Terqa is an ancient city discovered at the site of Tell Ashara on the banks of the middle Euphrates in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, approximately from the modern border with Iraq and north of the ancient site of Mari, Syria. Its name had become Sirqu by Neo-Assyrian times.
Location Terqa was located near the mouth of the Khabur river, thus being a trade hub on the Euphrates and Khabur rivers.Buccellati (1992) Ebla and the Amorites To the south was Mari. To the north was Tuttul (Tell Bi'a) near the mouth of the Balikh river. Terqa ruled a larger hinterland. Terqa was always second to Mari, as the valley could hold only one political main center. The region was dominated by arid/non-irrigable land, with a characteristic relationship to water resources and land exploitation.Buccellati 1992:88
Amorite tribal groups included the Khaeans and Suteans south of Mari.
Terqa would politically play to role as a minor provincial center with a governor or a petty local kingdom.
History
Little is yet known of the early history of Terqa, though it was a sizable entity even in the Early Dynastic period. The principal god of Terqa was Dagan.
Early Bronze In the Early Bronze IIIB, Ebla and Mari competed for hegemony in the Euphrates region and Terqa became a contested town.
In EB IVA, the Akkadian Empire took control.
Terqa was an urban center with a massive defensive wall, but a provincial city under the political control of Mari.Buccellati 1992:94
In Early Bronze IVB, the Ur III dynasty had governors at Mari, which may have included Terqa as well.
Middle Bronze Middle Bronze IIA Controlled by the Amorite ruler Yahdun-Lim of Mari who commemorate it in one year-name: "Year in which Yahdun-Lim built the city walls of Mari and Terqa".
It came under the control of Shamshi-Adad (c. 1808–1776 BC) of the Amorite Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia.
Control by Mari continued into the time of Zimri-Lim (c. 1775 to 1761 BC). One year name of Zimri-Lim was "Year in which Zimri-Lim offered a great throne to Dagan of Terqa".
When not ruled by a king, Terqa was a vassal city-state ruled by a governor subordinate to Mari. Kibri-Dagan, governor of Terqa, under Zimri-Lim.Letters from Mari, ARM 3.42 Correspondance de Kibri-Dagan
In Mari Letter ARM 13.110 concerns the Temple of Dagan. Letter by Kibri-Dagan governor of Terqa to the king: "My lord wrote me about the 10 minas of silver that offenders settled to me: This is silver must arrive quickly to be processed for the works on the throne of Dagan.Ilya Arkhipov (2019) Zimri-Lim offers a throne to Dagan of Terqa, in J. Evans, E. Roßberger, P. Paoletti (eds.), Mesopotamian Temple Inventories in the Third and Second Millennia BCE: Integrating Archaeological, Textual, and Visual Sources. Proceedings of a conference held at the LMU Centre for Advanced Studies, November 14–15, 2016. Gladbeck, p. 131-137.
Mari/Terqa interacted over the wide steppes in Syria with their herdsmen coming in contact with the herdsmen from Qatna,Buccellati 1992:94 by the way of Palmyra.
In a major change of events, the 'Fall of Mari' came when Hammurabi of Babylon (r. 1792-1750 BC) attacked his former ally, Zimri-Lim of Mari (r. 1775 to 1761 BC). With Mari destroyed power in the Middle Euphrates shifted to Terqa.
Terqa became the leading city of the kingdom of Ḫana after the decline of Babylon.
Ruler Proposed reign Notes Yapah-Sumu circa 1700 Isi-Sumu-Abu Yadikh-Abu Contemporary of Samsu-iluna of Babylon, 7 year names known Kastiliyasu 4 year names known Sunuhru-Ammu 4 year names known Ammi-Madar 16th century 1 year name known ... several other kings omitted ...Amanda H. Podany (2014), Hana and the Low Chronology. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 73, No. 1 (April 2014), pp. 49-71. (see Table I)
Late Bronze In mid-15th century BC, Terqa came under the control of the Mitanni kingdom. Kings Sinia and Qiš-Addu ruled during the time of the Mitanni kings Sausadatra, Sa'itarna and Parattarna.
