Egyptian Construction at Pi-Ramesses

Pharaoh Seti I begins and Ramesses II completes a grand new capital city in the eastern Nile Delta, precisely the area the Bible calls the 'land of Goshen.' Pi-Ramesses becomes one of the largest cities in the ancient world, requiring enormous labor forces for its construction. The biblical account of Israelites building 'store cities' for Pharaoh fits this historical context remarkably well, though direct archaeological proof of Israelite presence remains elusive.