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Iron Age, reign of Mesha, king of Moab (c. 830-805 BC)
H 110 cm, W 68 cm. Dhiban, Madaba Governorate.
Replica produced by the Louvre (Paris) where the original basalt stone work is exhibited.
Inscribed in the Moabite language, which is one of the northwestern Semitic dialects closely related to Aramaic, the stele talks about King's Mesha' leadership, and lists his military and architectural accomplishments. It also offers the Moabite version of the biblical narrative in Kings II:3. At that time the land of Moab was prey to even more anarchy than usual, and subject to repeated invasions from the Israelites. It was definitely the moment for a strong leader to declare himself, and from what we know of him, Mesha was just that.
The importance of this stele also lies in its date, which is 841 or 842 BC, thus it is among the earliest known local sources from the Iron Age Kingdoms in Jordan.
© Text: The Jordan Museum
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
Exhibits from the periods between 3600 and 332 BC, with additional information. Part of the visual informative tour through The Jordan Museum in Amman.
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