Moab was an ancient kingdom on the plateau east of the Dead Sea, in what is now Jordan, whose people spoke a language close to Hebrew. The Hebrew Bible describes it as a neighbour and frequent enemy of Israel and Judah, and also tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman. The best-known source from Moab itself is the Mesha Stele, a stone inscription of about the ninth century BCE in which King Mesha records his victory over Israel and the worship of the god Chemosh. Moab was conquered by the Assyrians and then the Babylonians and lost its independence, and its people were gradually absorbed by the Nabataean Arabs and other groups.
Before and after
- c. 1,324 BCEDeath of Tutankhamun
- c. 1,303 BCEBirth of Ramesses II
- from c. 1,300s BCE to 500s BCEChavín culture
- from 14th century BCE to 6th century BCEEdom
- from 14th century BCE to 4th century BCEMoab
- from c. 1,292 BCE to 1,189 BCENineteenth Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 1,274 BCEConstruction of Abu Simbel
- from c. 1,258 BCE to 1,180 BCETrojan War
- from 13th century BCE to 6th centuryAncient Greece
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- from c. 753 BCE to 476 CEAncient Rome
- 7th century BCEConstruction of Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- from 312 BCE to 63 BCESeleucid Empire
- from 279 BCE to 1480Construction of Lighthouse of Alexandria
- from 285 CE to 1453Byzantine Empire
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires.