The Captor of the Ark?
Shoshenq
I, also known as Sheshonq or in the Hebrew Bible Shishak, is a familiar name
among those interested in what exactly happened to the Ark of the Covenant. It
helps that he was name dropped in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the scene where Indiana Jones and Marcus Brody talk to
army intelligence in a university lecture hall, the word “Tanis” comes up in an
intercepted Nazi message. This instantly raises the interest of Indiana Jones,
who says it’s one of the possible final resting places of the Ark. The scene has a
couple inaccuracies. For one thing, the characters talk like the Nazis just
unearthed Tanis, when in fact its ruins, situated in northeastern Egypt, were
obvious for centuries. In 1798 Napoleon’s Army had already begun serious
archaeological studies of the city. More obvious is Brody’s incorrect dating,
where he has the Shoshenq hitting Jerusalem in 980 instead of 925 BC.
It’s
a masterclass in delivering tons of exposition, with bits of humor and an
ominous image of the Ark shooting out rays making for an intriguing five
minutes scene where four guys just talk. For Ark and archaeology enthusiasts
the scene resonates, as Shoshenq is a main suspect. The questions is, what was
the context for Shoshenq’s attack on Judah, and was the pharaoh known for
anything else?
A Dynasty Made
Through Marriage and Family
Shoshenq I was the first pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty, in the latter half of the 10th Century BC. Often the creation of a new dynasty meant a revolt, a coup, or a disaster that necessitated a new family to take the pharaonic throne. The 21st Dynasty, however, did not end because of any power struggle or disaster. Rather the last pharaoh, Psussennes II, had no male heir. Despite the Egyptian allowances for harems among royalty, along with many fertile wives, it could be hard for children in those days to grow to adulthood. Or perhaps Psussennes II simply had difficulty performing. Whatever the case, he needed to find a solution before he died. Shoshenq was the commander of his army and often had glory alongside the pharaoh on monuments, and had the power and obviously political connections to marry Psussennes’ daughter Maatkare. In 945 he naturally became the next pharaoh and kick started his own dynasty.
