The Moabite stone, also known as the Mesha Stele, is an ancient artifact that bears an inscription in the Moabite language. The spelling of this word is represented by the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmoʊəˌbaɪt stoʊn/. The first part, Moabite, is pronounced with the vowel sound of "oh" followed by the sound of the letter "a" which creates the diphthong "oa". The second part, stone, is pronounced with the long "o" sound, followed by the "i" sound and the "t" sound.
The Moabite stone, also known as the Mesha Stele, is an ancient archaeological artifact dating back to the 9th century BCE. It is a large basalt stone slab discovered in 1868 by Charles Clermont-Ganneau in the ruins of the biblical city of Dibon, located in modern-day Jordan. The stone is of significant historical and linguistic importance as it contains a lengthy inscription carved in the ancient Moabite language.
The Moabite stone measures around 1.15 meters in height and contains 34 lines of text. The inscription provides valuable insights into the history, culture, and language of the Moabite people of ancient times. It has served as a crucial source of information about this ancient civilization’s kings, battles, and religious activities.
The text of the Moabite stone primarily deals with the political and military achievements of King Mesha of Moab, who led a rebellion against the Israelites and recorded his victories in this stone. It recounts how the Moabites successfully regained control of territories that were once under their rule, as well as their struggles against the kingdom of Israel. The stone's inclusion of personal information, geographical details, and dedicatory statements makes it an invaluable resource for historians and biblical scholars alike.
Due to the Moabite stone's historical significance and the wealth of information it provides about the Moabite civilization, it is considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the Middle East. It is showcased in the Louvre Museum in Paris and is widely studied and referenced in the fields of archaeology, linguistics, and ancient history.
The word "Moabite" is derived from the ancient kingdom of Moab, which was located in present-day Jordan. The Moabites were an ancient Semitic people who spoke a language closely related to Hebrew.
The term "stone" in this context refers to the famous artifact known as the "Moabite stone" or the "Mesha Stele". The stone is an ancient inscription made by the Moabite king Mesha in the 9th century BCE. It was discovered in 1868 in the ruins of the ancient city of Dibon (in modern-day Jordan) and has since become an essential source of information about the Moabite language, culture, and history.