oct 1, 1208 BC - Merneptah Stele

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"The princes are prostrate, saying, "Peace!"
Not one is raising his head among the Nine Bows.
Now that Tehenu (Libya) has come to ruin,
Hatti is pacified;
The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe:
Ashkelon has been overcome;
Gezer has been captured;
Yano'am is made non-existent.
Israel is laid waste and his seed is not;
Hurru is become a widow because of Egypt."

Israel is mentioned with the "people" signifier, unlike the other cities mentioned in the text, suggesting they were not yet sedentary, or nationalized, but united nonetheless.

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