Amman Citadel Inscription
The god Milkom speaks: the earliest Ammonite monumental text
Found 1961 — Jordanian Department of Antiquities excavation on the Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a); first fully published by Siegfried Horn in 1968
Where Amman Citadel (Rabbath-Ammon), Jordan (Jordan)
Dates from c. 850–800 BCE · Iron Age IIB · Divided Kingdom (Ammon under Jehoshaphat–Jehu era)
Now at Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman Citadel (J 9000)
How Amman Citadel Inscription was found
Found during work on the citadel hill of ancient Rabbath-Ammon.
What it is
A broken white limestone block about 26 by 19 cm with eight lines (93 letters) of Ammonite in a script close to Aramaic and Hebrew. It appears to be a building or oracle text in which the god Milkom commands the construction of something — perhaps a fortification or temple entrance — and promises protection and death to enemies.
Why it matters for the Bible
The Bible names Milkom (Molech/Milcom) as 'the abomination of the Ammonites' whom Solomon honored; this stone is the first monumental text from Ammon itself, and it names that god. It shows the Ammonites had their own literate royal culture, in a script and language close to Hebrew, in the century when Israel and Judah fought and traded with them.
The Hebrew word: Mil-KOME
מִלְכֹּם
מִלְכֹּם is pronounced Mil-KOME and means Milkom (Milcom), national god of Ammon (Strong's H4445).
Places
- Rabbah (Rabbath-Ammon) — רַבָּה (Rab-BAH) — great (city)
- Ammon — עַמּוֹן (Am-MONE) — of the people
Events
Ammonite kingdom in the 9th century BCE
Amman Citadel Inscription in Scripture
Deuteronomy 3:11 Rabbah of the Ammonites, the city where this stone was found. (First mention of Rabbah.)
1 Kings 11:5 Milcom 'the abomination of the Ammonites' — the god who speaks in this inscription.
2 Kings 23:13 Josiah defiles the high place Solomon built for Milcom of the Ammonites.
Questions people ask
What is Amman Citadel Inscription?
A broken white limestone block about 26 by 19 cm with eight lines (93 letters) of Ammonite in a script close to Aramaic and Hebrew. It appears to be a building or oracle text in which the god Milkom commands the construction of something — perhaps a fortification or temple entrance — and promises protection and death to enemies.
When was Amman Citadel Inscription discovered?
It was found in 1961 by Jordanian Department of Antiquities excavation on the Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a); first fully published by Siegfried Horn in 1968, at Amman Citadel (Rabbath-Ammon), Jordan.
Where is Amman Citadel Inscription today?
Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman Citadel (J 9000).
Which Bible verses does Amman Citadel Inscription relate to?
Deuteronomy 3:11, 1 Kings 11:5, 2 Kings 23:13.
Related discoveries
- בְּנֵי עַמּוֹןTell Siran BottleA bronze flask naming three generations of Ammonite kings, two of them known to Assyria
- הָעֶבֶד הָעַמֹּנִיQasr al-Abd and the 'Tobiah' InscriptionsThe Tobiad family estate east of the Jordan, with the name Tobiah carved over its caves
- עֶקְרוֹןTel Miqne-Ekron Olive-Oil Industry and Royal InscriptionThe largest olive-oil factory of the ancient world, and a Philistine king's dedication naming his city
- חֹזֶהDeir Alla Balaam Inscription'Balaam son of Beor, seer of the gods' written on a plaster wall
- כִּנִּיםLachish Ivory Comb: The Earliest Canaanite SentenceA 3,700-year-old lice comb inscribed 'May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard'
- סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּיםEkron Royal Dedicatory Inscription'Achish son of Padi... ruler of Ekron' carved in a Philistine temple
Sources
- Horn, 'The Amman Citadel Inscription', BASOR 193 (1969)
- Wikipedia: Amman Citadel Inscription