Mumbaqat

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Coordinates: 36 ° 13 '  N , 38 ° 8'  E

Relief Map: Syria
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Mumbaqat​
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Syria

Tall Munbāqa , also Ekalte (Mumbaqat) , is a 5000 year old urban complex in northern Syria that is now in ruins .

Geographical location

The field of ruins lies on the eastern bank of the upper reaches of the Euphrates above the steep slope of the former river valley. In the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC The city was an important city-state in the region.

Due to the construction of the Tabqa dam near Ath-Thawra , 35 kilometers west of Ar-Raqqa , the ruins of the city are now partially flooded. The situation in the dam area has changed fundamentally in the years since excavation work began in 1969. In the Euphrates valley, whose image was shaped by the green of the cotton and the wide river, a large reservoir has formed, which has partially inundated the ruined city. The west bank is hardest hit with its flat river terraces, which were the first to be flooded.

Tall Munbāqa, high above the steep drop of the east bank, is still preserved. The northeast gate uncovered during the 1974 excavation is at 36 ° 13 ′ 9 ″  N , 38 ° 7 ′ 53.9 ″  E , the south gate at 36 ° 13 ′ 1.4 ″  N , 38 ° 7 ′ 44.1 ″  O .

Urban development

The Euphrates was one of the highways connecting Asia with the Mediterranean . The course of one of the most important trade routes between the Sumerian and later Babylonian centers of power and the Syrian coastal cities and the direct access to the main navigable river can be seen as one of the basic motives for the founding of this city. Trade was the driving force behind urban development. City power and city destruction characterize the urbanization fever of the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC. In northern Syria, where the river turns from the Armenian highlands to the southeast, 200 km from the Mediterranean, were important trading centers. From there the road runs over the northern Syrian plateau to Aleppo . From the 4th millennium BC There are evidence of Sumerian trading establishments here. In the 3rd millennium, the height of cultural and economic development, princely seats were built based on the model of Sumerian cities. The old Syrian Empire reached in the 2nd millennium BC. Until the Euphrates arch. A few centuries later, the central Hurrian state ruled north-east Syria with the Euphrates valley. In the 14th century BC The Hittites ruled northern Syria and the Euphrates formed the border between the Assyrian region and the Hittite empire. Around 1200 BC The Arameans settled on the Euphrates. This eventful history is revealed by the numerous ruined hills along the 90 km long reservoir. One of the largest excavated ruins in this ancient cultural landscape is Tall Munbāqa.

Exploring the Tall Munbāqa

In 1907 the English researcher Gertrude Bell discovered the ruins, drew up a plan and described the ramparts: “Munbayah, where my tents were pitched - the Arabic name only means a high place - was probably the Bersiba in Ptolemy's list of place names. It consists of a double wall, located on the river bank. ” Gertrude Bell was wrong in locating Bersiba, but recognized the importance of the hill of ruins for exploring the oriental city. The 400 × 500 m, rectangular, once heavily fortified town ruin was documented and researched in 1964 on the occasion of the tour of the planned reservoir area. In 1968 the German Orient Society applied for excavation permission for the hill of ruins. 1969–1970 E. Heinrich (University of Berlin) surveyed the building remains visible above ground and in 1971 they began to uncover them. The excavation was led in 1973 and 1974 by Winfried Orthmann and in 1977 by Alfred Werner Maurer from the University of Saarbrücken and from 1979 onwards by Dittmar Machule from the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg . During the excavation campaigns in 1973, 1974 and 1977, up to 16 scientists and up to 90 local workers were involved in the excavation work. The ancient name of the late Bronze Age city ​​is assumed to be based on 15 clay tablets with the mention of this city name as "Ekalte". Maybe Tall Munbāqa is the Middle Bronze Age to the at Aplaḫanda of Carchemish and I. Samsi-Adad mentioned Yakaltum equate.

Settlement history of the city

The settlement hill is located directly on the left bank of the Euphrates and is surrounded by a huge rampart, which forms a steep slope towards the river and becomes flatter towards the east towards the land. The natural topography of the river valley and the adjacent hill determine the shape of the city. At first there was only the inner city, surrounded by a fortification ring, which was extended to the east in the Middle Syrian period (around 1600–1400 BC) by a suburb located to the country. The former eastern walling around the city center now separates it from the urban expansion. The fortification was expanded during this time and secured by a gate system with two mighty towers built from air-dried adobe bricks on the northern slope of the wall . The later closing of the gate with huge limestone blocks in front of it protected it from destruction. The southwest gate also belongs to this settlement layer. The suburb was served to the southwest via another gate building (southwest gate). The eastern inner city wall shows a depression towards the southeast part of the suburb near the southwest gate, which suggests that there was access to the city center here. In the later part of the Central Syrian Period, the city walls were partially renewed and reinforced.

Outside the fortification in the area of ​​the shore zone, a well-preserved clay brick pottery furnace with a perforated tennis court and dome was excavated. A number of burial chambers were discovered about 250 m south of the city, dating back to the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. Are dated.

