Episode XII -- From Moses to Cleopatra

Approaching the end of these  Annals of Earth we find ourselves on the fast track to flash through the remainder of the B.C.E. time period. This will then allow for a diversion to MesoAmerica, prior to leaping into the current era with  History 009.

In other words, this should not be thought of as an exhaustive treatment of history – even if the author is singularly exhausted after what has gone before. Rather, this should be thought of an exhibition of the multiple events and prolific evidence for the existence of the  Anunnaki, their overt presence on Earth, their shift into the powers behind the thrones in about  600 B.C.E., and the continuing saga of their legacy. Thereafter, with no dysfunctional gods to really muck things up overtly, things become relatively ho hum – with only an occasional war to end all wars being fought on limited or world wide arena.

As prelude, we should recall the circumstances, circa 1440 B.C.E. involving the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, the end of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, the wandering in the wilderness (where in typical patriarchal fashion, none of the males were willing to ask for directions), and finally Moses doing his Mount Sinai gig. The Exodus portion of this story has already been covered, along with Moses and much of his story. But as a recap, let us just recall that Moses, among other things:

•  Took the esoteric mysteries of Egypt with him (which he had perhaps learned from the Egyptian god, Thoth),

•  Indirectly caused the Egyptian sources of such knowledge to be wiped out by the invading Hyksos -- part of the reason for the latter being hated so much (not to mention being mistaken historically for Jews),

•  Did the foundry bit, burning his face in the process, and creating something of vast value,

•  Brought down the tables, and separately the law and the commandments, and

•  Built the  Ark of the Covenant.

This was followed by the Israelites entering Canaan, the walls of Jericho falling, and not long afterwards, the Sun standing still in the heavens and hastening not to go down for about a whole day. Obviously, things are still happening in the era when the Anunnaki are keeping their hands in the mix.

It should probably be noted that the Mount Sinai of Moses' time might be  Mount Horeb, the latter which is also known as being one of the primary Egyptian temples for the production of the  ORME. Accordingly, it may be that all of the fuss and history before and after Moses involves the  Star Fire and its synthetic substitute, the  White Powder of Gold. For it is the knowledge of its preparation – in essence knowing how to create the  Philosopher's Stone – which Moses brought out of Egypt, and which he subsequently placed in the  Ark of the Covenant for any of several possible reasons.

The questions we promised to answer in the last Episode – to wit, what part will Solomon and the Queen of Sheba play in the drama, where does the island of Elephantine in Egypt fit into all of this, how do the Essenes, Mary, and Jesus take advantage of the remnants of the information, and how in the world are we going to tie in the  Knights Templar into this final answer to one of the all important questions raised? – will eventually be addressed in the course of this Episode. In the process, we will note various dates, places and events – in order to place things in something resembling context – and then concentrate our attention on the connecting link between Solomon, Elephantine, Essences and the Knights Templar (ye olde Seek theory).

Dates, Places, and Events (B.C.E.)

1115 -- Tiglath-Pileser takes over the reins of Assyria – this was when  leaders actually took up the actual reins (of a chariot of whatever) and were actually out in front of their followers (where there was considerably less dust) for at least a goodly portion of the time. TP, as his friends liked to call him, did lose some ground in Sumeria, but extended his influence to Sidon on the Mediterranean Coast (but above Damascus).  TP died about 1077, which represents an impressive reign – and such that there should be a pun in there somewhere.

1060 -- Samuel of the Hebrews (last of the Judges, before crowning Saul) arrived on the scene, made something of a ruckus, and then left the rest to the ages.

1023 -- Saul begins reign over Hebrews. Obviously, Samuel is still around at this point.

1013 – Beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Most scholars, those who simply can't accept  Immanuel Velikovsky's reconstruction of Egyptian history (so that it makes sense and connects in a rational way to other ancient histories) might rush to say that the correct date should be 1567 B.C.E. Unfortunately for the scholars, and fortunately for the discerning readers, this site will adhere to the more rational version. Just one of many reasons for this decision will become evident when we encounter Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Furthermore, the Solomon/Sheba encounter is critically important to history.

