In the nineteenth century, a German archaeologist named Schliemann searched for the city of Troy described in Homer's Iliad. At the time of his quest, Troy was thought to be a fictional place.

Nonetheless, Schliemann found ancient Troy!

Does this mean all the gods and myths contained in Homer's Iliad are true?  Of course not.  The Iliad was written five hundred years after the fall of Troy.  For five hundred years, the story of The Trojan War was kept alive by oral tradition.

Ancient bards were no different from their modern Hollywood counterparts who take extensive liberties to embellish tales of yore in order to attract a large and captive audience.  When facts become legends, the status of heroes becomes enhanced.

From the Amarna Era to the first attempt to write the story of the Exodus is also about five hundred years.  Like Homer, the Exodus authors were talented and creative scribes and storytellers whose work would endure the test of time.  Also like Homer, the Exodus authors were mere mortals writing tales that had been passed down orally for generation after generation.