The Moabite Stone, also known as the Mesha Stele, is a black basalt slab discovered in 1868. It contains an inscription by Mesha, the King of Moab, celebrating his rebellion against the Kingdom of Israel. It is significant for several reasons: it is the longest inscription ever found from the Iron Age in the Levant, it is written in a language (Moabite) nearly identical to Biblical Hebrew, and it contains the earliest known reference to the Israelite god, Yahweh, outside of the Bible. The text provides a rare historical perspective from an 'enemy' of Israel mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (2 Kings 3), confirming some biblical narratives while providing a different theological interpretation of the events. The stone was smashed by Bedouins in a dispute over its ownership, but luckily a paper squeeze (an impression) had been made, allowing for the reconstruction and translation of the text.