The New Kingdom of Egypt gets kicked off in style with Ahmose I marrying Queen Tahpenes. This might not appear to be a big deal, but there is a consistent thread throughout history that kings are often made by virtue of their marrying the right woman. In effect, it is the female which is the true carrier of the royal line, and only by becoming the consort of such a female can the male rule with complete authority. This is why it was so critical for the modern day Prince Charles to marry Princess Diana – who had by virtue of her Spencer heritage a significantly greater claim to the English throne. This is also why Mary Magdalene's position (from the line of Benjamin) was greater than Jesus' heritage from the line of David, such that by Jesus marrying Maggie, he was marrying up, so to speak. [See the Wedding at Cana for details.]

Ahmose I is eventually helped by Saul in the siege of Avaris. This had nothing to do with greed, but was a geopolitical thing. It is, however, just one of the links between the Egyptian history and the Jewish history. It all fits like a glove!

The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt consisted of:  Ahmose I, Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Thutmose II, Queen  Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III, Ikhnaton (Amenhotep IV), Smenkhkare, Tutankhamen, Ay, and Horemheb.  Event-wise, there is the expulsion of Hyksos, the reconquest of Nubia , the building of the Temple of Amon at Karnak , and loads of colonial expansion (including the conquest of Palestine , Syria as far as the Euphrates , and Nubia-Cush as far south as the Fourth cataract of the Nile .  There were all manner of diplomatic exchanges between great powers, as well as the great wealth of Amenhotep III, the Magnificent (863-825 B.C.E.), the Aton heresy by Ikhnaton, which as reinstated by Tutankhamen, and then Horemheb restoring order after a lot of religious conflict.

Obviously, there is a reason that the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt has received a lot of press. These people were busy! For our purposes, the big news is the sequence of Thutmose II. Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose III. The dates of their beginning reigns are: 970 B.C.E. for Thutmose II, 961 for Hatshepsut, and 939 for Thutmose III.

1000 -- Meanwhile, back at the Jewish ranch, Saul is killed at Gilboa, whereupon David of slingshot fame becomes king of Judah, then Israel, and eventually captures Jerusalem .

963 -- Solomon begins reign. 

953 -- Dedication of Temple at Jerusalem

950 -- Tiglath-Pileser II takes over in Assyria .

961 – Hatshepsut (pronounced "hat-cheap-suit") was the wife of Thutmose II. When he died, she proclaimed herself Queen, and denied the underage son of Thutmose II, Thutmose III, from claiming the throne and adding the third Roman numeral to his name. For appearances sake, she often wore a fake beard during official ceremonies – a fact which did not fool the young Thutmose for a minute. Nevertheless, her power held sway until her natural death.

Not surprisingly, when Thutmose III came to the throne, he spent a fair amount of his time destroying the temples and monuments built to honor Hatshepsut. The Egyptian priests, however were not at all amenable to this idea of destroying sacred temples and the like, but Thutmose III pretty much got his way over the years – except for one object of immense religious value: that of an obelisk raised to glorify Hatshepsut. This is where the priests drew the line: obelisks were far too sacred to be defaced by an unhappy child. The dye was cast: Thutmose III could not destroy this lasting reminder of the woman who had kept his throne from him. But where there's a pharaoh's will, there's a way. Instead of destroying the object, Thutmose III built a close fitting wall around Hatshepsut's obelisk and then filled the intervening space with sand. The obelisk was not harmed, but there was no way to see it. Out of sight; out of mind!

The lasting irony of this story is that while all of the monuments of Egypt have suffered considerable damage over the last several thousand years – from blowing sand, to grave robbers and thieves, to vandals and Frenchmen, to latter day pollution – the one object which is the best preserved is the one which was protected by a close-fitting wall and an intervening space of dry sand. Queen Hatshepsut's obelisk is one of the best preserved of all of the monuments of Egypt – and all because of a son's thoughtfulness!

