Radiocarbon Dating and the Exodus Tradition

The Exodus tradition relays a sequence of events for which no precise historical setting has ever been established. Documentary evidence from Egypt has failed to substantiate the Biblical account. Consequently, unraveling the relationship between the text and the material evidence has become the domain of Biblical scholarship and archaeological excavation. Radiocarbon dating can play a significant role in supporting or opposing archaeological hypotheses. The chronometric technique has long been employed across the Eastern Mediterranean region and is now capable of situating Bronze Age events on a decadal time scale. In this chapter, the radiocarbon evidence pertaining to the Exodus tradition is evaluated and the role of the method in future research considered.