Carchemish
36.82944444444438.015Koordinaten: 36 ° 49 '46 "N, 38 ° 0' 54" E
Carchemish or Karkamış ( Carchemish Carchemish; Assyrian Qarqamiš; Egyptian Qarqamescha ) was a city of the Mitanni and Hittites.
Location and cityscape
Carchemish is located in the Turkish province of Gaziantep, just off the Syrian border. The corresponding district is also called Karkamış. Today Carchemish is a vast field of ruins on the right bank of the Euphrates. On the Acropolis of Carchemish a Turkish military base was built, so the access is currently limited. The present town on the Turkish side is Karkamış, the neighboring town in Syria called Dscharabulus ( Jerablus ). In ancient times ruled Carchemish an important ford across the Euphrates, which explains its importance to the Hittites in the control of Syria.
If at the high castle hill a palace or in the North West Syrian Tell Ain Dara is a temple have been, he was already worn in Roman times. South below the former citadel enclosed a round wall the inner city area and a second enclosing a much larger outer settlement, the east-west extension was about 600 meters. The current border runs right through the former town. For Turkey the castle hill and the main building remains belong immediately to the south, while the largest part of the city is located on Syrian territory. The building remains of the city are less important than the excavated sculptures there. Of the buildings, a temple with stairs, two large gatehouses and a Hilani - house type were identified.
History
The site was inhabited since Neolithic times, as is documented by shards of about 3000 BC and tombs of 2300 BC. The city is also mentioned in documents of the Ebla archives dating from the 3rd millennium BC.
After a Babylonian document, there were already around 1720 BC. Kings of Carchemish. The Hittite king Hattusili I (c. 1640-1620 ) fought in vain around the city. Already the ancient Egyptian king Thutmosis I marched with his army in the fourth or fifth year of reign to northern Mesopotamia and constructed a victory stele in Carchemish. Under Thutmose III. (1486-1425) belonged to Carchemish empire of the Egyptians in the 15th century BC it was part of Mittani. At the time of Hattusili III. Carchemish had to suffer from the raids of the Turiräer, a Mitanni rest state. Under Hittite Suppiuliuma I. (1370-1335) was Carchemish, after the destruction of Mitanni, Hittite viceroys residence ( Sekundogenitur ), which controlled from here possessions in Syria. After the destruction of the Hittite Empire around 1200 BC, Carchemish was independently and under Assyrian pressure, further Hittite successor states as Sam'al and Kizzuwatna closed ( Cilicia ) at Carchemish, which gained its greatest importance in the following centuries. In the 10th century Carchemish appeared in the Assyrian sources often under the name Hatti. The from the time of Tiglath- pileser I. known king Ini Teššup II of Hatti, therefore, may have dominated and Carchemish.
717 BC the city came to Assyria under Sargon II. In the summer of 605 BC (or according to some sources 607 BC), a battle between the Babylonian army of Nebuchadnezzar II and the Egyptian army was in Carchemish defeated by Necho II ( Battle of Carchemish ). This battle is in the Bible in Jer. 46.2 mentioned. Necho wanted to prevent further spread of the Babylonian Empire to the west and interrupt the trade route over the Euphrates. The Egyptians, however, were defeated by an unexpected attack of the Babylonians and had to completely abandon later Syria.
Ruler
- Sarri - Kušuh, son of Suppiuliuma I., late 14th century
- - ... Šarruma, son of Sarri - Kušuh
- Šahurunuwa, son of Sarri - Kušuh
- Ini Teššup I, son of Šahurunuwa
- Talmi - Teššup, son of Ini Teššup I.
- Kuzi - Teššup, son of Talmi - Teššup, 12th century ( called " Great King " )
...
- -pa ... ziti
- Ura - Tarhunza, son of ... -pa - ziti
- Tuthalija
...
- Ini Teššup II? , 12./11. Century ( King of Hatti, accurate placement unclear)
...
- Suhi I.
- Astuwatamanza, son of Suhi I.
- Suhi II, son of Astuwatamanza
- Katuwa, son of Suhi II
...
- Astiruwas, late 9th century
- Yariri ( eunuch? )
- Kamani, son of Astiruwas
- Astiru [ what ] (? ), Son of Sasturas
- Pisiris
Excavations
George Smith localized in 1876, mentioned in the Bible, Assyrian and Egyptian texts city. Excavations were carried out under the direction of the British Museum from 1911 until the beginning of the First World War in 1914 and then 1920. These expeditions put valuable remains of the Assyrian and Neo- Hittite periods free. In addition to the architectural remains include basalt statues and reliefs with Luwian hieroglyphs. Until the depth of the Bronze Age levels not penetrated. At the excavations David George Hogarth, Reginald Campbell Thompson, Leonard Woolley and TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia ) were involved. It is claimed that the excavations would have served not only scientific, but also for military purposes. A portion of the finds, including powerful orthostat reliefs are of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara to see in the museum.