Tell Qarqur

Tell Qarqur ( _ar. تل قرقور) is a major archaeological site located in the Orontes River Valley of western Syria. Situated in a rich alluvial plain known as the Ghab Basin, the double-mounded site lies near the modern Syrian town of Jisr Shugur and village of Qarqur.

History of the site

Tell Qarqur possesses a 10,000-year history of virtually continuous occupation, from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (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 and King Ahab of Israel.

Archaeological projects

Tell Qarqur was first subjected to scientific excavation in the early 1980s, and since 1993 has been the site of an ongoing, American Schools of Oriental Research-sponsored expedition under the direction of Dr. Rudolph Dornemann. The excavations have uncovered remains of many different phases of the site's long occupational history, but the project has found especially impressive remains dating to the Early Bronze Age IV (2200-2000 BC) and the Iron Age I-II (1200-500 BC). Finds include several phases of stone-built fortification walls, numerous private houses, and a temple complex dating to the later third millennium BC. Several important artifacts from the site are currently on display at the Hama Museum in Hama, Syria. In 2005, the University of Arkansas became a cosponsor of the project when Dr. Jesse Casana joined the expedition.

External links

* [http://www.asor.org/tellqarqur.html Official ASOR website for Tell Qarqur]
* [http://comp.uark.edu/~jherrma/Qarqur_home.html University of Arkansas website for Tell Qarqur excavation]