Notes

A lot of Israelites have been taught we fled into Africa 70AD. Brothers and sister we were already in Africa, our land is North East Africa. And 70AD jus happen to be one of our late migrations. One of thee oldest settlements date back to the 4th 5th Century BC, Elephantine is an island in the Nile River, to the west of Aswan (on the eastern bank of the Nile). In ancient times, the island has been the southern-most city of Egypt(Ta-mry Kemet). South of Elephantine, for a distance of approximately 223 km, extends the Nubian(Ta-seti/Kush/Nubia/Ethiopia) Desert where even the Nile banks are inhospitable. Beyond this distance lie the lands of Sudan, homeland of the Nubian civilization, which to ancient Egypt represented a prominent military threat. Trade relations between Egypt and Nubia continued active throughout history and Elephantine was the point where trade routes from Nubia met. Hence, to the ancient Egyptians, the city represented the 'door to the South'.

The name Elephantine is Greek meaning 'elephant' and this expresses the city's function as a gate to the South, since elephants were brought from the south towards Nubia. Another name for the city by ancient Egyptians is 'Yebo', which also meant 'elephant'.

A Judahite garrison community that was already settled in the island by the fourth century B.C., played an essential role in the interaction between Nubia and Egypt. Some historians and archeologists directed attention and research towards this Judahite community for it provides a wide range of evidence for the earliest Diaspora Hebrew settlement.

The task of the Judahite garrison in Elephantine was to protect the Egyptian border with Nubia (Kush). However, the garrison was also associated with insuring the safe passage of products coming from/to Nubia. Adjacent to the Judahite settlement in Elephantine was the Aramean garrison at Syene (Aswan), on the eastern bank of the Nile. While less evidence was available for the Armaean garrison at Syene, extensive records documented life within the Hebrew garrison at Elephantine. In Elephantine the Jews built a temple for 'Yahweh', which resembled the Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. During the fifth century B.C., contemporary with the Persian rule of Egypt.