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© RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY

Broken into hundreds of pieces, this Moabite stele details the accomplishments of King Mesha, including his rebellion against the armies of Israel. While the account differs from the Biblical narrative (2 Kings 3), the Mesha stele names “Omri, king of Israel.” The 34-line text, which conatins the earliest extra-Biblical reference to the god of the Israelites, may also mention the “House of David,” according to epigrapher André Lemaire.