Stele of Shihan: Warrior God of Moab
Unknown · Late Bronze Age III or early Iron Age, thirteenth to twelfth century BC, uncertain
A tall fragment of basalt, more than a metre and a half high in its full extent, on which a warrior god strides in low relief. He wears a short kilt and a long lock of hair falls at the side of his head; he holds a spear, and near him is the trace of an animal companion, perhaps a bird of prey. Look at the heavy, rounded modelling of the body against the rough stone; the lower part of the monument is lost.
The stele was found at Rujm el Abd, between Shihan and Dhiban in what is now central Jordan, the heartland of the kingdom of Moab, and was given to the Louvre in eighteen sixty-four following the expedition of the Duke of Luynes to the Dead Sea. The museum dates it, with question marks, to the thirteenth or twelfth century BC, which would make it one of the earliest monumental sculptures from Transjordan, several centuries older than the Mesha Stele beside it. His dress and lock of hair belong to the Egyptian-influenced style of the Late Bronze Age Levant, and his identity, like much about early Moab, remains uncertain.
Did You Know? Found in eighteen sixty-three by a French duke's expedition to the Dead Sea, this was one of the very first ancient monuments to leave the land of Moab.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.