The sanctuaries located on the northwestern edge of the hill of ruins to the Euphrates in the city center, Temple I with outbuildings and Temple II, are to be assigned to the Old Syrian period (around 2000–1600 BC). The two cult buildings were used to worship the two main deities. The north-west located Temple I has the external dimensions of 12.60 × 26.80 m and 2.70 m thick stone walls made of uncut stones. The layout of the floor plan consisted of the deity's chamber, the cella , an elongated square room with a vestibule that opens to the east with two columns between two ante . In the interior of this stone building, building layers 4 were uncovered in 1973 up to floor 4c, in 1974 the oldest access layer belonging to the walls was found underneath (4d). This oldest layer of settlement, a small sanctuary, a mud brick temple cella below the northern temple I, belongs to the early Syrian period (about 2600–2100 BC). The remains of a stone building were found north of the temple. A stone building was uncovered 2.00 m from the north wall of the temple. A long rectangular room of 8 × 5 m (youngest phase layer 2a). The access to the room is on the eastern narrow side. In this area, 13 clay models of livers that were used for divination by the priest were found. In their immediate vicinity, three fragments of different clay tablets with cuneiform writing were discovered. To the north of this building, separated by a narrow alley, a stone house with a room and a courtyard was uncovered.

The larger Temple II has the external dimensions of 33.75 × 15.00 m and 3.00 m thick stone walls. One entered the temples from the east through a vestibule open to the east, which was supported by the ante of the longitudinal wall and by two columns. From the vestibule one climbed a 2 m wide stone staircase to the eastern part of the main room and from there a second flight of stairs to the Holy of Holies equipped with altar and benches.

Stratigraphy and dating of the settlement layers

The main settlement layers of this prince's seat of the 2nd millennium BC, which were found in the excavation campaigns of 1973–1977 from stacked ancient ruins or piled rubble on top of each other. Are divided as follows:

Mumbaqat IV: Early Syrian period (approx. 2600–2100 BC) Settlement layer of the oldest sanctuary (small temple of layer 4c dates from 2500–2300 BC) in the area inside and below the large temple I. The rectangular temple cell with The interior dimensions of the room of 3.50 × 5.00 m consisted of 1 m thick plastered mud brick walls. The room was entered from the east through a single-leaf door. To set up offerings, there were flat mud brick benches in front of the west wall and an altar block in the middle, stepped towards the room. A foundation sacrifice made of frit beads is walled into the altar block . Layers from this period were also discovered on the dome in the center of the excavation mound and under Temple II. An exposed chamber grave north of the city (so-called north grave) supplements the settlement findings and provides information about the burial customs of the ancient population at this time.

Mumbaqat III: Ancient Syrian Period (around 2000–1600 BC): Settlement layer of the previous buildings of the sanctuaries Temple I and Temple II and the inner city fortifications. North-east gate to the suburb made of adobe construction with battlements and forecourt, flanked by two bastions and corner towers at the foot of the inner city wall. Establishment and settlement of the suburb around 1600 BC Southwestern entrance to the suburb, consisting of a gate building with a large hall and fireplace, three adjoining rooms and an anteroom, which was built together with the fortification wall.

Mumbaqat II: Central Syrian period (around 1600–1200 BC): layout of the suburb with external fortification. Renewal and expansion of the sanctuaries Temple I and Temple II. Burial of the dead in chamber graves (so-called southern grave) outside the city.

Mumbaqat I: Roman-Byzantine tumuli and chamber tombs within the city

Selected finds

  • Torso of a limestone statue, Temple I, layer 3, ancient Syriac, 1st half of the 2nd millennium BC Chr .;
  • Clay model for terracotta relief "Naked Goddess" Northeast Gate, layer 4/5, Middle Syriac, around 1600/1200 BC Chr .;
  • Clay tablet fragments with cuneiform texts , next to Temple I, Layer 2, Middle Syriac, around 1400/1200 BC Chr .;
  • Models of sheep livers made of clay, next to Temple II, layer 2, Middle Syriac, around 1400/1200 BC Chr.,
  • Fragment of a terracotta relief "male warrior", southwest gate, layer 3, Middle Syriac, around 1400/1200 BC Chr .;
  • Terracotta figure of a cattle, from the south grave, Middle Syriac, around 1600/1200 BC Chr .;
  • Vessel shards with unrolled seal Temple I, layer 2, early Syriac, middle of the 3rd millennium BC Chr .; Egyptian scarab so-called 'nr' type from faience , from the south grave, according to H. Stock in the younger Hyksos period around 1600 BC. Dated.

The clay tablets

3 fragments of clay tablets were discovered during the excavation work in 1974 in grid square 2737. These fragments belong to different types of text. The largest fragment comes from a document, the beginnings of which have been preserved are remnants of a list of witnesses; a seal was unrolled on the other side of the tablet. A total of 89 Late Bronze Age clay tablets were found in Tall Munbāqa, and six more ended up in private collections through the art trade. Almost all the tablets were found in private homes and can be assigned to family archives. The deeds document real estate transactions, wills and adoption deeds. The ancient name of Tall Munbaqa is Ekalte . This name is written down 17 times in the 15 documents. Seven panels are dated. Rolls of an old Acadic seal can be found on the documents for the properties owned by the city god and the city.

literature

  • Peter Werner: Tall Munbāqa - Bronze Age in Syria. Catalog for the traveling exhibition, Neumünster 1998. ISBN 3-529-02008-7
  • Alfred Werner Maurer : Mumbaqat 1977, report on the excavation undertaken by the German Orient Society with funds from the University of Saarbrücken. Philologus Verlag, Basel 2007.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wu Yuhong: Yakaltum = Ekalte = Tell Munbaqa on the east bank of the Euphrates , NABU 2/1991, D. Charpin, NABU 1/1993 , 26.