New Kingdom
Merneptah (Baenre)
19th Dynasty · 1295-1186 BCE
Reign begins1213 BCE
Reign ends1203 BCE
Dynasty span1295-1186 BCE
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The 13th son
Merneptah was the 13th son of Ramesses II. Because his father lived to be around 90 years old, Merneptah outlived his 12 older brothers and took the throne as an elderly man.
Defending the borders and the Israel stele
His reign required immediate military action to defend Egypt's borders. He successfully crushed a massive invasion by Libyan forces under King Meryey in the western delta. To commemorate this victory, he erected a monument known today as the Merneptah Stele. The final lines of this text briefly document his military campaigns in Canaan and contain the earliest known historical reference to a people called Israel.