An ancient sword that may have belonged to the army of the Egyptian pharaoh whom Moses liberated the Israelites from in the Old Testament was unearthed by archaeologists, officials say.
The bronze weapon was found in an excavation site in the Hosh Issa district of Beheira Governorate, in the northern part of the country, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a September 4 press release.
The recent archaeological mission, led by Dr. Ahmed Said El-Kharadly of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, uncovered a “series of mudbrick architectural units, including military barracks for soldiers and storage rooms for weapons, food, and provisions from the New Kingdom era.”
Numerous historical artifacts belonging to the soldiers once housed in the barracks were also found, including the sword.
The civilization’s New Kingdom era, which spanned nearly 500 years from 1550 BC to 1070 BC, was defined in part by the massive influence and power of Ramses II, the pharaoh who is thought by some scholars to be the one referenced in the Bible’s Book of Exodus.
A photo of the sword shows a hieroglyphic symbol of the pharaoh: