Aram-Damascus ( ) was an Aramean polity that existed from the late-12th century BCE until 732 BCE, and was centred around the city of

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

in the Southern Levant. Alongside various tribal lands, it was bounded in its later years by the polities of

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

to the north,

Ammon Ammon (; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''ʻAmān''; '; ) was an ancient Semitic languages, Semitic-speaking kingdom occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Wadi Mujib, Arnon and Jabbok, in present-d ...

to the south, and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

to the west. The compound name "Aram-Damascus" is only found in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Hazael"), in Assyrian sources.

History

The

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

Israel and Judah. There are biblical texts referencing battles that took place between the United Kingdom of Israel under

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

and the

Arameans The Arameans, or Aramaeans (; ; , ), were a tribal Semitic people in the ancient Near East, first documented in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. Their homeland, often referred to as the land of Aram, originally covered c ...

in Southern Syria in the 10th century BCE. In the 9th century BCE, Hazael fought against the Assyrians, had some influence over the northern Syrian state of Unqi, and conquered

. To the southwest, Aram-Damascus reached most of the Golan to the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...

. In the 8th century BCE, Rezin had been a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of Tiglath-Pileser III, a

king of Assyria The king of Assyria (Akkadian language, Akkadian: , later ) was the ruler of the ancient Mesopotamian kingdom of Assyria, which was founded in the late 21st century BC and fell in the late 7th century BC. For much of its early history, Assyria was ...

.Lester L. Grabbe, ''Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?'' (New York: T&T Clark, 2007): 134 In , he formed an alliance with Pekah, a king of Israel, to attack Ahaz, a king of Judah; Ahaz appealed to Tiglath-Pileser III for help, which was provided by the Assyrian king after Judah paid tribute. Subsequently, Tiglath-Pileser III attacked Damascus and annexed Aram. The kingdom's population was deported and Rezin was executed. Tiglath-Pileser III recorded this act in one of his inscriptions.James B. Pritchard, ed., ''Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament'' (3rd ed.; Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1969) 283.

Kings

* Hezion, ca. 960 BCE * Tabrimmon, ca. 930 BCE, son of Hezion * Ben-Hadad I, 885–865 BCE * Ben-Hadad II, 865–842 BCE * Hazael, 842–805/796 BCE, usurper * Ben-Hadad III, 796–792 BCE, son of Hazael * Rezin, 754 BCE–732 BCE

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{coord, 33.5130, N, 36.2920, E, source:wikidata, display=title States and territories established in the 12th century BC States and territories disestablished in the 8th century BC Aramean states Ancient Syria Ancient Damascus History of Aram (region) 8th-century BC disestablishments 12th-century BC establishments Former kingdoms

History

Kings

See also

References

Sources