English version of the article: Архипов СВ. Книга Берешит как великая компиляция текстов и смыслов Второго переходного периода Египта: пилотная культурологическая, медицинская, археологическая и текстологическая экспертиза преданий против традиционной атрибуции. Введение. О круглой связке бедра. 14.02.2026. The text in Russian is available at the following link: 2026АрхиповСВ
The Book of Genesis as a Great Compilation of Texts and Meanings from the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt: A Pilot Culturological, Medical, Archaeological, and Textological Examination of the Legends versus Traditional Attribution. Introduction
CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Introduction [iii] Content [iv] External links [v] Application [vi] References [vii] Application |
The Book of Genesis (Bereshith) was composed in Egypt
during the 17th century BCE and reached its definitive protographic form
following the Minoan eruption of Thera. This study argues that the work was the
result of a collaboration between an Egyptian polymath and a distinguished scribe
of Asiatic descent. By analyzing ancient texts, anatomical descriptions,
archaeological data, Bronze Age cultural history, and climatic markers, this
article demonstrates that the book emerged from the work of a high-ranking
socio-political committee within the Egyptian House of Life. We argue that the
inclusion of precise anatomical data, such as the ligamentum capitis femoris,
serves as a diagnostic marker of this Egyptian medical-scribal collaboration,
challenging the late-date theories of the documentary hypothesis.
The first mention of the human ligament of the head of femur (ligamentum teres, ligamentum capitis femoris, LCF) is found in Chapter 32 of the Book of Genesis, which is a translation of the first part of the Torah known as Bereshith (1922LeeserI; 1978БроерМ_ЙосифонД). The fact that this monument of ancient Hebrew literature contains information regarding the LCF is confirmed by Shmuel (or Amora, 2nd–3rd centuries AD)—a physician, religious teacher, and astronomer—whose opinion is recorded in the Tractate Hullin (sefaria.org). A similar view was held by the physician and rabbi Maimonides (Moshe ben Maimon, 1135/38–1204), and the physician and Talmudist Julius Preuss (1861–1913) further corroborated his colleague’s judgment (1851Mosche_ben_Maimon; 1923,2004PreussJ; 1986-2007BenMaimonM; sefaria.org). Modern Hebrew translators, linguists, physicians, and anatomists also agree that the LCF is mentioned in the Book of Genesis (2010СафроновД; 2019ArkhipovSV_SkvortsovDV; 2020ArkhipovSV_ProlyginaIV; 2026SrinivasanS_SakthivelS). Accordingly, clarifying the date when the Book of Genesis was written allows us to understand exactly in texts when humans first recorded their knowledge of the presence of the LCF in the hip joint.
The first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books are known as the Pentateuch
(from Greek, meaning «five scrolls») or the Torah (from Hebrew, meaning «instruction»).
(1997FriedmanEF:17). The Book of Genesis is supposed to be composed of four
sources, conventionally called J, E, P, R. (1997FriedmanEF:246). The letter
"R" stands for the editor. Richard E. Friedman suggests this was
Ezra, who came from Babylon to Judah in 458 BCE. (1997FriedmanEF:159,242).
According to the documentary hypothesis, J was
produced during the 9th century BCE in the southern Kingdom of Judah and was
believed to be the earliest source. E was written in the northern Kingdom of
Israel during the 8th century BCE. The latest source was P, which was written
during the 5th century in Babylon (1998DaviesGI:20). There is also a view that
the oldest literary monuments incorporated into the Pentateuch (the
translations of the Hebrew Torah) originated in the 10th century BCE
(1992SuggsMJ_MuellerJR:5). This perspective is supported by the earliest Hebrew
inscriptions, which date back to the late 11th or early 10th century BCE
(2009MisgavH_GanorS; 2018GarfinkelY_GanorS). In the 21st century, there is
scholarly consensus that the Book of Genesis was composed after the Babylonian
captivity, possibly in the fifth century BCE (2017OliverS:11–12).
There has been theory that there was the Urtext of the
Hebrew Bible, which is the source of the versions of Septuagint, that exist
today (2004SeeligmannIL_SpieckermannH:33–34). However, such an Urtext has never
been found, and which of the three commonly known ancient versions (Septuagint,
Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch) is closest to the Urtext is debated. Most
of the oldest biblical manuscripts at Qumran indicate that the proto-Masoretic
text type in fact predominated. The proto-Masoretic tradition is considered to
have reached its peak during the Hasmonean period (1992ShanksH:48).
According to our hypothesis, the protograph of the
Book of Genesis was composed approximately ten years after the Minoan eruption
in the late 17th century BCE in Egypt (2025ArkhipovSV_ArkhipovaLN). The
creation of this work likely belongs to a collaboration between an Egyptian
physician and an Asiatic official who had risen from the scribal class. The
historical existence of such creative partnerships is indirectly evidenced by a
stela in the Cairo Museum (Cairo CG 20023), which depicts the physician Ameny
and a scribe of the «House of Life» named Keku (1938GardinerAH:160).
