Yit.4] PROCEEDINGS. [1890.unitedEgyptto the summit of its power. I suggest also that the new
capitalbuiltby Khuenaten, the ruins of which are known as Tel el-
Amarna,was constructed partlyto find occupationfor the Hebrews ;
and, seeingthat thoseinfallibleproofs—bricks withoutstraw—are
found,stampedwiththeirrespective names,not only at Pithom by
the defamers of Ramessu, but at Heliopolis by the traducers of
Tahutmes,I am not withouthopethat somemayalsobe found at
Tel el-Amama, althoughthe said bricksbelongnot to the oppressor
king but to the king of the Exodus.
Josephusnextdescribesthe birth of Moses, his rescue fromthe
Nile,and adoption by the king's daughter,her bringing himup as
heir to the throne withher father's tacitconsent,and the unwilling
tolerationof all this by the Egyptians, because" there wasno one,
eitherakinor adopted, thathad any oracle of his side for pretending
to the crown of Egypt." Thisstatement of itself excludes both
Tahutmes and Ramessu from being the oppressor king, because
bothof them hadsonswho succeededthem; but it is peculiarly
applicableto Khuenaten, whowassucceededby his daughters and
theirhusbands, who appear to have left no male issue. Had
Josephusmentionedthe names of the oppressor kingandthe king
of the Exodus, we should havebeensparedmuchspeculation,but,
thoughthesenamesare omitted, thatof the daughter of Pharaoh,
who adopted Moses,is said by Josephus to have beenThermuthis;
Khuenaten had a daughter namedTii or Tia, and,if we add to
this name the syllable Mut,or royal mother, so often metwithin
royalnames,whichDr. Birch consideredto be applied to Egyptian
queens,whethermothersor not,* andwhichthe adoption of Moses
wouldin any case haveprocuredfor Tia, we get a name —Tia-mut—
which resembles the Thermuthis of Josephus as nearly as any
Egyptiannamewe are likely to find.
Josephus,havinggivenvariousparticularsas to the childhood of
Moses,says that the Ethiopians invadedEgyptandoverranthe whole
country,and that the oracles havingbeenconsulted,declared that
Mosesshouldbe called uponto lead the Egyptian forces,andthat
the father of Thermuthis commanded her to produce himfor that
purpose. I think, however,Josephusshould ratherhavesaidher
husbandthanher father, for Khuenaten mustby this time havebeen
succeededon his throne, and probablyin the royal tombsalso,by his
* " Records of the Past," Vol. X, p. 29.
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