more numerous than leopards or bears, (and it is) surrounded by Shasu on (every) side of it. Thou hast not climbed the mountain of Shawe (Saua in Mount Lebanon region), barefoot, thy hands laid upon [thy bow] (…) Thou awakest, (20:1) for it is the hour of starting in the sickly night. Thou art alone for the harnessing; no brother comes for a brother. The sneak thieves have entered into [the] camp, the horse is untied, the (…) has been lost in the night, and thy clothes have been stolen. Thy groom awoke in the night, saw what he had done, and took what was left. He has entered among those who are wicked, he has mingled with the Shasu tribes, and he has made himself into the likeness of an Asiatic (aamu). The foe had come to raid furtively and found thee inert. When thou awakest, thou findest no trace of them, and they have carried off thy property. (Thus) thou art become a fully equipped mahir, as thou fillest thy ear (…) Pray, teach me about the appearance of Qiyen, let me know Rehob, explain Beth-Shan and Tirqa-EL. The stream of (23:1) Jordan, how is it crossed? Let me know the way to pass Megiddo, which is above it. Thou art a mahir, experienced in deeds of heroism. A mahir such as thou art should be found (able) to stride at the head of an army! O, maryanu, forward to shoot! Behold, the ambuscade is in a ravine 2.000 cubits deep, filled with boulders and pebbles. Thou makest a detour, as thou graspest the bow. Thou makest a feint to thy left, that thou mightest make the chiefs to see, (but) their eyes are good and thy hand falters. “Abpaata kamô‘ ir, mahir ne‘am!” (Thus) thou makest a name for every mahir, officers of Egypt! Thy name becomes like (that of) Qazardi, the Chief of Asher, when the bear found him in the balsam tree. The narrow valley is dangerous with the Shasu, hidden under the bushes. Some of them are of four or five cubits (from) their noses to the heel, and fierce of face. Their hearts are not mild, and they do not listen to wheedling. Thou art alone; there is no messenger with thee, no army host behind thee. Qazardi, the “famous Chief of Asher (’isr)”, is unknown but it looks like it could be Gideon who gathered an army drawn from several tribes which were dwelling in Asher’s area (Jg 6:33 – 40). Gideon’s exploits (in – 1299) had to be famous since Sanchuniation, a Phoenician writer, knew them. It is noteworthy that Hori’s satirical letter was copied with a lot of variations and many proper names have been distorted.

Zoals gezegd, Gertoux meent, dat de Shasu de Israëlieten zijn uit de tijd van de Rechteren en hier knoopt hij vast aan de vermelding van Asher, wat hem brengt op Gideon, die hij een zeer concreet getal meegeeft (- 1299) en wiens daden bekend zouden zijn aan Sanchuniation (zie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanchuniathon). Gertoux geeft hiervoor geen referenties en op het internet is hierover niets te vinden.

Shasu (Gertoux IV, p. 78)

Shasu regularly appear with beards, hairstyles and clothes which are substantially identical to those worn by the Hyksos (Bedouins from Edom) represented on a wall at Beni-Hassan. This hairstyle, like the one of Syrians or Shasu from Edom, with a headband encircling the head was a characteristic attribute. Egyptian art represented variations in Shasu hairstyles (headband), it was not the case for the representatives of other nations. Some features are identical to the biblical descriptions. In addition to their characteristic hair, a detail deserves special note: these Shasu soldiers are clothed in fringes decorated with tassels. According to the biblical text, Moses commanded the Israelites, after they arrived in Palestine to hove the frayed edges parts of their clothing and tassels at the four corners of these garments (Nb 15:38 – 40; Dt 22:12). This coincidence confirms the identification of Shasu with the Israelites of the Bible (Rainey: 2001, p. 57 – 75; Redford: 1970, p. 1 – 51). (II, 169f.) The loincloth with the four tassels worn by Shardanes and Philistines is later than the one of Shasu. Representation of Shasu on Egyptian iconographic documents begins with Tuthmosis I and ends with Ramses III (Giveon: 1971, p. 248 – 250) [II, p. 169 n. 3].

References

Gertoux I: Mozes and the Exodus: Historical and Archaeological Evidence
Gertoux II: Moses and the Exodus: what evidence?
Gertoux III: The Pharaoh of the Exodus. Fairy tale or real history?
Gertoux IV: Dating the war of the Hyksos

Na het downloaden van de eerste file van Gertoux werd ik door ACADEMIA gewezen op andere PDF’s van Gertoux. Deze bevatten voor een groot deel hetzelfde materiaal (in dezelfde bewoordingen).