Kurkh Monoliths (Battle of Qarqar)

Two Assyrian monumental stone slabs discovered in 1861 by John George Taylor at the ancient site of Kurkh (modern Üçtepe) in southeastern Turkey. The more significant of the two records the annals of Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, including his account of the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BCE. The inscription lists the forces of a western coalition that opposed the Assyrian army, including "2,000 chariots, 10,000 foot soldiers of Ahab, the Israelite." This is the earliest known reference to an Israelite king in any ancient Near Eastern text, predating both the Tel Dan Stele and the Mesha Stele. The mention of Ahab (who reigned approximately 874-853 BCE according to 1 Kings 16:29) provides a crucial chronological anchor for the biblical timeline of the northern kingdom of Israel.