Terqa

Terqa is an ancient city discovered at the site of Tell Ashara on the banks of the middle Euphrates in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, approximately from the modern border with Iraq and north of the ancient site of Mari, Syria. Its name had become Sirqu by Neo-Assyrian times.

Terqa is an ancient city discovered at the site of Tell Ashara on the banks of the middle Euphrates in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, approximately from the modern border with Iraq and north of the ancient site of Mari, Syria. Its name had become Sirqu by Neo-Assyrian times. ==Location== Terqa was located near the mouth of the Khabur river, thus being a trade hub on the Euphrates and Khabur rivers. To the south was Mari. To the north was Tuttul (Tell Bi'a) near the mouth of the Balikh river. Terqa ruled a larger hinterland. Terqa was always second to Mari, as the valley could hold only one political main center. The region was dominated by arid/non-irrigable land, with a characteristic relationship to water resources and land exploitation. Amorite tribal groups included the Khaeans and Suteans south of Mari. Terqa would politically play to role as a minor provincial center with a governor or a petty local kingdom. ==History== in 2nd millennium BC]] Little is yet known of the early history of Terqa, though it was a sizable entity even in the Early Dynastic period. The principal god of Terqa was Dagan. ===Early Bronze=== In the Early Bronze IIIB, Ebla and Mari competed for hegemony in the Euphrates region and Terqa became a contested town. In EB IVA, the Akkadian Empire took control. Terqa was an urban center with a massive defensive wall, but a provincial city under the political control of Mari. In Early Bronze IVB, the Ur III dynasty had governors at Mari, which may have included Terqa as well. ===Middle Bronze=== ====Middle Bronze IIA==== Controlled by the Amorite ruler Yahdun-Lim of Mari who commemorate it in one year-name: "Year in which Yahdun-Lim built the city walls of Mari and Terqa". It came under the control of Shamshi-Adad (c. 1808–1776 BC) of the Amorite Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia. Control by Mari continued into the time of Zimri-Lim (c. 1775 to 1761 BC). One year name of Zimri-Lim was "Year in which Zimri-Lim offered a great throne to Dagan of Terqa". When not ruled by a king, Terqa was a vassal city-state ruled by a governor subordinate to Mari. Kibri-Dagan, governor of Terqa, under Zimri-Lim. In Mari Letter ARM 13.110 concerns the Temple of Dagan. Letter by Kibri-Dagan governor of Terqa to the king: "My lord wrote me about the 10 minas of silver that offenders settled to me: This is silver must arrive quickly to be processed for the works on the throne of Dagan. Mari/Terqa interacted over the wide steppes in Syria with their herdsmen coming in contact with the herdsmen from Qatna, by the way of Palmyra. In a major change of events, the 'Fall of Mari' came when Hammurabi of Babylon (r. 1792-1750 BC) attacked his former ally, Zimri-Lim of Mari (r. 1775 to 1761 BC). With Mari destroyed power in the Middle Euphrates shifted to Terqa. Terqa became the leading city of the kingdom of Ḫana after the decline of Babylon. ===Late Bronze=== In mid-15th century BC, Terqa came under the control of the Mitanni kingdom. Kings Sinia and Qiš-Addu ruled during the time of the Mitanni kings Sausadatra, Sa'itarna and Parattarna. According to Podany (2014), "The kings who called themselves "king of the land of Hana" and who were not associated with the names of Mittanian rulers (i.e., those other than Sinia and Qiš-Addu [both mid-15th century]) ruled for at least seven and perhaps as many as eight generations. The first four passed the throne from father to son: Iddin-Kakka [late 15th century] → Išar-Lim → Iggid-Lim → Isih-Dagan [early 14th century]." In her article, Eva von Dassow (2022) provides a chronological chart (p.471) illustrating the time of Qis-Addu, and how his rule was contemporary to other monarchs of his time. His rule is shown to span the time of three Mitanni kings, named as "Saustatar, Saitarna, and Parattarna II". ===Iron Age=== Later, it fell into the sphere of the Kassite dynasty of Babylon and eventually the Neo-Assyrian Empire. A noted stele of Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta II (890 to 884 BC) was found near Terqa. ==Archaeology== The main site is around in size and has a height of . Two thirds of the remains of Terqa are covered by the modern town of Ashara, which limits the possibilities for excavation. It is estimated that about half of the original site has been eroded away by the Euphrates river as it slowly shifts its course. The site was briefly excavated by Ernst Herzfeld in 1910. In 1923, 5 days of excavations were conducted by François Thureau-Dangin and P. Dhorrne. From 1974 to 1986, Terqa was excavated for 10 seasons¹ by a team from the International Institute for Mesopotamian Area Studies including the Institute of Archaeology at the University of California at Los Angeles, California State University at Los Angeles, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Arizona and the University of Poitiers in France. The team was led by Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati. The final reports from these excavations have been released over time. The same team also excavated the nearby (5 kilometers north) 4th Millennium site of Tell Qraya which they viewed as the probably source for the settlement of Terqa. After 1987, a French team led by Olivier Rouault of Lyon University took over the dig and continued to work there until local conditions deteriorated around 2010. There are 550 cuneiform tablets from Terqa held at the Deir ez-Zor Museum. Notable features found at Terqa include A city wall, consisting of three concentric masonry walls, high and in width, fronted by a moat. The walls encompass a total area of around with a perimeter of around 1800 meters¹. Based on ceramic and radiocarbon dating the inner wall was built c. 2900 B.C., the middle wall c. 2800 BC and the outer wall c. 2700 BC and the fortifications were in use until at least 2000 BC. A temple to Ninkarrak dating at least as old as the 3rd millennium. The temple finds included Egyptian scarabs. The House of Puzurum, where a large and important archive of Kingdom of Ḫana Period tablets, mostly contracts for purchases of land and houses in the Terqa area, were found. The location produced a number of sealing (on tablets, tags, and bullae). Many of the tablets are dated to the time of ruler Yadib-Abu. A few Mari Period sealings were found elsewhere at the site. ==See also== Cities of the ancient Near East Saggarâtum ==Notes== ==References== G. Buccellati, The Kingdom and Period of Khana, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 270, pp. 43–61, 1977 [https://www.terqa.org/EL-TQ/Buccellati_1977_Preliminary_Report_2_-_SMS_1.4.pdf Giorgio Buccellati, "Terqa Preliminary Report 2: A Cuneiform Tablet of the Early Second Millennium B.C", Syro-Mesopotamian Studies 1, pp. 135–142, 1977 M. Chavalas, Terqa and the Kingdom of Khana, Biblical Archaeology, vol. 59, pp. 90–103, 1996 A. H. Podany, A Middle Babylonian Date for the Hana Kingdom, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 43/45, pp. 53–62, (1991–1993) J. N. Tubb, A Reconsideration of the Date of the Second Millennium Pottery From the Recent Excavations at Terqa, Levant, vol. 12, pp. 61–68, 1980 A. Soltysiak, Human Remains from Tell Ashara - Terqa. Seasons 1999-2001. A Preliminary Report, Athenaeum, 90, no. 2, pp. 591–594 2002 J Tomczyk, A Sołtysiak, Preliminary report on human remains from Tell Ashara/Terqa. Season 2005, Athenaeum. Studi di Letteratura e Storia dell'Antichità, vol. 95 (1), pp. 439–441, soo7 ==External links== Terqa Final Reports Terqa excavation web site Terqa IIMAS website

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