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ON THE COVER: The Egyptian pharaoh Merenptah (1212–1202 B.C.), depicted in this painted wall relief from the entrance to his tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor, has long been known for his famous stele, which bears the oldest known written reference to Israel. Now he can claim another first for having ordered the oldest known visual portrayal of Israelites. The remarkable scene portraying the Israelites appears on a wall relief, one of a series illustrating Merenptah’ Canaanite campaign, at the Karnak temple in Luxor. To learn how this discovery was made and what its important implications are, turn to “3,200-Year-Old Picture of Israelites Found in Egypt.”