Obviously, the continuing tradition of blaming everything on the mother has its setbacks whenever one attempts to make up for the maternally given pain.

940 -- Queen Hatshepsut might go down in history as just one of a long line of powerful and important leaders of Egypt 's 18th dynasty. It is true that she created for herself a glorious temple near the Valley of Kings, and one of a singular design and nature. It is, in short, one of the greater monuments of ancient Egypt – even with a certain amount of Thutmose III-inspired vandalism.

What really gets attention, however, is Queen Hatshepsut's famed Expedition to Punt – which is beautifully detailed on several of the walls of her famed temple. This expedition has the interesting aspect in that the ancient Egyptian scholars have never satisfactorily explained where in the world "Punt" was. It is clear that the expedition was made in large part by boat – or royal barge. But finding a "Punt" place in the alleged time frame of roughly 1494 B.C.E. has been a near impossibility.

There is also the matter of motivation. Why did Queen Hatshepsut make the trip? There is always the possibility of opening trade routes, but does this take a Queen to do so?

A similar mystery in the time of King Solomon has been the location from whence the famed Queen of Sheba came on a visit to King Solomon. On the one hand, it is interesting to note that her reason for the visit was to meet a real man, a king who had the credentials of being a very important king. Any Queen worthy of being a top notch queen – one capable, for example, of keeping a fully grown son from rightfully claiming his throne – would, it would seem, want to experience a king who was man enough to have a large number of wives. Someone with power – as in "power is an aphrodisiac."

As it turns out, "sheba" means "south." Egypt is basically south of Israel. To get to Jerusalem from Egypt – if one is looking for the more relaxing and scenic route – one is advised to take a barge down the Nile, head into the Mediterranean Sea, and then dock at a port as near as possible to Jerusalem.

In a nutshell, Queen Hatshepsut and the Queen of Sheba are one and the same!

[Also obviously, this is another link and justification for using the corrected dating.]

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is not just your typical, run-of-the-mill royal love story, however. They had a kid. Hatshepsut left Israel with contraband of a sort – one still in her womb. Back in Egypt, she gave birth to a son, named Menelik.

In the course of time, Menelik paid a trip to dear old dad. [Even in ancient times, the sewing of wild oats on a Saturday night often resulted in a rude awakening on a Sunday.]

Solomon, however, being exceedingly cool – as well as wise – showed anything but anger. He was in fact rather pleased, and was quite happy to recognize Menelik as his son. (This is really very cool.)

The Jewish priests, however, found the idea of a half-breed son in their royal midst to be anything but acceptable. They pressured Solomon mercilessly, urging the royal bastard to be shipped off to parts unknown (i.e. any place outside of Israel ). Solomon, being the cagy old man that he was, agreed to their demands. The kicker was that his son should have a royal entourage – specifically, the eldest sons from each of the priests' families!

As it turns out – and this is where it gets somewhat speculative in terms of actual history – the eldest sons of the Temple priests were the keepers of the  Ark of the Covenant. Thus it transpired, according to this theory, that Menelik and his entourage departed Israel, carrying along with them one of the most precious artifacts of Judaism, the Ark of the Covenant. Way out, dude!

If one wonders how the priests could possibly have allowed such an apparent catastrophe, one must recall the history of the Ark, and the fact that almost as many Hebrews had been killed by an out-of-control weapon as had enemies of Israel . The Ark was in many respects an accident waiting to happen. It was locked away in the Temple not so much to protect it from bad guys, but rather to protect the good guys from the Ark's random blasts. Furthermore, the only people who could periodically get close to it, were the sons who were leaving on a jet plane with Menelik.

There might have been another caveat. Menelik and the Ark Boys took the Ark to Egypt and there on the island of Elephantine (an island in the Nile ), constructed a Temple very, very similar to King Solomon's Temple, and there installed the Ark of the Covenant. Jerusalem may have lost a great asset and/or liability, but the priests always knew where to find it. Not necessarily what to do with it when they saw it, but at least where it was.

