CARCHEMISH

The old city of Carchemish appears in records from 3000 BCE until the year 600 BCE [i]. The city acquired its trade value thanks to its exceptional geographic situation, becoming an important merchant center since its inception. It was considered a powerful regional capital, however, with the growing power and influence of the Mitanni Empire [ii], researchers suspect that the city turned into a vassal of this empire. Despite the power, Carchemish held for more of its existence, once the Battle of Carchemish [iii] took place and the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians, the city went into decline and was finally abandoned.

Carchemish was occupied by several empires; thus, the alliances and the rivals fluctuated throughout the different centuries [iv]. During the 17th century, Carchemish aligned itself with the Mitanni State to stop the advance of the Hittite of Anatolia. Nonetheless, the animosity with the Assyrian Empire [v] was palpable. After the Assyrian Empire attacked the city in 743 BCE, Carchemish tried to challenge Assyrian power unsuccessfully. In 717 BCE, Carchemish refused to pay the imposed tribute by the previous Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, and Sargon II attacked the city, thus deporting Carchemish’s citizens to surrounding cities and repopulating it with Assyrian citizens.

The city was in charge of preserving the Neo-Hittite culture [vi] which has been a reference point for archaeologists and historians since 1876 when the ruins were identified. The site was excavated [vii] in 1911 by The British Museum [viii] and many structures, temples, instruments, and basalt statues, among others, were discovered. Carchemish formed part of the ‘hydraulic revolution’ and contributed to the spread of water technology [ix] through the different empires in the first millennia BCE and CE. Furthermore, the city was an important geographic point in the region, connecting routes that allowed traders to pass through and generate wealth.

The king stood at the top of the hierarchy and the city was subject to the rules of the empire holding the power in the region at that time [x]. Since the fall of the Hittite empire, Carchemish was governed by local dynasties for three centuries until the Assyrians arrived and initiated the isolation of the city. Deportations of Carchemish citizens and high taxes were imposed, and the place became the Assyrian provincial capital of the upper Euphrates [xi]. There is evidence in the late 10th and 9th centuries of a two-tier system of government indicating a well-established division of functions.

From an early stage, Carchemish drew the attention of ancient Near Eastern states. From the 17th to the 13th century [xii], the city was influenced and conquered by empires including the Hurrians [xiii], Egyptians, and Hittites [xiv] respectively. Carchemish became the major city center in northern Syria for decades, but this was interrupted by the arrival of the Sea People [xv]. The Hittite Empire fell in the 12th century and Assyrian king Tiglat-Pileser III attacked the Carchemish civilization and defeated Pisiris [xvi], the Carchemish king, in 743 BCE. The Battle of Carchemish was the last important event in which Carchemish appears.

The topography of the city allowed it to be a strategic military location with strong security due to its hills’ distribution, which allowed surveillance of the terrain. While the Assyrian Empire was in Carchemish, the city was a trade center for wood and it played a key role in shipping this material to other cities. Carchemish had a preeminent position in economics with its own unique unit of payment, the mina of Carchemish [xvii], used in western cities as far as Hamath. Multilingualism and knowledge of scripts rather than the military are considered Yariri’s greatest achievements while ruling Carchemish in 815 BCE.

The city of Carchemish was one of the richest cities in the northern Syria region, mainly, because of the acquisition of metals. Carchemish produced a significant number of bronze pails, tubs and vessels, alabaster, and gold [xviii] thanks to its access north and west to Anatolia’s metal deposits. The very favorable land routes [xix] of Carchemish allowed it to trade with this merchandise and promoted commercial competition. It was the major source of revenue for the Assyrian Empire in the 9th century, imposing on Carchemish a larger amount of taxes in comparison to the neighboring cities, which highlights its economic status.