HEBREW FLYER
THE IDENITY OF THE BIBICAL HEBREWS REVEALED
Archeology, Phrenology, forensic anthropology.
For centuries, the identity of the ancient Israelites has been virtually unknown. Now in the last
couple decades, scientific methods have developed to give a more cohesive identity. What did they
ancient Israelites look like? were they phenotypically European, Asian or African? In this article I'll
focus on the Israelites of the Bronze Age, Chiefly kingdom Of Judah City of Lachish.
The Canaanite city of Lachish is first mentioned in ancient historical texts in the el-Amarna letters 3
from the 14th century BCE. Ancient Lachish, or Tell ed-Duweir, is located on the modern road map of
Israel, roughly halfway between Askelon and Hebron and 30 miles south west of Jerusalem. As you
round a bend of the approach road the impressive mound hits the eye, rising some 63 feet above the
surrounding fields. The levelled crown covers an area of 20 acres. The part of ancient Israel that the
fortress had dominated, is now named after the city the Lachish region. Lachish was one of the
most powerful and important cities in ancient times, particularly in the period of Israels kingdom
(1020-500 BC).
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The Siege of
LACHISH
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A large, mass burial was found dating to the 701 BCE Assyrian siege and
conquest of Lachish when the Assyrians conquered and brutally murdered
the civilian population and exiled the ruling class. The excavator (J.L.
Starkey) observed that the skeletons were likely secondary burial (i.e. the victims died somewhere
else, decomposed, and were re-buried here) and piled in a disorderly fashion, sometime after their
deaths at the hand of the Assyrians during their conquest of Lachish. Starkey estimated that 1,500
individuals were buried in this mass grave. From these skeletons, 695 skulls were sent to London,
England for analysis. The bodies were those of men, women, and children the Judean civilian
population of Lachish from 701 BCE or 2710 years ago.
What is relevant to our discussion here is that the skull types of these Judeans were found to be
most similar to ancient Egyptian populations. In other words, these Judeans would have looked like
ancient Egyptians. The relationship between Egypt and the Semitic region of the Levant is one of the
most well documented facts in the archaeological record of the region. Further, the Hebrew-Semitic
peoples themselves most likely originated from the general region of Egypt based on analysis of the
linguistic structure and history of languages, with Semitic belonging to the Afro-Asiatic group which
includes Semitic, Egyptian, Berber, Chadic, Cushitic, and possibly Omotic. Thus, the evidence we
have from archaeology in the form of excavated skeletons supports the connection between the
ancient Hebrews/Judeans/Israelites and the ancient Egyptians.
It appears from some of the most perfect Egyptian mummies now remaining that the features of the
ancient Egyptians much resembled those of the present-day Negroes, which is a proof that the latter
must have been originally nearly related to the former. The language, or languages, therefore spoken
in these regions bore a great affinity at first to the Egyptian, Arabic, and Ethiopic, and may at this
time probably be impure dialects of them." The above would seem sufficiently conclusive to the
Author, who has already shown the reckless intermarriage of the Jews with the Egyptians, that in so
doing they laid the early racial foundations for the NegroJudean peoples whom we so readily receive
among us as merchant princes, social leaders and financiers, yet who, if history is to be believed, are
as much the offspring of the early Negroes as the less fortunate man of color who is compelled to bear
the humbler burdens of our day (Slavery).
EXCERPT FROM: ARTHUR TALMAGE ABERNETHY. THE JEW A NEGRO. PAGE 101
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The first report on the Lachish skulls included a thorough examination of pathology, metrics, artificial deformation, and epigenetic affinity. Utilizing craniometrics, Risdon (1939) concluded that the
group was very similar to dynastic Egyptian material. In fact, he stated that the entire population was
of foreign origin, representing descendants of a group derived primarily from Upper Egypt. This
conclusion was subsequently supported by a craniometric study by Musgrave and Evans (1981). Keita
(1988, p. 377) likewise examined the skulls metrically, omitting those that were either artificially
deformed, female, warped, split, [or] juvenile, using only those measurements that he believed were
consistent population discriminators. He concluded that the group was fairly heterogeneous, having
close relationships to North African, Egyptian, and Nubian groups, thus lending support to an
Egypto-Nubian presence (Keita, 1988, p. 388).
Maximum skull breadth, horizontal circumference and biauricular breadth are measurements which separate Africans
from Europeans in the Howells world- wide database. They are identified as strong indicators of warm- and coldadaptation by a world- wide study of 2009. All three indicate either a sub- tropically- adapted Afro- type population in
Safed and Lachish or a mixed population with a major Afro- type component. A reasonable inference, following Glogers
Rule, would be that the people of Judah had heavily pigmented skins that complimented their sub- tropical. Their heavily
pigmented skin is an obvious indicator of their warm- adaptation
In 1972 Berry and Berry published an extensiv e study comparing the discrete traits of populations
from Africa, Europe and Lachish. Below we have combined the results with those of Rightmire
(1972), where the data is available, and shown the results:
Highest Nuchal Line Present
Medieval Scotland
Percentages
36%
16.2%
Prehistoric Nubia
13.3%
Ashanti
16.7%
Lachish
16.7%
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Lambdoid
The lambdoid suture (or lambdoidal suture)
is a dense, fibrous connective tissue joint on
the posterior aspect of the skull that connects
the parietal bones with the occipital bone. It
is continuous with the occipitomastoid
suture.
Percentage
47.5%
40%
Prehistoric Nubia
44.6%
Ashanti
25.9%
31.6%
Lachish
29.8%
Conclusion: Frequency of this trait in Lachish skulls is closest to pre- dynastic Upper
Egyptians and Ashanti . They are most distant from Prehistoric Nubians and northern Europeans.
The Prehistoric Nubians are, interestingly, closer to the northern Europeans for this trait.
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epipteric bone
a sutural bone occasionally present at the pterion or junction of the parietal, frontal, greater wing of
the sphenoid, and squamous portion of the temporal bones.
Percentage
18.5%
18%
14.9%
Sotho
8.1%
Zulu
6.1%
Rwanda
8.2%
Ashanti
6.2%
6.7%
Lachish
9.5%
Sotho n. (pl. same or -thos) 1a member of a group of peoples living chiefly in Botswana, Lesotho, and northern South
Africa. 2 the group of Bantu languages spoken
Conclusion: Frequency of this trait i n Lachish skulls is closest to Sotho South Africans and Tutsi
Rwandans . They are most different from northern Europeans.
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SOURCES
THE ANCIENT BLACK HEBREWS VOL II THE
FORENSIC PROOF SIMPLY EXPLAINED GERT
MULLER
The Rescue of Jerusalem: The Alliance Between
Hebrews and Africans in 701 BC
By Henry Aubin
Judahite Burial Practices and Beliefs about the
Dead
By Elizabeth Bloch-Smith
Ke-ir Netsurah
By Israel Ephal
Classification and Human Evolution
edited by Sherwood L. Washburn
Tell el Hesy (Lachish), Hyksos and Israelite Cities
By William Matthew Flinders Petrie
A Primer of Old Testament Archaeology
Brill Archive
Scripture and Other Artifacts: Essays on the Bible
and Archaeology in Honor ...
edited by Philip J. King, Michael David Coogan, J.
Cheryl Exum, Lawrence E. Stager
The Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issues of the Bible
edited by Bruce M. Metzger, Michael David
Coogan
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