the ancient state of the Moabites, one of the tribes of Canaan.
Moab is believed to have arisen in the second half of the second millennium B.C. on the east bank of the Jordan River and the shore of the Dead Sea. For several centuries Moab carried on a struggle with the states of Palestine and southern Syria. In the llth and tenth centuries B.C., Moab evidently formed part of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. In the ninth century B.C., it became politically independent. The most prolonged wars were carried on by King Mesha (ninth century B.C.), who expanded the territory of the state significantly. In the second half of the eighth century B.C., Moab came under the control of Assyria. (Moab is repeatedly mentioned in cuneiform sources.)
Of the pantheon of Moabite gods, the supreme god, Chemosh, and one of his hypostases, Ashtar-Chemosh, are well known. The Moabites wrote with the Phoenician script and were noticeably influenced by Phoenician culture.