COFFIN MASK OF SHESHONK I

A (probably fake?) coffin mask of the Pharaoh Sheshonk I
(see footnote at bottom of page)

In about 945BC there was a change of dynasty in Egypt. The new pharaoh, Sheshonk I (the biblical Shishak), was hostile to Solomon. He had given shelter to Jeroboam, a rebellious soldier in Solomon's army, and this man probably told Sheshonk that Solomon was hostile to Egypt.

Perhaps he was. Egypt was the dominant force in the region, and one of Solomon's wives was the daughter of the previous Pharaoh, who had been supplanted by Sheshonk. No doubt she hated the man who had supplanted her father.

Hieroglyph of Sheshonk I of Egypt

In any event, when Solomon died Jeroboam returned to Jerusalem and led a revolt against Solomon's successor, Rehoboam. He urged the northern tribes to break away from Jerusalem and form their own state. They did so, nominating Jeroboam as their first king.

Success went to his head. He led a revolt against Egypt, challenging the very Pharaoh who had given him sanctuary. Predictably, Egypt responded harshly.

Five years after the kingdom had split in two, the Egyptian pharaoh 'went up to Jerusalem'(I Kings 14:25) at the head of his army. Jerusalem was not his real prey - Jeroboam was. Nevertheless Sheshonk attacked Jerusalem because it was on the road to his real quarry, the northern kingdom of Israel. 

The list of cities conquered by the offended Pharaoh contains about 150 names, of which the great majority were in Israel. He conquered Gezer,  pillaged the Valley of Succoth and the valleys of Beth-shean and Jezreel. Then he returned to Egypt, leaving in ruins most of the fortified cities of Jeroboam, his former protegé. In Megiddo, which is mentioned in the list, part of a stele erected by Sheshonk has been discovered.

What did he do to Jerusalem? Sheshonk spared the city after Rehoboam paid a heavy tribute, handing over to the invader the treasures of the Temple and of the royal palace. 

But immediately after Sheshonk went back to Egypt, Rehoboam surrounded his frontiers with a strong of fortresses, many of them only a few miles apart. He was getting ready for war.

 Karnak: Sheshonk I and his son, the high priest Iuput, pray to their deity

Footnote: The information attached to the image at the top of the page claims that it is the beaten gold mummy mask that covered the face of King Sheshonk, whose sarcophagus lay in the entrance chamber of the tomb of Psusennes I at Tanis, Egypt. The mask is said to date from the 22nd Dynasty, circa 850 BC.
This information is attributed to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, but I have been unable to verify it. Can anyone help?

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