 |
| Figure. The physician Ameny (left) and the scribe Keku (right) Cairo CG 20023, 13th Dyn. (Fragment, front side, sources: arachne.dainst.org, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 DE , Fair Use, color correction; more details: 1902LangeHO:24-26; 1938GardinerAH:160). |
This monument is associated with Senebsumai, a
high-ranking official of the 13th Dynasty (approx. 1783–1640 BCE), who appears
in documents as an acquaintance and follower of the king, chamberlain of the
inner palace, nobleman, governor, royal seal-bearer, overseer of seal-bearers
and king's followers, and high steward (1984FrankeD:455). He is depicted on
more than ten stelae from Abydos, and his name is recorded on more than 30
scarab seals (2013GrajetzkiW:8). Senebsumai began his career as an «estate
manager» or "high steward" and was promoted to the position of
treasurer early in the reign of Neferhotep I. The fact that his father is not
mentioned in the documents may indicate a modest origin. One of the stelae (CG
20718) dedicated to Senebsumai in his capacity as treasurer mentions the «cupbearer»
Khenmes, a prominent official during the reigns of Sobekhotep III, Neferhotep
I, and Sobekhotep IV (2019StefanovićD:275-276). This chronological sequence
illustrates under which pharaohs Senebsumai was active. Being of non-noble descent,
he naturally required legitimization. In our view, it was precisely to enhance
his authority that Senebsumai commissioned numerous stelae and, for the same
purpose, might have commissioned an epic literary work such as the Book of Genesis.
The theoretical possibility of this work’s emergence
in Ancient Egypt is supported by the history of writing. The earliest texts
were composed in the Tigris-Euphrates Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley.
Regarding the numerous surviving Mesopotamian writings, Academician Boris
Turaev noted: «Throughout its many centuries of existence, Babylonian
literature shows so little development that, in the words of its recent
chronicler Weber, 'it is often difficult to decide whether a given text belongs
to the 20th or the 7th century BCE» (1920ТураевБА:4). In contrast, Ancient Egypt exhibits a gradual
progression of the artistic word starting from the Archaic Period. Numerous
researchers have noted the extraordinary diversity of texts created during the
Middle Kingdom of Egypt—truly the Golden Age of ancient Egyptian literature. It
has been observed that «Egyptian culture exerted a greater influence on
surrounding peoples than the latter did on the Egyptians. <...> if we
find phenomena and traits in the literature of a certain people that are
uncharacteristic of them but typical of Egypt, these can confidently be
regarded as Egyptian borrowings, even if it is impossible to trace the path of
this borrowing or influence step by step» (2001КоростовцевМА:162-163). «On the whole, ancient Egyptian literature
was more of a giver than a borrower, exerting influence rather than being
subjected to it» (1978КоростовцевМА:18).
The insights of the esteemed researchers mentioned
above have prompted us to undertake a third attempt at clarifying the dating of
the Book of Genesis. The first attempt involved a comprehensive analysis of the
core sections of the Old and New Testaments in a popular science essay, with an
emphasis on archaeological data (2024 Arkhipov SV). Our second attempt to determine
the composition date of Book of Genesis was based primarily on an evaluation of
medical aspects and their comparison with the level of knowledge in the Ancient
World (2025 Arkhipov SV, Arkhipova LN). This current inquiry into the period of
the protograph's emergence is based on an integrated analysis of texts,
cultural history, and archaeological findings.
The earliest evidence of written Greek is a Linear B
clay tablet found in Messenia that dates to between 1450 and 1350 BCE (2021Ancient_Tablet).
The earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date to the 10th century BCE
(2012Most_ancient_Hebrew). A rather substantial part of the Greek Bible of the
Septuagint has come down to us in Greek only. Hebraisms and translation errors
point to the fact that at least a number of the books in question most
certainly had a Hebrew original (2004SeeligmannIL_SpieckermannH:53). However,
the Book of Genesis contains textual and semantic inclusions that are older
than ancient Greek and Paleo-Hebrew. These inclusions date back to the Old and
Middle Kingdoms of Egypt, as well as the Old Babylonian period of Mesopotamia
and earlier eras. We express our opinion in the tables below.
Sumer (c. 3300 – before 1900 BCE) britannica.com
The Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2543 – c. 2120 BCE) britannica.com
The Third Dynasty of Ur (22nd – 21st cent. BCE) britannica.com
The First Intermediate period of Egypt (c. 2118 – c.
1980 BCE) britannica.com
The Old Babylonian period of Egypt (2000 – 1595 BCE) onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1980 – c. 1760 BCE) britannica.com
The Second Intermediate period of Egypt (c. 1759 – c.
1539 BCE) britannica.com
The New Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1539 – c. 1077 BCE) britannica.com
Authors of the article
Arkhipov S.V. – Independent Researcher, MD, PhD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Medical Writer, Joensuu, Finland.
Correspondence: Sergey Arkhipov, email: archipovsv @ gmail.com
Article history
February 22, 2026 - online version of the article published.
Suggested citation
Arkhipov S.V. The Book of Genesis as a Great
Compilation of Texts and Meanings from the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt:
A Pilot Culturological, Medical, Archaeological, and Textological Examination
of the Legends versus Traditional Attribution. Introduction. About round ligament of femur. February 22, 2026.
Note
Keywords
Genesis
Protograph, Bereshit Protograph, Hyksos-era Scriptorium, Ligamentum Teres,
Ligamentum Capitis Femoris, Minoan Eruption Impact, Bronze Age, Middle Egyptian
Origin, Cross-cultural Codification, Ancient
Medicine, Biblical Chronology
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