Tel Dan Stele Erected

Around 841 BCE, an Aramean king (likely Hazael of Damascus) erected a stone monument boasting about his military victories over Israel and Judah. Discovered in fragments at Tel Dan in northern Israel in 1993-1994, the inscription refers to the 'House of David' — the first confirmation of David's dynasty from a non-biblical source. The stele shattered the argument that David was purely legendary and remains one of the most important archaeological discoveries for biblical studies.