Egyptian archeologists intend to examine the mummy of King Ramses II (1279-1213 B.C.) in an attempt to prove that he was the pharaoh of the exodus of Jews from Egypt, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) said Wednesday. The report quoted Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, as saying that after concluding scanning the mummy of King Tutankhamun, Ramses II will be examined. "The aim of examining the mummy of Ramses II is to find out the cause of his death and if he was the pharaoh of the exodus or not," Hawass said. Hawass argues that the descriptions of the pharaoh of exodus in the holy Koran correspond to the period during which Ramses II ruled during the 18th Dynasty. "King Ramses ruled for 67 years - a period fit for events such as those that took place in the story of the pharaoh of the exodus," he said. Hawass acknowledged that examination of the mummy of Ramses II by a team of French archeologists during the 1980's did not show any signs of drowning. The biblical story of the exodus recounts that Moses persuaded Pharaoh to release enslaved Jews after 10 divine plagues. Then, it says, God parted the Red Sea to let his people escape from pursuing Egyptian troops, whom he drowned. The controversy over whether Ramses II is the pharaoh of the exodus has never been proven by researchers, with many arguing that it is unlikely. Hawass is leading a drive to examine pharaonic mummies, beginning earlier this month by scanning the mummy of King Tutankhamun.
