Chariot wheels found at the bottom of the Red Sea?-Unproven!

Egyptian Chariot Wheels Found at the Bottom of the Red Sea-Unproven!

Summary of the eRumor:
This one includes pictures of what are said to be chariot wheels that were discovered on the floor of the Red Sea, confirmation of the Biblical account of Pharaoh's army being drowned while pursuing the Hebrews. The Biblical account says that God parted the waters to allow an escape for the Hebrews then the waters came back together when the Egyptian army tried to follow. The eRumor also says that chariots, human bones, and horse bones have been found in an area in the Gulf of Aqaba.

The Truth:
Much of this eRumor is based on the findings of Ron Wyatt, a colorful and controversial amateur archeologist who claimed to have found Noah's ark, the Biblical Ark of the Covenant, the location of Sodom And Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel, the true site of Mt. Sinai, the true site of the crucifixion of Jesus, and the original stones of the Ten Commandments. He was a passionate and sincere man, according to his supporters, but his critics abound and scientists and archeologists regarded him as an untrained maverick at best and there are some who regarded his as a fraud. Wyatt died from cancer in 1999.

Wyatt's interest in the crossing of the Red Sea by the Hebrews became focused on the site of Nuweiba in Egypt because it seemed to fit some of the description of Biblical and historical accounts of the geography. It was while diving along the beach at Nuweiba that he found what he said were chariot parts.

During his first visit to Nuweiba in 1978 he found a large column lying on the beach that looked like an ancient artifact. Later he found that it had been set up by Egyptian authorities in concrete for display. He believed it to be a marker set up by King Solomon to note the crossing of the Red Sea.

It was on that same trip in 1978 that Wyatt found what he said were the remains of chariots and chariot wheels at the bottom of the sea. They were heavily covered with coral. Wyatt claimed to have retrieved one of the wheels and said an Egyptian authority declared that it was from the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt, but nobody seems to know where that chariot wheel is is now located.

Regarding the human bones found at the site, TruthOrFiction.com talked with Aaron Sen, one of those who has traveled to Nuweiba and who found the bones. He said the bones were authenticated as human at Stockholm University are are in the possession of professor Lennart Moller who was at Stockholm University in the late 1990s.

It was also discovered that there seems to be an underwater "bridge" of sea bed that is shallower than the depths on either side of it and that crosses from one side of the sea to the other. Wyatt said that could have been where the waters parted and made the way for the Hebrews to cross.

Wyatt's focus on Nuweiba and his claims of finding chariot remains on the floor of the sea have brought other adventurers to the site but even Wyatt's supporters urge caution about their enthusiastic findings. Richard Rives, the president of Wyatt Archeological Research in Tennessee, told journalist Joe Kovacs, "All kinds of people are finding coral and calling it chariot parts." Wyatt's wife, Mary Nell, told Kovacs the same. She went diving with Wyatt at the Red Sea site and said that at first she thought everything was a chariot wheel.

The bottom line is that at this point all that seems to exist to support the claims of chariot parts on the bottom of the red sea are pictures, most of which are of coral formations. No documented artifacts have been retrieved and preserved from the site and now the Egyptian government prohibits bringing any findings to the surface to the questions may remain for a long time to come.

updated 02/3308

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Subject: Chariot Wheels Found in the Red Sea

Chariot Wheels found at the bottom of the Red Sea -- See pictures below and the route

You will be surprised to see proof of Pharaoh's chariot and bones of horses and men found in the

Red Sea. Evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea .

PARTING OF THE RED SEA

Pharaoh's drowned army.

Confirmation of the actual Exodus route has come from divers finding coral-encrusted bones and chariot remains in the Gulf of Aqaba . ONE of the most dramatic records of Divine intervention in history is the account of the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt

The subsequent drowning of the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea was not an insignificant event, and confirmation of this event is compelling evidence that the Biblical narrative is truly authentic. Over the years, many divers have searched the Gulf of Suez in vain for artifacts to verify the Biblical account. But carefully following the Biblical and historical records of the Exodus brings you to Nuweiba, a large beach in the Gulf of Aqaba , as Ron Wyatt discovered in 1978.

Repeated dives in depths ranging from 60 to 200 feet deep (18m to 60m), over a stretch of almost 2.5 km, has shown that the chariot parts are scattered across the sea bed. Artifacts found include wheels, chariot bodies, as well as human and horse bones. Divers have located on the Saudi coastline opposite Nuweiba as well.

Since 1987, Ron Wyatt found three four-spoke gilded chariot wheels. Coral does not grow on gold, hence the shape has remained very distinct, although the wood inside the gold veneer has disintegrated making them too fragile to move.

The hope for future expeditions is to explore the deeper waters with remote cameras or mini-subs. (ABOVE- GILDED CHARIOT WHEEL - Mute witness to the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Hebrews 3,500 years ago. Found with a metal detector. Coral-encrusted chariot wheel, filmed off the Saudi coastline, matches chariot wheels found in Tutankhamen's tomb.

Mineralized bone, one of many found at the crossing site (above center). This one tested by the Department of Osteology at Stockholm University , was found to be a human femur, from the right leg of a 165-170 cm tall man. It is essentially 'fossilized, ' i.e. , replaced by minerals and coral, hence cannot be dated by radiocarbon methods, although this specimen was obviously from antiquity. Chariot wheel and axle covered with coral and up-ended. Exodus 14:25 'And took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them heavily...' Solomon's memorial pillars.

When Ron Wyatt first visited Nuweiba in 1978, he found a Phoenician style column lying in the water. Unfortunately the inscriptions had been eroded away, hence the column's importance was not understood until 1984 when a second granite column was found on the Saudi coastline opposite -- identical to the first, except on this one the inscription was still intact!

In Phoenician letters (Archaic Hebrew), it contained the words: Mizraim (Egypt ); Solomon; Edom ; death; Pharaoh; Moses; and Yahweh, indicating that King Solomon had set up these columns as a memorial to the miracle of the crossing of the sea. Saudi Arabiadoes not admit tourists, and perhaps fearing unauthorized visitors, the Saudi Authorities have since removed this column, and replaced it with a flag marker where it once stood.

How deep is the water? The Gulf of Aqaba is very deep: in places over a mile (1,600m) deep. Even with the sea dried up, walking across would be difficult due to the steep grade down the sides. But there is one spot where if the water were removed, it would be an easy descent for people and animals. This is the line between Nuweiba and the opposite shore in Saudi Arabia

Depth-sounding expeditions have revealed a smooth, gentle slope descending from Nuweiba out into the Gulf. This shows up almost like a pathway on depth-recording equipment, confirming it's Biblical description, '...a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.' (Isaiah 43:16)

The Bible writers frequently refer to the miracle of the Red Sea crossing, for it was an event which finds no equal in history. The Hebrew prophets describe the sea at the crossing site as '...the waters of the great deep...the depths of the sea...' (Isaiah 51:10)

Knowing the exact spot to which the Bible writers were referring, what is the depth there? The distance between Nuweiba and where artifacts have been found on Saudi coast is about 18 km (11 miles).

Along this line, the deepest point is about 800m (2,600 feet). No wonder that Inspired writers of the Bible described it as the mighty waters. And no wonder that not a single Egyptian survived when the water collapsed in upon them. ( Above right NUWEIBA BEACH- the spot where the crossing began)