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Tel

Th

The Tel

and con

author i

The ins

the Heb

any arc

the Bibli

Like the

his son'

[edit]A

Althoug

Damas

Damas

[edit]Di

The stel

Fragme

below t

uncertai

[edit]D

an Stele

Tel Dan Stele

Dan Stele is a bla

tains anAramaic i

unknown, but ma

ription generated

rew for "house of

aeological site. T

ical King David.[1]

Mesha stele, the

victories. Some e

thorship

h the name of the

us. Language, tim

us and enemies o

scovery

le was discovered

nt A was discover

e smooth writing s

in and disputed. If

te

ck basaltstele dis

nscription comme

y be a king ofDa

excitement among

avid." If these lett

e scholarly conse

el Dan Stele see

pigraphers think th

uthor of the stele

e, and location ma

the kingdom of Is

at Tel Dan, previou

d in 1993, and fra

urface, there is a

he fit is correct, th

overed during exc

orating victories o

ascus, Hazael or

biblical scholars a

rs refer to the Da

sus among archa

s typical of a me

at the phrase "hou

does not seem to

ke it plausible that

rael.

sly named Tell el-

ments B1 and B2,

ossible "internal" f

n the pieces were

avations at Tel Da

ver local ancient p

ne of his sons.

nd biblical archaeo

idic line then this i

eologists and epigr

orial intended as

se of David" also

ppear on the avail

the author was Ha

Qadi, a mound wh

which fit together,

it between fragme

originally side by

n in northern Israe

eoples including "I

logists because th

s the first time the

aphers is that the

sort of military pr

ppears in a partly

able fragments, it i

zael or his son, Ba

re a city once sto

were discovered i

t A and the asse

ide.

l. It was erected by

rael" and the "Ho

e letters ' ' ar

name "David" has

ragment is an aut

paganda, which b

broken line in the

s most likely a kin

r Hadad II/III, who

d at the northern t

n 1994. In the brok

bled fragments B1

anAramaean kin

se of David." Its

identical to

been recognized a

entic reference to

oasts of Hazael's

esha stele.

of neighboring

were kings of

ip ofIsrael.

en part of the ston

/B2, but it is

t

r

e

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The inscription has been dated to the 9th or 8th centuries BCE. The 8th-century limit is determined by a destruction layer identified with a

well-documented Assyrian conquest in 733/732 BCE. Because that destruction layer was above the layer in which the stele fragments were

found, it is clear that it took place after the stele had been erected, then broken into pieces which were later used in a construction project

at Tel Dan, presumably by Hebrew builders. It is difficult to discern how long before that Assyrian conquest these earlier events took place.

George Athas attempted to date the inscription to the 8th century, and credit it to Bar Hadad rather than his fatherHazael.[2]

However, the

archaeological context does not support this conclusion.[3]

The excavators dated the inscription to the mid-9th century, and the peak of

Hazaels conquests, but Suriano attributed the stele to a point late in Hazaels career based on apologetic motifs that suggest the

inscription was made at the time his son (Bar Hadad) was appointed heir and successor.[4]

[edit]Aramaic text

1.[ ] [.[ ] ]

2.[ ] ..].[. --- ]

3. ....][..] ]

4. ....][.[.]] ]

5. ....][..] ---]

6. ...].[..]. ]

7. ..]...[.] .]

8. ..]..[.]. ]

9. ..]...... ]

10. ...] ]

11. ....]. ]

12. ..]... .]

13. .] . ]

[edit]Translation

Following is a line-by-line translation that follows the editio princeps(Biran and Naveh). Missing text or text that is too damaged by erosion

is represented by "[.....]"):

1'. [.....................].......[...................................] and cut [.........................]

2'. [.........] my father went up [against him when] he fought at[....]

3'. And my father lay down, he went to his [fathers]. And the king of I [s-]

4'. rael entered previously in my father's land. [And] Hadad made me king.

5'. And Hadad went in front of me, [and] I departed from [the] seven[.... .]

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6'. of my kingdom, and I slew [seve]nty kin[gs], who harnessed thou[sands of cha-]

7'. riots and thousands of horsemen (or: horses). [I killed Jeho]ram son of [Ahab]

8'. king of Israel, and I killed [Ahaz]iahu son of [Jehoram kin]g

9'. of the House of David. And I set [their towns into ruins and turned]

10'. their land into [desolation........................]

11'. other ...[......................................................................... and Jehu ru-]

12'. led over Is[rael......................................................................and I laid]

13'. siege upon [............................................................]