Artifact · Inscription
Merneptah Stele
An object record bringing together its image, metadata, rights, and context.
An Egyptian royal inscription containing an early external attestation of the name Israel.
Original photograph
CC BY-SA · Webscribe; Dontworry — Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Merneptah Stele, JE 31408; photographed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 2003. Perspective-corrected Wikimedia Commons version, reused unchanged
License · Image sourceObject details
- Title
- Merneptah Stele
- Rights
- CC BY-SA
Metadata
These are descriptive fields, not conclusions.
- Edition
- 2
Text
The stele records a victory inscription of the Egyptian king Merneptah, dated to his fifth regnal year, conventionally around 1208 BCE. A name in its account of the LevantThe LevantThe Levant is a regional name for lands along the eastern MediterraneanGlossary · Click to read the explanation is read as Israel. The object, its inscription and modern interpretations are distinct layers of evidence. The text does not describe a complete Israelite theology. [1]
References and notes
- Richard C. Steiner, Merenptah’s Israel, Studies in Ancient Cultures 3 (2024) Merneptah’s inscription and fifth regnal year, approximately 1208 BCE depending on chronology. It does not identify the group’s deity. Return to the text ↑
Research history
Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.
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Cite this record
IL Archive, «Merneptah Stele», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/artifacts/merneptah-stele