Bubastite Portal

It records the conquests and military campaigns c. 925 BC of Shoshenq I, of the Twenty-second Dynasty.

Although Karnak had been known to Europeans since the end of the Middle Ages, the possible significance of the Bubastite Portal was not apparent prior to the decipherment of hieroglyphs.

Jean-François Champollion visited Karnak in 1828, six years after his publication of the Rosetta Stone translation.

In his letters he wrote: "In this wonderful palace, I have contemplated the portraits of most of the old Pharaohs known for their great deeds, and these are true portraits.... one sees Mandoueï fighting the enemies of Egypt, and returning as triumphator to his homeland; farther along [in the series of images, one sees] the campaigns of Ramses-Sesostris; elsewhere, [one sees] Sésonchis hanging about at the feet of the Theban trinity (Amun, Mut and Khonsu), [and] the chiefs of more than thirty conquered nations, among which I found, as it should have been, fully spelled out, Ioudahamalek, "the kingdom of the Jews," or "[the kingdom] of Judah".

There is in that [inscription] a commentary to connect to chapter 14 of the third book of Kings, which recounts in effect the arrival of Sésonchis (Sheshonq) at Jerusalem and his success [there]: thus, the identity that we have established between the Egyptian Sheschonck, the Sésonchis of Manetho and the Shishak or Scheschôk of the Bible is confirmed in the most satisfactory manner.

"One facade shows King Shoshenq I, Takelot I, and Osorkon I of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt making offerings to the gods and goddesses.

Another scene shows Shoshenq grasping a group of captives by the hair and smiting them by his mace.

The inscriptions give no details about this expedition and mention only the victory over the Asiatics (ꜥꜣm.w).

[5] Row I - Listing of the Nine bows 1. tꜣ rsy - Southern Land (i.e. Upper Egypt) 2. tꜣ mḥw = Northern Land (i.e. Lower Egypt) 3. jwn.tjw = Tribesmen 4. ṯhnw = Tjehenu 5. sḫt[-jꜣmw] - Field [of tents] 6. mn[.tjw] = Bedouin 7. pḏ[.tjw swt] = Bow[men of the feather] 8. šꜣt = Swamp (Upper Nubia) 9. ḥꜣ[.w-n]b.w = Northerners 10. mj.tj ꜥ[r.t] = Copy of the [scroll] 11. g[...] = unknown 12. m[]ꜣ[] = Makkedah 13. rwbꜣ = Rubate

Row II 14. tꜣꜥnkj = Taanach 15. šꜣnmꜥ = Shunem 16. bꜣtšꜣn swr = Beth-Shean 17. rwꜣḫbꜣ = Rehob 18. ꜣḫpwrwm = Hapharaim 19. jdrw[m] = Adoraim (unknown locality in Israelite Kingdom, different from Adoraim in Judah) [6][7] 20.

(destroyed) 21. šꜣꜣwꜣd = unknown 22. mjꜣḥꜣnjmꜥ = Mahanaim 23. qbꜣꜥꜣnꜣ = Gibeon 24. bꜣtꜣḥwꜣrwn = Beth-Horon 25. qꜣdṯm = Kiriath-jearim or Gath-Gittaim 26. jywrwn = Aijalon

Row III 27. mjkdjw = Megiddo 28. jdrw = (Ataroth-)Addar 29. ywd-hmꜥrwk = Yad Hammelek ("hand of the king") 30.

[]rwt = unknown 31. ḥꜣjꜣnm = Henam 32. ꜥꜣrn = Aruna 33. bꜣrwmꜣꜥ = Borim 34. ḏꜣdpṯrw = Giti-Padalla 35. y[]hꜣ[]mꜣ = Yehem 36. bꜣtꜥꜣrwmmꜣ = Beth 'Olam 37. kꜣꜥqꜣrw = unknown 38. šꜣjwkꜣ = Socoh 39. bꜣttꜣpw = Beth-Tappuah

55. pktṯ / pꜣ-wr-ktṯ = unknown / "The great ktṯ‍" 56. jdmjꜣ = Adam 57. ḏꜣ[m]rwmmꜣ = Zemaraim 58.

94. pꜣ ꜣḥgrwj = "the fort" 95. ꜣḥꜣnnj = (Ben-)Hanan 96. pꜣ ꜣḥgrwj = "the fort" 97. jrwqꜣd = El-Gad 98. jdꜣmꜣmt = unknown 99. ꜣḥꜣnꜣny = (Ben-)Hanan

I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishaq.

He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made, and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.

And as often as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

And when he humbled himself the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction.