Yeah, also possible. The Exodus story might have been propaganda meant to prevent Israelite captives in Babylon from losing hope of an eventual return. It might

Yeah, also possible. The Exodus story might have been propaganda meant to prevent Israelite captives in Babylon from losing hope of an eventual return. It might also have served as a threat to the Babylonians/Persians; "See what our god did to the Egyptians, perhaps it's best for you to let us go..." While the Babylonian captivity probably did happen, the Bible doesn't mention that the same fate befell many other people the Babylonians conquered and whose intelligentsia they transferred. The destruction of many Philistine cities appear to have been even more complete than the destruction of Jerusalem.