| Al-Balu' Stele | |
|---|---|
 Al-Balu' Stele on display at the Jordan Museum | |
| Material | Basalt |
| Writing | Egyptian language |
| Created | 1309–1151 BCE |
| Discovered | 1930 |
| Present location | Jordan Museum |
The Balu'a Stele is a basalt stele (inscribed stone) with a near completely unreadable Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription and relief panel. It was discovered in 1930 at the Khirbet al-Balu'a site north of the city of Karak and is thought to date to 1309–1151 BCE. The finding site is on the territory of the land of Moab, but the ethnical identity of the person who has carved it cannot be asserted. The iconography contains Canaanite elements, while the overall composition strictly conforms to Egyptian canons. It has been interpreted as representing two deities investing a Canaanite king, whom Egyptians would have seen as "Asiatic" and probably Shasu.
References
- ^ Department of Antiquities of Jordan The Balu'a Stele: A New Transcription With Palaeographical And Historical Notes Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 08/9 http://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/635
- ^ Routledge, Bruce; Routledge, Carolyn (1 January 2009). "The Balu'a Stele Revisited". Studies on Iron Age Moab and Neighbouring Areas in Honour of Michele Daviau. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
Further reading
- Schroer, Silvia (2011). Die Ikonographie Palastinas/Israels und der Alte Orient: eine Religionsgeschichte in Bildern, Band 3: Die Spätbronzezeit (in German). Academic Press Fribourg. p. 324. ISBN 978-3-7278-1671-0.