Karkemish

Karkemish (called Europus by the Roman ) is an ancient city of the empires Mitanni and Hittites located at the border of the Turkey and current Syria. During Antiquity, the city ordered the principal point of crossing of the Euphrate. This situation largely had to contribute to its historical and strategic importance. It was the theater of a important battle mentioned in the Bible between the Babylonian and the Égyptiens.

History

The site of Karkemish was occupied as of the Neolithic : potteries (towards 3000 av. J. - C.) and of the tombs (around 2300 av. J. - C.) were in particular found (old Bronze Age '' ''). The city is mentioned in documents found in the files of Ebla dating from. It then comprised a low city protected by an enclosure and an acropolis which overhung the Euphrate. To, a strong extension gives rise to new districts which double its surface, testifying to the level of its economic activity. Karkemish enjoys a strategic position and commercial, controlling on Euphrate the East-West main road which skirts Piedmont. According to documents coming from the files of Husband and Alalakh (towards 1800 av. J. - C.), Karkemish was then the capital of a Syrian kingdom directed by a king named Aplahanda, as well as an important center commercial of wood and tin. The city had in particular signed treaties with Ougarit and Mitanni ( Hanilgalbat ).

The Pharaon Thoutmôsis I {{er}} (towards 1500 av. J. - C.) of the eighteenth dynasty ériga a stele close to Karkemish in order to celebrate the conquest of Syria and to territories beyond the Euphrate. The city was then dominated by the Hourrites of the Mitanni as of 1560 av. J. - C.. Towards the end of the reign of the Pharaon Akhénaton, in 1354 av. J. - C., Karkemish was captured by the king Suppiluliuma I {{er}} of the Hittites (). This one establishes, for his/her son Piyassilis, a kingdom having Karkemish for capital. The city became one of the most important centers of the Empire hittite during the final Bronze Age '' ''. After the fall of the empire hittite following the attacks of the People of the sea, Karkemish became the capital of an important kingdom néo-hittite with the Âge of Iron, and a great shopping mall.

The protective goddess of Karkemish under Hittites was Koubaba, a divinity probably of origin hourrite. She was represented by a noble woman of pace, wearing a long dress, was sitting or upright, and holding a mirror.

She falls between the hands from the king from Assyrie Teglath-Phalasar I {{er}} to, then seems to have preserved an important regional position until. At that time there, the city paid tribute with the kings Assyrie NS Assurnazirpal II and Salmanazar III. The Assyrians rest on it to resist the pressure araméenne before annexing it in 717 av. J. - C.: Sargon II conquered the city under the reign of the king Pisiris.

At the summer 605 av. J. - C. (or 607 according to the sources), important a battle was held in Karkemish between the Babylonian armies of Nabuchodonosor II and the Pharaon Nékao II (told in the Bible: Jeremy 46:2). The goal of Nékao II was to contain Babylonian inclinations of expansion towards the west and to cut their trade route through Euphrate. The Egyptians were demolished by a surprised attack of Babylonian and were pushed back out of Syria. Nabuchodonosor II destroys the city. The Roman epoch had to be awaited so that the city was re-occupied.

Redécouverte and exploration

Karkemish was always well-known of the archeologists because it is mentioned in the Bible (Jérémie 46:2; 2 Chr. 35:20; Test 10:9), like in Egyptian and Assyrian texts. However, its exact site was only discovered in 1876 by George Smith. Previously, the city had been confused with Circesium, with the confluence of the river Chebar and Euphrate, and with Hierapolis, Greek city ancient, although the modern city of Pamukkale in Turkey had already identified with the latter.

The site was initially excavated by the British Museum between 1911 and 1914. The team was mainly made up of D.G. Hogarth, R.C. Thompson, C.L. Woolley, and T.E. Lawrence ( Lawrence of Arabia ). Gertrude Bell also took part in the excavations. These forwardings reflect up to date substantial remainders of the Assyrian periods and néo-hittites, in particular of the defensive structures, temples, palates and many statues and low-reliefs in Basalte carrying hieroglyphic inscriptions Louvite S.

The site

Nowadays, Karkemish is a whole of ruins in the west of the Euphrate, approximately 60 km in the south-east of Gaziantep (Turkey) and 100 km in the North-East of Alep (Syria). The site is on the territory Turkish, close to the border between Turkey and Syria, at short distance of the historic site of Jerablus (Syria). A Turkish military base was built on the Acropole of Karkemish and the access to the site is currently restricted.

Kings de Karkemish

Piyassilis, but Sharri-Kushukh, wire of king hittite Suppiluliuma I {{er}}
sharruma
Sharkhurunuwa
Ini-Teshub Ier
Talmi-Teshub
Kuzi-Teshub
Ini-Teshub II (towards -1100)
Tudhaliya
pazitis
Ura-Tarhunzas
Suhis Ier
Astuwatamanzas
Suhis II
Katuwas (towards -900
Sangara (-870 - -848)
Astiruwas
Yariris (-772?)
Kamanis
Sasturas
Pisiris, last king, demolishes by Sargon II (-738).

See too

Battle of Karkemish