Leading Egyptian Daily 'Al-Ahram' Reports: Coins from Era of Biblical Joseph Found in EgyptI'll skip over the middle part, which has more of the same, and excerpt the best part at the end:
According to a report in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, by Wajih Al-Saqqar, archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian coins bearing the name and image of the Biblical Joseph.
Following are excerpts from the article: [1]
"Koranic Verses Indicate Clearly That Coins Were Used in Egypt in the Time of Joseph"
"In an unprecedented find, a group of Egyptian researchers and archeologists has discovered a cache of coins from the time of the Pharaohs. Its importance lies in the fact that it provides decisive scientific evidence disproving the claim by some historians that the ancient Egyptians were unfamiliar with coins and conducted their trade through barter.
"The researchers discovered the coins when they sifted through thousands of small archeological artifacts stored in [the vaults of] the Museum of Egypt. [Initially] they took them for charms, but a thorough examination revealed that the coins bore the year in which they were minted and their value, or effigies of the pharaohs [who ruled] at the time of their minting. Some of the coins are from the time when Joseph lived in Egypt, and bear his name and portrait.
"There used to be a misconception that trade [in Ancient Egypt] was conducted through barter, and that Egyptian wheat, for example, was traded for other goods. But surprisingly, Koranic verses indicate clearly that coins were used in Egypt in the time of Joseph.
"Research team head Dr. Sa'id Muhammad Thabet said that during his archeological research on the Prophet Joseph, he had discovered in the vaults of the [Egyptian] Antiquities Authority and of the National Museum many charms from various eras before and after the period of Joseph, including one that bore his effigy as the minister of the treasury in the Egyptian pharaoh's court…
"Dr. Sa'id Thabet added that he had examined the sarcophagi of many pharaohs in search of coins used as charms or ornaments, and that he had indeed found such ancient Egyptian coins. This [find] prompted researchers to seek and find Koranic verses that speak of coins used in ancient Egypt, [such as]: 'And they sold him [i.e. Joseph] for a low price, a number of silver coins; and they attached no value to him. [Koran 12:20].' [Also,] Qarun [2] says about his money: 'This has been given to me because of a certain knowledge which I have [Koran 28: 78].'"
[...]
"One Coin... [Had] an Image of a Cow Symbolizing Pharaoh's Dream about the Seven Fat Cows and Seven Lean Cows"Where does one start with this sort of thing? Coins weren't invented until something like the seventh-to-sixth century BCE in Asia Minor. The Joseph story, if it has any historical basis at all, is perhaps a vague memory of events of the Hyksos era or perhaps even later. There is no archaeological evidence for the existence of Joseph as a real person and any such find would receive immediate, enthusiastic, international attention. I don't know anything about the so-called researchers cited, but I will be very interested to see if Dr. Zahi Hawass has any comments. Meanwhile, are there any Egyptologists or numismatists out there who can enlighten us as what artifacts are being discussed here and what they really are?
"The researcher identified coins from many different periods, including coins that bore special markings identifying them as being from the era of Joseph. Among these, there was one coin that had an inscription on it, and an image of a cow symbolizing Pharaoh's dream about the seven fat cows and seven lean cows, and the seven green stalks of grain and seven dry stalks of grain. It was found that the inscriptions of this early period were usually simple, since writing was still in its early stages, and consequently there was difficulty in deciphering the writing on these coins. But the research team [managed to] translate [the writing on the coin] by comparing it to the earliest known hieroglyphic texts…
"Joseph's name appears twice on this coin, written in hieroglyphs: once the original name, Joseph, and once his Egyptian name, Saba Sabani, which was given to him by Pharaoh when he became treasurer. There is also an image of Joseph, who was part of the Egyptian administration at the time.
"Dr. Sa'id Thabet called on Egypt's Antiquities Council and on the Minister of Culture to intensify efforts in the fields of Ancient Egyptian history and archeology, and to [promote] the research of these coins that bear the name of Egyptian pharaohs and gods. This, he said, would enable the correction of prevalent misconceptions regarding the history of Ancient Egypt."
Via Joseph I. Lauer, who asks, "was September 22, 2009, the date of the article underlying the following report, the Egyptian April Fools Day?!"
UPDATE: No replies from Egyptologists or numismatists but reader Daniel O. McClellan e-mails to note that photos of the two bigger scarabs at the bottom of the article's photo are found here and here. And reader Larry Rabinovich e-mails to note an online review by Morris Silver, whom I don't know but whom Larry says " I believe to be a respected economic historian" and "who takes issue with the consensus that coins did not exist until the 7th century BCE or so. He feels that some of the items described in the sources qualify as coinage." Fair enough, but as usual with such things, when I'm not an expert I am going with the (apparently very strong in this case) consensus until I see peer-review articles or monographs by experts (in this case numismatists) which argue otherwise. And the business about Joseph being named and pictured on one of these "coins" is nonsensically described (the period Joseph is supposed to have lived in is much later that that of the earliest hierogylphs) and is not to be taken seriously.
