On the monolith of Shalmaneser the record begun on this stele is further continued. This battle, according to Shalmaneser’s chronology, would be about 854 B. C. This Benhadad is known on the Assyrian monuments variously by the names of Hadad-ezer and Hadad-idri. He is authenticated by the finest type of historical proof that the most carping critic could demand. Incidentally, Benhadad is one of the forty-seven kings mentioned in our preliminary remarks, who were supposed to be legendary characters, until archeology called them forth from the dead to testify in their own behalf.
Ahab was one of the most industrious builders who ever occupied the throne of Israel. Although he lacked the resources of Solomon, there are a number of records in the Scripture that shed light upon his architectural interests. In I Kings 22:39 all of this activity is summarized in their brief epitome:
Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
The hill of Samaria, which Omri had purchased, passed by inheritance to Ahab. The ivory palace that is mentioned in I Kings 22:39 was built on this site. Solomon may have had his throne of ivory, but Ahab improved upon that idea, as this text seems to imply. This summer palace which he built for himself and Jezebel on the crest of the hill of Samaria has been the scene of recent expeditions. A great deal of archeological industry has been expended in reconstructing the beauty and marvel of this palace of Ahab. It has been discovered that the walls were decorated with ivory carvings, and that much of the furniture was inlaid with ivory. This valuable substance was used with a profligate hand to construct one of the most splendid edifices of all antiquity.
Some of the most skilled craftsmen of human history were employed by this enterprise. To show something of the ability of these ancient artists, we present a photograph of the figure of an ivory lion which came from the site of Ahab’s palace. The illustration is magnified four times, but tiny as this priceless relic is, the lines and perfection of the carving cannot be excelled by any craftsman today.
The Harvard expedition under Dr. Reisner, and the joint expedition of 1931, both made delighted comment on the unprecedented perfection of the structure of this great palace. It covered an area between seven and eight acres in extent; the masonry of the building was no less than marvelous in the perfection of its structure and joining. Concerning these ivory miniatures, inlays, and friezes, the leader of the expedition said, “These ivories are the most charming example of miniature art ever found on an Israelite site.” By referring to the ivory lion in [Plate 19] the reader can see that this is indeed the fact.
The excavations at Samaria have been going on since the Harvard expedition began in 1908. Among the valuable finds from the ivory palace of Ahab must be listed a group of seventy-five ostraca. These ancient fragments of pottery, inscribed and engraved with the homely affairs of the daily life of Ahab’s time, contain the same script as is found on the Moabite stone.
This great relic of antiquity has had a fascinating but unfortunate history in itself. It will always be a matter of sincere regret that the first discoverer of the Moabite stone did not make a copy of its complete text. The Moabite stone states that Ahab reigned forty years. The Scripture record, however, makes his reign to be twenty-two years. According to the credible chronology of II Kings, upon the death of Ahab, his son, Jehoram, ascended to the throne and reigned twelve years. Mesha, who had accepted the lordship of the able Ahab, rebelled against the weaker son.