Battle of Qarqar

In 853 BCE, Assyrian king Shalmaneser III clashed with a coalition of 12 kings at Qarqar in Syria. His own records mention 'Ahab the Israelite' bringing 2,000 chariots and 10,000 soldiers — the largest chariot force in the coalition. This is the earliest known Assyrian reference to Israel. The battle was basically a draw, but Shalmaneser wrote it up like a W because ancient kings never posted their Ls.