An inscribed stone beam bearing the name of Ramses II has been discovered at Tell Abu Saifi in northeastern Egypt, where archaeologists say evidence may identify the site as the ancient city of Mesen along a military route associated with the biblical Exodus narrative.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Archaeologists excavating an ancient settlement in northeastern Egypt have uncovered a stone lintel bearing the name and royal titles of King Ramses II, a discovery officials say strengthens the possibility that the ruins belong to the long-lost city of Mesen.
The artifact was recovered at Tell Abu Saifi, approximately 90 miles northeast of Cairo near the Suez Canal. The site lies within Egypt’s northeastern Delta, a strategically important region that once connected the Nile Valley with the Sinai Peninsula and the Levant.
The stone beam was found broken into two pieces and contains hieroglyphic inscriptions on three sides. In addition to identifying Ramses II, the text refers to restoration work performed on a statue of Horus and describes the deity as “Lord of the City of Mesen.”
That reference has become one of the most significant pieces of evidence in efforts to identify the settlement.
Egyptian officials said the inscription “presents a strong archaeological and historical hypothesis linking the site to the ancient Egyptian city of Mesen.”
The identification remains preliminary, however, and archaeologists have not said the discovery conclusively establishes that Tell Abu Saifi was Mesen. Additional excavation and analysis will be required before the settlement can be definitively identified.
The potential location of Mesen has attracted particular interest because the settlement stood along the Horus Military Road, an ancient route connecting Egypt with Sinai and Canaan.
Some scholars have associated that road with the “way of the land of the Philistines” described in the Book of Exodus. According to the biblical account, the Israelites were deliberately not led along that route after departing Egypt because God feared they might encounter war and decide to return.
Mesen itself is not named in the Bible, and the discovery does not establish that Moses or the Israelites passed through the settlement.
The archaeological connection therefore rests on the geography of the ancient military route rather than direct evidence linking the site to the Exodus.
Ramses II has nevertheless long figured prominently in debates about the possible historical identity of the pharaoh described in Exodus.
The Bible never identifies the Exodus pharaoh by name. Ramses II became one of the most frequently proposed candidates in part because Exodus 1:11 states that Hebrew slaves built the city of Raamses.
That city has been associated with the extensive building program conducted during the reign of Ramses II in the 13th century B.C.
Ramses II ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1213 B.C. during the 19th Dynasty and became one of the civilization’s most prolific builders. His reign produced temples, royal cities and other monumental projects across Egypt.
He was also known for extensive military campaigns and reportedly commanded an army numbering approximately 100,000 men.
His long reign, the prominence of the city bearing his name and the chronological setting of the 19th Dynasty have made him a popular candidate among those attempting to connect Egyptian history with the biblical Exodus narrative.
The evidence recovered at Tell Abu Saifi extends far beyond the newly discovered lintel.
Archaeologists uncovered a fortified temple complex enclosed by a mudbrick wall, along with gates, storage chambers and two stone roads.
Excavators also recovered multiple sculptures and fragments that shed additional light on the settlement’s religious, administrative and military importance.
Among the objects were pieces of falcon statues, including limestone and basalt fragments associated with representations of Horus.
A schist statue depicting an army scribe from Egypt’s 26th Dynasty was also discovered. The figure holds a damaged naos, a small shrine commonly found in Egyptian religious imagery.
Researchers additionally recovered the basalt torso of a royal figure and a statue dating to Egypt’s Late Period that was missing its head and feet.
Mahmoud Galal, Director General of Sinai Antiquities, said the collection reflects the military and administrative activities once centered at the site.
The findings indicate that Tell Abu Saifi was not limited to a single period of Egyptian history.
Evidence shows that the settlement remained in use for centuries after Ramses II died.
During the third century A.D., portions of the complex were converted into Roman military barracks, demonstrating that the location continued to possess strategic importance long after the pharaonic era had ended.
“The archaeological evidence shows that the site underwent several phases of development,” Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said.
Such repeated occupation was common throughout ancient Egypt, where strategically located communities could be rebuilt, modified or repurposed by successive dynasties and later foreign rulers.
The Tell Abu Saifi discovery follows another find involving Ramses II announced in April.
At Tel Faraoun, archaeologists uncovered part of a statue of the pharaoh consisting of its legs and base.
The surviving fragment measures approximately seven feet tall and is estimated to weigh between five and six tons.
Preliminary analysis suggests the statue may not originally have been created for the location where archaeologists recovered it.
Researchers believe it may instead have been transported from Pi-Ramesses, the royal city established by Ramses II in the Nile Delta.
Egyptian archaeologists have continued announcing major discoveries across the country, including statues, temple remains and painted mummy portraits. Mummy portraits uncovered at the Gerza excavation site in Fayoum in 2022 were among other finds that have added to researchers’ understanding of Egypt’s long history of settlement and cultural change.
Ancient Egyptian discoveries have also continued to generate modern popular fascination beyond archaeology itself, including recurring stories surrounding the so-called “pharaoh’s curse.” Such speculation resurfaced following events including the 2021 obstruction of the Suez Canal by a container ship.
Egypt’s ancient monumental landscape once included structures extending far beyond the surviving temples and pyramids familiar today. Among them was the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of antiquity’s most celebrated structures, which stood for centuries before eventually falling into ruins by the 1100s.
At Tell Abu Saifi, however, the newly recovered inscription provides archaeologists with something particularly valuable: a written clue connecting a physical settlement to an ancient place name.
The reference to Horus as “Lord of the City of Mesen,” together with the name of Ramses II and the site’s location along the ancient military corridor toward Sinai, gives researchers new evidence for determining the identity and role of the settlement.
Whether further excavation ultimately confirms Tell Abu Saifi as Mesen — and what that identification could contribute to understanding the geography of Egypt during the period traditionally associated with the Exodus — remains under investigation.
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