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The Merneptah Stele contains the earliest known reference to 'Israel' outside the Bible — carved in stone by an Egyptian pharaoh around 1208 BCE.
Pharaoh Merneptah, son and successor of Ramesses II, erects a victory stele boasting of his military campaigns in Canaan. Among the defeated peoples, he lists 'Israel is laid waste; its seed is no more.' The phrasing indicates Israel is a people group rather than a city-state, which aligns with a semi-nomadic tribal confederation. This single inscription is the earliest external confirmation that a people called Israel existed in Canaan by the late 13th century BCE.
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