853 BCE

King Ahab of Israel Enters History

Read while you listen

An alliance of 12 kings from the southern Levant including Ahab opposed King Shalmaneser the 3rd’s territorial expansions. Shalmaneser III gives his account of the war on the Kurkh stele circa 853 BCE.

He wrote:

‍“I departed from Nineveh, crossed the Tigris… I crossed the Euphrates… 2,000 chariots, 10,000-foot soldiers of Ahab the Israelite . . . came against me."

Since the Bible strangely does not mention this battle, the Assyrian inscription provides the only textual witness of Israel’s important involvement in these geopolitical events.

Kurkh Stele
The British Museum, London
© The Trustees of the British Museum

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Overview

The Kurkh Stele

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The Kurkh Stele gives Shalmaneser III’s account of the Battle of Qarqar, where he fought an alliance of twelve kings, and describes his encounter with Ahab. He wrote:

“I departed from Nineveh, crossed the Tigris… I crossed the Euphrates… 2,000 chariots, 10,000 foot soldiers of Ahab the Israelite . . . came against me."

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