Bust of Merneptah (or Merenptah), the fourth pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. It was discovered in 1896 by the British archaeologist and Egyptologist Sir William Flinders Petrie in the temple of Merneptah in the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes. Merneptah had ruled Egypt for almost ten years, from 1213 BC to 1203 BC during which Egypt was under attack from Libya in the west and having to suppress a revolt in the cities of Palestine. In 1208, Merneptah achieved a great victory over the Libyans and their allies. This is celebrated in the inscription found in the ?淢erneptah Stele?? a large monumental stone slab, also discovered by Flinders Petrie. In the hieroglyphics of this stele, the term ?淚srael??occurs. Archeologists consider it to be of importance as it is the first mention in any Egyptian text.