Gad Barnea

It's a great question. Like I think everyone in my field, things were not necessarily planned out from the beginning this way. I was initially involved with an NGO in Israel that was dealing with Jewish-Christian dialogue. And from that, I started doing a lot of, we started doing conferences and I started doing lectures, but I really wasn't specializing in this field.

And people said, well, you need to kind of really start specializing in this. And one thing led to another, and I eventually did my PhD there. on the island of Elephantine. So that's an island in Upper Egypt, meaning Southern Egypt.

And people said, well, you need to kind of really start specializing in this. And one thing led to another, and I eventually did my PhD there. on the island of Elephantine. So that's an island in Upper Egypt, meaning Southern Egypt.

And people said, well, you need to kind of really start specializing in this. And one thing led to another, and I eventually did my PhD there. on the island of Elephantine. So that's an island in Upper Egypt, meaning Southern Egypt.

It's in the middle of the Nile, and it's an extremely important island, not just for Jewish history, but also for, I mean, mainly for Egyptian history for millennia. Even before the Jews came there, it was already important for millennia. Anyway, this island... which is just facing the city of Aswan, for those who know, in southern Egypt.

It's in the middle of the Nile, and it's an extremely important island, not just for Jewish history, but also for, I mean, mainly for Egyptian history for millennia. Even before the Jews came there, it was already important for millennia. Anyway, this island... which is just facing the city of Aswan, for those who know, in southern Egypt.

It's in the middle of the Nile, and it's an extremely important island, not just for Jewish history, but also for, I mean, mainly for Egyptian history for millennia. Even before the Jews came there, it was already important for millennia. Anyway, this island... which is just facing the city of Aswan, for those who know, in southern Egypt.

In miles, I don't know. But it's really, it's really, it's not, I mean, it's about, so it's about an hour and a half by airplane from Cairo. Okay, so I did make that flight. And so I can tell you it's far from Cairo. And so Egypt is a pretty large country and a beautiful place. And so Elephantine is this island just facing Aswan. I mean, it's really close to Aswan.

In miles, I don't know. But it's really, it's really, it's not, I mean, it's about, so it's about an hour and a half by airplane from Cairo. Okay, so I did make that flight. And so I can tell you it's far from Cairo. And so Egypt is a pretty large country and a beautiful place. And so Elephantine is this island just facing Aswan. I mean, it's really close to Aswan.

In miles, I don't know. But it's really, it's really, it's not, I mean, it's about, so it's about an hour and a half by airplane from Cairo. Okay, so I did make that flight. And so I can tell you it's far from Cairo. And so Egypt is a pretty large country and a beautiful place. And so Elephantine is this island just facing Aswan. I mean, it's really close to Aswan.

And this island was extremely important for the Egyptians' daily life, really, and for Egyptian cult. And I use cult in terms of just a synonym for religion. I don't use it pejoratively, just so you know. But it was a central... a central island for Egyptian cult.

And this island was extremely important for the Egyptians' daily life, really, and for Egyptian cult. And I use cult in terms of just a synonym for religion. I don't use it pejoratively, just so you know. But it was a central... a central island for Egyptian cult.

And this island was extremely important for the Egyptians' daily life, really, and for Egyptian cult. And I use cult in terms of just a synonym for religion. I don't use it pejoratively, just so you know. But it was a central... a central island for Egyptian cult.

There were these three deities that were associated with this island that eventually became a triad of deities, Khnum, the ram god, and Satet and Anuket, two female deities, one of which was his wife and the other was considered his daughter.

There were these three deities that were associated with this island that eventually became a triad of deities, Khnum, the ram god, and Satet and Anuket, two female deities, one of which was his wife and the other was considered his daughter.

There were these three deities that were associated with this island that eventually became a triad of deities, Khnum, the ram god, and Satet and Anuket, two female deities, one of which was his wife and the other was considered his daughter.

Anyway, this island initially was the island of Satet as the main deity, but the island was seen to be, because this is the first cataract of the Nile, it was considered to be the source of the annual inundation of the Nile. So what happened on that island had implications for the economy of the entire country of Egypt.

Anyway, this island initially was the island of Satet as the main deity, but the island was seen to be, because this is the first cataract of the Nile, it was considered to be the source of the annual inundation of the Nile. So what happened on that island had implications for the economy of the entire country of Egypt.

Anyway, this island initially was the island of Satet as the main deity, but the island was seen to be, because this is the first cataract of the Nile, it was considered to be the source of the annual inundation of the Nile. So what happened on that island had implications for the economy of the entire country of Egypt.

And it was on that island that in the sixth century before the current era, a Jewish community settled and – or was actually brought there as mercenaries to guard what was for a while the southern border of Egypt – 600 B.C.? Sixth century, so around 550, according to my calculations and my research. There are some scholars who dated much earlier, I mean, about 100 years earlier than that.