Qatna

Qatna is an ancient city located in Syria at 200 km at the north of Damas, on the current site of Such Mishrife . It was the capital of a kingdom which was one of most important of the area in first half of III, and still had a certain power in second half of this same millenium.

The currently visible vestiges and which were the subject of recent excavations constitute a Tel. of a surface from approximately 1 km ². The Tel. is located at the edge of the calcareous plate which delimits the Syrian desert and dominates the fertile plain of Homs.

The city which developed since the beginning from III was an important point of passage on the roads of trade of the area. Several dynasties of kings followed one another there during almost thousand years, developing a refined culture, a craft industry, and using the wedge-shaped writing.

Excavations

It is only starting from 1924, during the Protectorat French, that this completely forgotten city returns at the day. The site is excavated first once by a French team directed by R. of Mesnil of the Bush, between 1924 and 1929. These first campaigns are not very profitable.

In 2000, the excavations begin again on the Tel. Mishrife. They are carried out by teams of three different nationalities, Syria, German Italy and , which shares the site in three sectors of excavations. It is the German team of P. Pfälzner which is most fortunate, since she discovers in the zone which to him is allotted the place where rested the remainders of kings de Qatna, and where were carried out the royal funeral rituals ( Kispum ).

History

The site of Qatna is occupied since the Neolithic . But it is at the beginning of thousand-year-old IIe that the city becomes important.

The kingdom amorrite of Qatna

The development of Qatna to the Period amorrite (2004 - 1595 av. J. - C.) is established by archeology, since it is of this time which the impressive walls date which protect the city. For the beginning of this period, one found a sphinx out of stone come from Egypt, registered in the name of Ita, girl of the Pharaon Amenemhat II (1928-1895 av. J. - C.), which establishes the contacts between Qatna and the country of the Two-Grounds.

But in fact the files of Mari inform us in an indirect way about the history of the kingdom of Qatna, between the end of the 19th century and first half of the 18th century. This State is then one of most powerful of Syria and all the the Middle East. Its large rival is his neighbor of north, the Yamkhad, whose capital is with Alep.

Samsi-Addu, king of the High-Mésopotamie, making him also vis-a-vis Alep since it conquered Mari, chooses to be combined to the king Ishkhi-Addu of Qatna. To this end, the girl of this last, Prejudice-hurasi, wife Yasmah-Addu, the son of Samsi-Addu, which reigns then in Mari. The conclusion of this marriage and its unfolding are well-known by the files mariotes. Qatna is then involved in several conflicts, direct or indirect, with Sumu-epukh of Alep, which supports revolts against Ishkhi-Addu in the north of Lebanon. To this occasion, Samsi-Addu and Yakhdun-Lim send troops of support for Qatna. This conflict is completed finally without winner.

In 1775 av. J. - C., Samsi-Addu dies, and its kingdom crumbles. Supported by Hammurabi, the new king of Yamkhad, Zimri-Lim goes up on the throne of Husband by driving out Yasmah-Addu. When it occupies the palate of Husband, it preserves the Harem overcome, and it thus makes to Prejudice-hurasi his principal wife. That enables him to remain in good term with Ishkhi-Addu and its son and successor Amut-pi-El, while being combined of king d' Alep, of which he marries also a girl. The relations between Qatna and Yamkhad then appear to know a period of lull.

The catch of Husband in 1761 by Hammurabi of Babylon, creates a hole in our knowledge of Qatna. According to what the files of Alalakh seem to indicate (fine 18th-17th centuries), Qatna would have passed under the control of Yamkhad, the secular enemy.

Second half of the 2nd millenium

Qatna is always the capital of a kingdom at the 15th-14th centuries. It does not act more than one kingdom of first rank, but rather of a secondary kingdom, become vassal of the Mitanni, then of the Egypt, at the time of the Lettres of Amarna, when certain Akizzi reigns on this State. It is after that Qatna passes under domination hittite, when Suppiluliuma I {{er}} seizes the Syria. That apparently was done in violence with Qatna, if one goes back to this moment the destruction found on the site. The Egyptians take again the control of the city under Sethi I {{er}}, about 1300. It remains finally in this situation until the invasions of the Peuples of the Sea at the beginning of the 12th century, which cause its destruction. That is however not final, since the city is still inhabited in first half of the thousand-year-old 1st.

