King Shishak or Shishaq was a Libyan pharaoh of Egypt.
Biography
Shishak stole the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem around 980 BC and returned with it to Tanis. There, on the advice of Userhet, his dream-interpreter, he buried the artifact within the Well of Souls to hide the Ark from the eyes of his sun god, Amun-Ra. Shishak then commissioned a Map Room from which Amun-Ra could know the Ark's location without the need to look at it.
Later the city was engulfed in a large sandstorm that lasted a year, described as the "wrath of God." Shishak's fate during the sandstorm that buried Tanis is unknown.
Behind the scenes
The Biblical Shishak has been identified with the historical pharoah Shoshenq I, and the Raiders of the Lost Ark Sourcebook states that Shishak succeeded Psusennes II as Shoshenq did. However, Shoshenq did not reign over Egypt in 980 BC. His rule came later in the century and Siamun (Psusennes' predecessor) was pharoah during the time Raiders of the Lost Ark attributes to Shishak.
Appearances
- Raiders of the Lost Ark novel (Mentioned only)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (Mentioned only)
Sources
- Raiders of the Lost Ark Sourcebook
Ark of the Covenant on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
