, alternate_name = , image = Qarquruppertell.jpg , alt = Photograph of a double, overgrown mound , caption = The upper mound of Tell Qarqur as seen from the northern, lower mound , map_type = Syria , map_alt = , map_size = , location =

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, region =

Hama Governorate Hama Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حماة / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates ...

, coordinates = , type = tell , part_of = , length = , width = , area = , height = , builder = , material = , built = , abandoned = , epochs = Pre-Pottery Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Mamluk , cultures = , dependency_of = , occupants = , event = Battle of Qarqar (853 BC) , excavations = 1983–1984, 1993–2001, 2005–2008 , archaeologists = J.M. Lundquist, R. Dornemann, J. Casana , condition = , ownership = , management = , public_access = , website = , notes = Tell Qarqur ( ar, تل قرقور) is a major archaeological site located in the

Orontes River The Orontes (; from Ancient Greek , ) or Asi ( ar, العاصي, , ; tr, Asi) is a river with a length of in Western Asia that begins in Lebanon, flowing northwards through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Turkey. ...

Valley of western

. Situated in a rich alluvial plain known as the Ghab valley, the double-mounded site lies near the modern Syrian town of Jisr ash-Shugur and one kilometer west of the village of Qarqur.

History

Tell Qarqur possesses a 10,000-year history of virtually continuous occupation, from the

Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) denotes the first stage of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, in early Levantine and Anatolian Neolithic culture, dating to years ago, that is, 10,000–8,800 BCE. Archaeological remains are located in the Levantine and Up ...

(c. 8500 BC) through the Mamluk period (AD 1350). However, the settlement reached its greatest extent during the Early Bronze Age (3000–2000 BC), and again during the Iron Age II (1000–500 BC). The site is probably best known for its probable association with the ancient town of Qarqar, the location of a major battle that occurred in 853 BC. The Battle of Qarqar, recorded both in Neo- Assyrian royal annals and on the Kurkh Monolith, was fought between the Neo-Assyrian army under the leadership of Shalmaneser III and a coalition of small Levantine kingdoms. The Levantine alliance included Biblical figures such as King Hadadezer (Ben Hadad) of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

and King Ahab of Israel.

Archaeology

The tell has two mounds, a smaller one to the north and a larger one to the south. The high mound extends to above the plain. Tell Qarqur was first subjected to scientific excavation in 1983 and 1984 by an expedition of the

American Schools of Oriental Research The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), founded in 1900 as the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Alexandria, Virginia which supports the research and teaching of ...

(ASOR) and Brigham Young University (BYU), led by John M. Lundquist of BYU. From 1993 to 2001 the site was excavated by an ASOR-sponsored expedition under the direction of Dr. Rudolph Dornemann. The excavations uncovered remains of many different phases of the site's long occupational history, but the project found especially impressive remains dating to the Early Bronze Age IV (2200–2000 BC) and the Iron Age I–II (1200–500 BC). Finds included several phases of stone-built fortification walls, numerous private houses, and a temple complex dating to the later third millennium BC. After a pause, excavations were resumed in 2005 when the University of Arkansas became a cosponsor of the project and Dr. Jesse Casana joined the expedition. Work was conducted for three seasons, in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Archeological team found out that Tell Qarqur not only survived " 4.2 kiloyear event", a severe aridification event that brought collapse to nearby civilisations, but even expanded. Several important artifacts from the site are currently on display at the Hama Museum in

Hama , timezone = EET , utc_offset = +2 , timezone_DST = EEST , utc_offset_DST = +3 , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , ar ...

, Syria.

Destruction of the site

From 2014 until September 2017, the terrorist Turkistan Islamic Party, an

Alqaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

offshoot, destroyed the site. Reports emerged that the destruction, which can be viewed through satellite imagery, was done under the supervision of unidentified civilians who were not Syrian nor members of the Turkistan Islamic Party militants. The site has suffered significant looting and damage from military activity during the Syrian Civil War.Casana J, Laugier EJ (2017) Satellite imagery-based monitoring of archaeological site damage in the Syrian civil war. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0188589. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188589

Notes

External links

University of Arkansas article on the resumption of excavation
Populated places established in the 9th millennium BC Populated places disestablished in the 14th century Bronze Age sites in Syria Former populated places in Syria Archaeological sites in Hama Governorate Neolithic sites in Syria Iron Age sites in Syria Pre-Pottery Neolithic A de:Qarqar

History

Archaeology

Destruction of the site

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links