Bible Synapse
Kurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser III
Inscription · c. 852 BC · Israel and Judah · also called Kurkh Monoliths, Kurkh Stele, Monolith Inscription
See it on the map and timeline
- Date
- c. 852 BC (the stele’s carving)
- Found
- Üçtepe (ancient Kurkh), Diyarbakır province, Turkey, 1861. Found in 1861 by J. G. Taylor, the British consul, on the mound at Kurkh, together with a similar stele of Ashurnasirpal II (now ME 118883). Taylor gave both to the British Museum in 1863.
- Now
- British Museum, London (ME 118884)
- Passages
- 1 Kings 16:29–30, 1 Kings 20:34, 1 Kings 22:1
What it is
A limestone stele about 2.2 metres tall showing Shalmaneser III of Assyria, with an early version of his annals carved over the front, including the figure, and around the sides and back. It ends with the battle of Qarqar in Syria in 853 BC, fought against a coalition of twelve kings led by Hadadezer of Damascus and Irhuleni of Hamath. The list of allies includes 2,000 chariots and 10,000 soldiers of “Ahab the Israelite”.
How it connects to the Bible
It is the earliest known mention of King Ahab outside the Bible, and the size of his force suggests that Israel under Omri’s dynasty was one of the strongest states in the region. The Bible says nothing about Qarqar, but it records Ahab making a treaty with the king of Syria and three years “without war between Syria and Israel” (1 Kings 20:34; 22:1), which fits the two kings fighting side by side against Assyria.
What scholars debate
The figure of 2,000 chariots is very large, and some scholars suspect a scribal error, perhaps for 200.