EXODUS2 Conference | Thomas Schneider, University of British Columbia/APRU

Moses' Other Names: Clues to the Biblical Exodus During Egypt's Civil War | Thomas Schneider, University of British Columbia/APRU
EXODUS2 Conference
June 26, 2025
Atkinson Hall, Qualcomm Institute, UC San Diego

EX2 – Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective is our second experiment in scholarly communication. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of our first international Exodus conference held at UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute (QI). In contrast to a traditional exhibition, this one does not provide answers to one of history’s most enigmatic stories. Instead, it highlights research and experiments from QI’s Center for Cyber-Archaeology and Sustainability (CCAS) at UC San Diego. The exhibition demonstrates the potential of applying the latest digital tools to data acquisition, curation, analyses and dissemination for 21st century research connected with unsolved mysteries in Biblical Archaeology – particularly the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt. For example, which route was followed by Ancient Israelites? EX2 examines how new scientific tools can be used to examine geological data, including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, to put into context the likeliest possible routes of the Exodus. These preliminary studies point to exciting future possibilities for Exodus research.

Our cyber-archaeology approach was born of necessity. From 1997 to 2014, UC San Diego Distinguished Professor Thomas Levy, curator of EX2 and co-director of CCAS, led graduate and undergraduate students to a remote region in southern Jordan called Faynan, in Biblical Edom, working with Jordanian archaeologist Dr. Mohammad Najjar. Harsh and remote conditions required new technologies to support these archaeological expeditions. As part of its fieldwork, the team excavated a cemetery and tombs that probably belonged to a group known as the Shasu nomads who may be connected to the Exodus narrative. For the EX2 exhibition, CCAS Co-director and QI Research Scientist Dr. Neil Smith leads students to explore and develop new ways of telling the story of the Exodus using scientific visualization and video game platforms like Unreal Engine 5, which are being prototyped at UC San Diego for the museum of the future. Join us and explore the desert origins of the Israelites, the routes of the Exodus, and geoscience approaches to understanding the Exodus story.

For more information, visit exodus2.ucsd.edu