In episode 1, we travel back to ancient Egypt and to the Merneptah Stele: a monumental granite slab from the late 13th century BCE that inscribes the victories of the Pharaoh Merneptah over his enemies. The monument may contain the very first non-biblical reference to one of those supposedly vanquished enemies: “Israel.” What exactly does the stele say about Israel and the Jewish people? The answer may surprise you.

In episode 1, we travel back to ancient Egypt and to the Merneptah Stele: a monumental granite slab from the late 13th century BCE that inscribes the victories of the Pharaoh Merneptah over his enemies. The monument may contain the very first non-biblical reference to one of those supposedly vanquished enemies: “Israel.” What exactly does the stele say about Israel and the Jewish people? The answer may surprise you.