It is interesting that an object which is described in such detail in the Bible, whose history is so filled with significance and religious profundity, should – in the course of Biblical accounts – so easily slip through the cracks and effectively never be mentioned again with any great authority. It was there in the Temple, and at the same time, it wasn't. Even to this day, its fate is still unknown.

But of course, a theory will be presented in due course. [You knew that, didn't you?] Or one can simply shift their focus to  History 009. Alternatively, one can refer to  Laurence Gardner's latest book, Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark : Amazing Revelations of the Incredible Power of Gold. [Element Books, HarperCollins, London, 2003]. After which one can then brush up on their French and head for Chartres Cathedral. [You might want to take along a copy of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code as well.]

There is one other contributing factor. Solomon was still King when Hatshepsut finally gave up the ghost and Thutmose III came to power. It is likely in fact that a relatively young Menelik headed for Israel as much as to escape Thutmose's wrath as to lay a guilt trip on his dear old pappy. Solomon may, therefore, have decided that Menelik and the Ark Boys might be better off doing an end run around Thutmose III, just in case of a major future invasion.

920 – Sure enough, before long, Thutmose III (also known as Shishak) sacked Kadesh (also known as Jerusalem )

After the fall of Jerusalem by the hands of Thutmose III (Shishak, for those who can't quite find it in their hearts to accept this revision to the Egyptian chronology), the Hebrews went their separate ways.  Thus began the Kingdom of Judah, under the tutelage of Rehoboam. "Hobo" was followed by Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat -- of jumping fame (aka Abdi-Hiba) -- Jehoram, Athaliah, Jehoash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedektah. 

At the same time, there was created the Kingdom of Israel (but one destined to end much earlier), under the alleged leadership of Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Omri, Ahab (aka Rib-Addi and husband of Jezebbel!), Jehu (same name as the author's guide), Joahaz, Joash, Jaroboam II, and then in short order: Menahem, Pekahiah, Peka, and Hoshea.  The party ended for Israel in 722 B.C.E. during a time of Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmanasser V of Assyria, Atreus & Thyestes of Mycenae, and Ramses-Siptah.   (See Kings 13:18 )

900 – In the game of Who's Now on Top, Amenhotep II of Egypt was defeated by the Hebrew Asa. [ Israel and Egypt are just not going to get along. Which is a shame after the way they got along in the time of King Solomon and Queen Hatshepsut!]

850 -- Shalmaneser III of Assyria extends the Assyrian Empire to the shores of the Persian Gulf, eastward to the Iranian Border (but not as far as the Persians' city of Susa), north to parallel with the Aramus Mountains, and south to include Damascus and thereby threaten Jerusalem. [Things were very unsettled in those days.]

800 – Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the Olmec civilization, having survived from the time of the Exodus and the sun standing still, had by then stretched across MesoAmerica.  By the beginning of the Christian era, however, the Olmecs will have abandoned their sites and even attempted to bury their colossal heads.  However, whoever gained access to the sites afterwards, made every effort to destroy the heads.

776 – Foundation of the Olympiads in Greece. Suffice it to say that the Greek gods were simply different names of the Sumerian gods. For example, Inanna was likely Athena, Utu (the Sumerian god), Apollo, Ishkur, Aries, and so forth and so on.

This is the time for an expected perihelion of the planet, Nibiru – the alleged planet from whence came the Anunnaki. There is other evidence that in this same year there was some singularly exciting celestial phenomenon – like for example, a large planet swinging by, up close and personal. How better to celebrate the passing of the Twelfth Planet – and supposedly the visits by all the royal personages to and from there – than a set of sports and games pitting humans against humans? If nothing else, one could see how the handiwork of the DNA combination of Homo erectus and the  Anunnaki genes would have worked their magic by this date.

It is also just possible that there was a measured departure of the resident Anunnaki from Earth at this time. This would be the equivalent of catching the last stage out of town, the one before Nibiru headed out into deep, deep space. This might have also set the stage for the events of  600 B.C.E . [It's just amazing how all of this connects up in an elaborate jig saw puzzle.]

