Queries & Comments

Did the Exodus Pharaoh Die With Salt in His Lungs?

To the Editor:

I have heard that archaeologists have found a mummy of an Egyptian pharaoh who might be identified with the pharaoh of the Exodus, and that salt crystals were in his lungs, leading to the supposition that he might have died by drowning in salt water.

Is there any truth to this story? Can you give me some expert information on this report?

With the help of Carl E. DeVries of The Oriental Institute in Chicago and James Weinstein of The University Museum in Philadelphia, we have traced the source of your story.

The Pharaoh involved in the story is Merneptah, who reigned in the latter part of the 13th century B.C. for 8, 10, 11 or 20 years, depending on who is doing the reckoning. According to some scholars, he is the most likely Pharaoh of the Exodus. His father, Rameses II, is according to this tradition, the Pharaoh of the Oppression.