What nonbiblical evidence mentions Israel near the time traditionally associated with Moses?

The earliest widely accepted nonbiblical reference to Israel is found on the Merneptah Stele, an Egyptian inscription dating to approximately 1205 BCE.1

This stele, commissioned by the pharaoh Merneptah, commemorates his military campaigns in Palestine. One of the final lines of the hieroglyphic text states, "Israel is laid waste, its seed is no more," which provides evidence that Israel existed as a people group in the region during the late 13th century BCE. Based on the linguistic determinatives used in the inscription, scholars believe that at this time—roughly two centuries before the biblical tradition of King Saul—Israel was likely a nomadic group rather than a settled kingdom.12

While some scholars associate the period of Moses with the 13th century BCE, the Merneptah Stele remains the primary extrabiblical evidence for the presence of Israel in the region during that era.312