770 -- End of the Western Chou Dynasty of China. Logically, if there were crazy things going on in the Middle East – on a scale of celestial phenomena and travel plans by gods – then China would likely see the some effects as well. Quite possibly, the patron god of the Western Chou Dynasty decided to leave the field, and another Anunnaki with great ambitions decided it was time for a change in the local management. These takeover bids are always tough on the employees of the acquired entity!

747 -- According to  Immanuel Velikovsky, there was a fly bay of the planet Mars in 747 B.C.E. This fly by was not quite of the order of Venus' visit almost a millennia earlier, but it was certain to gotten everyone's attention. It also follows from Nibiru having visited the solar neighborhood and left all manner of astrophysical activity in its wake.

747 B.C.E. is also the traditional date for the founding of Rome .

745-705 -- Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria extends Shalmaneser III's empire to include all of Palestine (but not into Sinai). [The Jews take it on the chin. Again!]

Both the Rome and TP III conquest suggests the filling of power vacuums left by the carnage and destruction of a close encounter of the planetary kind. This is the stuff of opportunists and entrepreneurs looking to establish new kingdoms. It's an old story.

718-687 – Hezekiah takes over as King of Judah, during the time of Sargon II and his son Sennacherib of Assyria, as well as the warring Priam of Troy and Agamemnon of Sparta. There is the possibility  Inanna and Ishkur – who probably missed the "boat" to Nibiru at the last perihelion – were still around and still squabbling. Thus the Trojan War.

730-715 -- 24th Dynasty:  Tefnakhte and Bocchoris (capital at Sais in delta)

730-656 -- 25th (Cushite):  Piankhi, Shabaka, Shebitku, Taharqa, Tanutamon. This was, reportedly a time of prosperity. Perhaps while several of the players were catching their collective breaths (and perhaps licking their wounds).

722 -- Fall of Samaria . This date was also the beginning of the Eastern Chou and Hegemony in China (which was due to continue until 481 B.C.E.)

700 -- The Trojan War, featuring Priam, The King of Troy, along with the Greek favorite, Agamemnon of Sparta. There was also a cast of thousands – which turned into a cast of hundreds as most of whom ended up dead.  This was also an apparent difference in opinion between Inanna and Ishkur – the Sumerian equivalents of Athena and Aries.

"There was a time when thousands upon thousands of men encumbered the broad bosom of the Earth.  And having pity on them, Zeus, in his great wisdom resolved to lighten Earth's burden.  So he caused the strife at Ilion ( Troy) to that end; that through death he might make a void in the race of men."  [Homer, the Kypria]

When you have such friends in high places (i.e. gods), you don't need enemies.

687 -- Destruction of Army of Sennacherib

670 -- Advent of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, starring: Ramses I, Seti I, Ramses II, Merneptah, (3 unknowns), and Queen Tawosret.  Seti I campaigned in Palestine and Syria (but not for votes).  Ramses II met the Hittites in the  Battle of Kadesh.  Merneptah repelled the Libyans and "sea peoples."  Despite it all the dynasty ended in confusion. Essentially, the Assyrians conquered Egypt and installed Necho as governor at Sais .

Traditional Egyptian chronologies identified Ramses II as the pharaoh of the Exodus. This doesn't quite work, however, in that anyone who built as extensively as Ramses II – and campaigned as apparently effectively as history portrays -- is unlikely to have all his slaves go without so much as a leaked press release. Furthermore, the 19th Dynasty did not end – despite the loss of a massive slave population – while in the revised chronology the end of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt did indeed come about at the time of the Exodus.

There is also the  Battle of Kadesh, where this theme is developed further.

650 -- Ashurbanipal of Assyria extends Assyrian rule into Egypt and Persia's Susa . This turns out to be the maximum extent of the Assyrian empire. Se la vie.

Somewhere in this time frame are also the Dorian Invasions, the Destruction of Knossos in Crete, and the destruction of Mycenae . Obviously a tough time for all.

664/670 -- This is the time of the 26th aka 19th Dynasty, consisting of Necho I, Psamtik I, Necho II, Psamtik II, Apries, Ahmose II, Psamtik III. This period was consider a renaissance of sorts with the expulsion of the Assyrians. It naturally brought prosperity.

For purposes of comparative chronologies, we can identify Necho I as Ramses I, Psamtik  I as Seti II (the Great), Necho II as Ramses II, Apries as Merneptah. It is a Necho, for example, who is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 35:20.

612 -- Fall of Nineveh

605 – The  Battle of Kadesh (aka Carchemish )  

586 -- Fall of Jerusalem

570 – Jeremiah, the Hebrew prophet

550 -- Croesus, of the Lydian Kingdom , is famous for appealing to the Oracle at Delphi before waging a great war against another kingdom.  When he received the useful news: "Should you do battle, a great kingdom will fall," he attacked.  And his great kingdom, sure enough, fell.

538 -- Fall of Babylon

525 – Fall of Egypt . (There seems to be a trend here. That's four falls in a row!)

Thus began the Persian Domination of Egypt with such noteworthy personalities as Cambyses II, Darius the Great, (five others not particularly noteworthy), and Darius II.

512 -- Conquest of Thrace . (Please notice that we did not say, the Fall of Thrace. We might have said as much once… or even twice. But never the fall of Thrace thrice.)

490 -- Battle of Marathon – and the initial excuse to run 26.2 miles in a sporting event. Just keep in mind that the runner who brought the goods news of the Greek victory to the court, died as a result of his exertions.

480 -- Battle of Thermopylae and Salamis . This is the classic macho battle. Upon being informed that the Persian onslaught would yield so many arrows in the air that their shadows would block out the sun, the Greek / Spartan commander of a few hundred men replied, "Then we will fight in the shade." The heroic battle did have a good effect, however, and Greece remained as free as it had previously been.

479 -- Battle of Plataea

454 -- Athenian Fleet Destroyed in Egypt

405 -- Battle of Aegospotami

399 – Advent of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt, with:  Setnakht, Ramses III, Ramses IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and XI. (It's a good thing Rome had been founded and roman letters made available to the Egyptians – else no one would ever know who was who.) There is evidence, however, to suggest that Seknakht restored order and Ramses III resisted the Libyans and "sea peoples."  Nevertheless there was a gradual decline of Egypt, at home and abroad, ending in divided rule. Such was the End of the New Kingdom .

395-387 -- Corinthian War. (Look it up!)

343 – In Persia , we encounter Artaxerxes III Ochus, Arses, and Darius III.

333-331 – Alexander the Great, the Macedonian (Greek), defeats Darius III, first at the Battle of Issus, and then later at Arbela. This is the Fall of the Persian Empire.

332 -- Alexander the Great reaches and conquers Egypt without a shot being fired (they still didn't have gunpowder), and ultimately founds the City of Alexandria. He also does the  Gordian Knot gig. (For another version of this knotty issue, see  Gordian Knot.)

323 – After conquering most of the known world – at least the part known to those in the Middle East and Mediterranean region -- Alexander the Great dies -- from an apparent chicken bone and quite possibly because of a bit too much wine.

304 – Ptolemy, one of Alexander's Generals, is crowned as Pharaoh, and begins the Ptolemy line of Egyptian Kings. He also founds the Library of Alexandria.

30 – After over seven hundred years getting their act together, Rome conquers Egypt.  Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemy line, finishes out the B.C.E. period with an asp.

5 – The Essenes – a Jewish sect – have set up shop in a place called Qumran, where they have gone into metallurgy in a big way. [See for example, Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, Penguin Books, New York, 1993.] Mary, the future spouse of Joseph and mother of Jesus Christ, is fed on the  ORME and thus provides the perfect, pure caldron for the birth of a baby boy.

 

It is left to the student to fill in the blanks above, add in the Current Era, and then complete these Annals. Actually, there is still MesoAmerica,  History 009, and even A Brief Chronology to put things into context.