The sources coming from the site of Qatna even for this time were packed with the discoveries of several wedge-shaped shelves on the acropolis and in the royal palace in the last few years, and the batch probably still will grow bigger. At the time of the French excavations, the only found texts were the inventories of Qatna , which are lists of jewels offered to the goddess of the city, Nin-Equal, the “Lady of Qatna”. They gave us lists of kings, which one could not date the reigns. The shelves found by the German diggers in the driving corridor with the royal tombs gave the name of a king common to that of the inventories: Idadda/Idanda. One awaits the publication of the new shelves and new discoveries more.

Archaeological discoveries

The city

The site of Qatna is particularly vast, since it covers 110 hectares. The ramparts which gird the city form a quadrilateral of approximately 800 meters on side, and their ruins can still reach 20 meters height by unquestionable places. Four principal doors bored this enclosure.

The acropolis of Qatna, located in the middle of the city, was the political and religious center of the city. The royal palace was located at the North-West of the acropolis, and a temple dedicated to the goddess Nin-Equal, the “Lady of Qatna å, guardian goddess of the city, was in the vicinity. It is the royal palace which initially drew the attention of the diggers. The most spectacular discovery which was carried out there is that of the royal tombs, in 2002 (see low).

The royal palace was surrounded of the residences of the elites of the city. A vast residence of more than 1400 square meters was excavated by the Italian team. The small batch of economic shelves Cunéiforme S written in Akkadien found inside seems to indicate that it belonged to certain Zariya at one time (undoubtedly before the destructon of the site). Another large building of the acropolis delivered a headless statue dating from average Bronze (18th-17th centuries), of typically Syrian invoice, undoubtedly representing king de Qatna. An artisanal district as well as a small cemetery also dating from average Bronze were also exhumed near these buildings.

Royal tombs

The discovery of the royal tombs under the palate of Qatna by the team of German diggers is one of most important of the Archéologie of the the old Middle East of these last years. Beside the throne room located in the north-eastern sector of the palate, a 40 meters long corridor was inserted in the ground on a 7 meters depth to lead to a 5 depth meters well, opening on an underground funerary complex. A Wedge-shaped batch of 75 shelves S.A. found in the corridor, because they fell to this place during collapse of the upper floor, when the palate was destroyed. They date from the reign of king Idanda, who is to be located about the middle of the XIV E a part is in Akkadien, whereas another is in Hourrite.

The entry of the funerary complex was kept by two Statue S in Basalte representing each one a male character sitted on a throne, right hand posed on a Vase while the left was folded up on the belly, according to a typically Syrian style. They were dated from the 18th-17th centuries. The complex is organized around a central room, measuring 9 X 7 meters, opening on three other rooms of more modest size. The large part contained a Sarcophage in Bois, in which the remainders of three individuals were found, as well as many Céramique S, and benches had been arranged on its sides. Various objects of great value were also put at the day in this part: jewels in Gold or invaluable stones, crockery of luxury, etc the small room located on the southern part of large delivered other ceramics, of which a vase in Serpentine bearing the name of the Pharaon Amenemhat III. The western room contained a sarcophagus containing the remainders of two individuals, of which one carried an invaluable stone collar, while the room was filled with bones.

This unit functioned like a royal funerary complex of the dynasty reigning with Qatna. This discovery is exceptional insofar as this forever plundered complex, and with been able to deliver this place such as it were at the time of the destruction of the palate. One thus could bring closer these archaeological discoveries so that we bring back divine texts of the Syria 2nd front millenium J. - C., mentioning the funerary rite of the Kispum , a banquet bringing together the family members royal and their ancestors, sometimes divinized at this period.

See too

Random links: