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Merneptah Stele ( aka the Menetaph Stele, aka Israel Stele). Merneptah Stele. Dated to 1209/1208 BCE Inscription by the Ancient Egyptian king Merneptah (reign:1213 to 1203 BC) Found at Thebes. Merneptah Stele.
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Merneptah Stele • Dated to 1209/1208 BCE • Inscription by the Ancient Egyptian king Merneptah (reign:1213 to 1203 BC) • Found at Thebes
Merneptah Stele • “Canaan is captive with all woe. Ashkelon is conquered, Gezer seized, Yanoam made nonexistent; Israel is wasted, bare of seed.”
Merneptah Stele • The determinative accompanying Gezer, Ashkelon and Yanoam indicate they are city-states. • The determinative accompanying Israel indicates it is a foreign people, perhaps a nomadic tribe.
Merneptah Stele • Scholarly debate about translation for I.si.ri.ar. Some scholars suggest it doesn’t refer to Israel but Jezreel. • Only known Egyptian reference to the Israelites • Earliest known reference to the Israelites