Work / monument · artifact

Mesha Stele

c. 840 BCE · 9th century BCE · Also known as Moabite Stone

The Mesha Stele, or Moabite Stone, is a basalt slab inscribed around 840 BCE for King Mesha of Moab, found at Dhiban in Jordan in 1868 and now in the Louvre. Its text, in the Moabite language and alphabet, celebrates Mesha's revolt against the Kingdom of Israel, founded by Omri, and his building works. It is the longest Iron Age inscription from the region and one of the earliest references outside the Bible to Israel and its god.

Mesha Stele
Image: Unknown artistUnknown artist · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Kingdom of IsraelMilitary, Impact

Mentioned in 1 state history

Moab

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mesha Stele. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mesha-stele
MLA
“Mesha Stele.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mesha-stele. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Mesha Stele.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mesha-stele.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mesha Stele’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mesha-stele (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