← Back to the front page

Let My People Go! – The History and Historicity of the Biblical Account of the Exodus

Khalid Elhassan May 31, 2025 17 min

17. The Historic Context at the Time of the Biblical Narrative

Bas relief of Ramesses II seizing enemies by the hair. Encyclopedia Britannica

To evaluate the historicity of the Exodus, it is crucial to understand the context of ancient Egypt, which maintained one of the ancient world’s most robust civilizations. Egypt’s history in the second millennium BC is divided into several key periods.

There was the Middle Kingdom, circa 2055 – 1650 BC; the Second Intermediate Period, circa 1650 – 1550 BC, when the Hyksos ruled northern Egypt; the New Kingdom, circa 1550 – 1070 BC, Egypt’s imperial zenith; and the Third Intermediate Period, circa 1070 – 664 BC. The New Kingdom period, particularly the 13^th and 19^th Dynasties, e.g.; the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II, is often suggested as the most likely historical backdrop for the Exodus if it actually occurred.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.