Ruler Proposed reign Notes Sinia (Qiš-Addu served as governor) Qiš-Addu (under Parattarna of Mitanni) mid-15th century Iddin-Kakka late 15th century Isar-Lim late 15th century 1 year name known Yaggid-Lim (Iggid-Lim, son of Isar-Lim) Isih-Dagan 1 year name known Hammurapih 3 year names known Parshatatar Mitanni king
According to Podany (2014),
"The kings who called themselves "king of the land of Hana" and who were not associated with the names of Mittanian rulers (i.e., those other than Sinia and Qiš-Addu [both mid-15th century]) ruled for at least seven and perhaps as many as eight generations. The first four passed the throne from father to son: Iddin-Kakka [late 15th century] → Išar-Lim → Iggid-Lim → Isih-Dagan [early 14th century]."Amanda H. Podany (2014), Hana and the Low Chronology. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 73, No. 1 (April 2014), pp. 49-71
In her article, Eva von Dassow (2022) provides a chronological chart (p.471) illustrating the time of Qis-Addu, and how his rule was contemporary to other monarchs of his time. His rule is shown to span the time of three Mitanni kings, named as "Saustatar, Saitarna, and Parattarna II".Eva von Dassow 2022, Mittani and Its Empire. Pages 455–528, in From the Hyksos to the Late Second Millennium BC. Vol. 3 of The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East. Edited by Karen Radner et al. New York: Oxford University Press. p.471
Iron Age Later, it fell into the sphere of the Kassite dynasty of Babylon and eventually the Neo-Assyrian Empire. A noted stele of Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta II (890 to 884 BC) was found near Terqa.H. G. Güterbock, A Note on the Stela of Tukulti-Ninurta II Found near Tell Ashara, JNES, vol. 16, pp. 123, 1957
Archaeology The main site is around in size and has a height of . Two thirds of the remains of Terqa are covered by the modern town of Ashara, which limits the possibilities for excavation. It is estimated that about half of the original site has been eroded away by the Euphrates river as it slowly shifts its course.Carter, T. and Qualls, C., "Excavations by the Johns Hopkins University in Syria", American Schools of Oriental Research Newsletter 8/9, pp. 1-7, 1975
The site was briefly excavated by Ernst Herzfeld in 1910.E. Herzfeld, Hana et Mari, RA, vol. 11, pp. 131-39, 1910 In 1923, 5 days of excavations were conducted by François Thureau-Dangin and P. Dhorrne.François Thureau-Dangin and P. Dhorrne, Cinq jours de fouilles à 'Ashârah (7-11 Septembre 1923), Syria, vol. 5, pp. 265-93, 1924
From 1974 to 1986, Terqa was excavated for 10 seasons by a team from the International Institute for Mesopotamian Area Studies including the Institute of Archaeology at the University of California at Los Angeles, California State University at Los Angeles, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Arizona and the University of Poitiers in France. The team was led by Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati.TextPlates G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati, Terqa Preliminary Reports 1: General Introduction and the Stratigraphic Record of the First Two Seasons, Syro-Mesopotamian Studies, vol 1, no.3, pp. 73-133, 1977 G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati, Terqa Preliminary Reports 6: The Third Season: Introduction and the Stratigraphic Record, Syro-Mesopotamian Studies, vol 2, pp. 115-164, 1978 Giorgio Buccellati, Terqa Preliminary Reports 10: The Fourth Season: Introduction and Stratigraphic Record, Undena, 1979, The final reports from these excavations have been released over time. Olivier Rouault, "Terqa Final Reports No. 1: L'Archive de Puzurum", BM 16, Undena, 1984 ISBN 0-89003-103-7 Olivier Rouault, "Terqa Final Reports No. 2: Les textes des saisons 5 à 9", BM 29, Undena, 2011 ISBN 978-0-9798937-1-1 Federico Buccellati, "Terqa Final Reports 3: Cloves and paleobotany, scarabs and beads, plaques and figurines", BM 31, Undena, 2020 ISBN 978-0-9798937-6-6 The same team also excavated the nearby (5 kilometers north) 4th Millennium site of Tell Qraya which they viewed as the probably source for the settlement of Terqa. Daniel Shimabuku, "Terqa Final Reports No. 2: Tell Qraya on the Middle Euphrates", BM 32, Undena, 2020 ISBN 978-0-9798937-7-3 After 1987, a French team led by Olivier Rouault of Lyon University took over the dig and continued to work there until local conditions deteriorated around 2010.Olivier Rouault, Mission archéologique à Ashara-Terqa (Syrie) : note de synthèse sur les opérations projetées en 2005, S.l., 2004Olivier Rouault, Projet Terqa et sa région (Syrie) : mission archéologiques à Terqa et à Masaïkh, recherches historiques et épigraphiques ; rapport final de la saison 2001 ; note de synthèse sur les opérations projetées en 2003, S.l., 2002Olivier Rouault, Projet Terqa et sa région (Syrie) : recherches à Terqa et dans la région, année 2001 ; note de synthèse sur les opérations projetées en 2002, S.l., 2001
There are 550 cuneiform tablets from Terqa held at the Deir ez-Zor Museum. Buccellati, G., "On the distribution of epigraphic finds at Terqa", AAAS 26-7, pp. 102-106, 1987(2
Notable features found at Terqa include
A city wall, consisting of three concentric masonry walls, high and in width, fronted by a moat. The walls encompass a total area of around with a perimeter of around 1800 meters. Based on ceramic and radiocarbon dating the inner wall was built c. 2900 B.C., the middle wall c. 2800 BC and the outer wall c. 2700 BC and the fortifications were in use until at least 2000 BC. A temple to Ninkarrak dating at least as old as the 3rd millennium. The temple finds included Egyptian scarabs. R. M. Liggett, Ancient Terqa and its Temple of Ninkarrak: the Excavations of the Fifth and Sixth Seasons, Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin, NS 19, pp. 5-25, 1982; see now also: A. Ahrens, The Scarabs from the Ninkarrak Temple Cache at Tell 'Ašara/Terqa (Syria): History, Archaeological Context, and Chronology, Egypt and the Levant 20, 2010, 431-444 The House of Puzurum, where a large and important archive of Kingdom of Ḫana Period tablets, mostly contracts for purchases of land and houses in the Terqa area, were found.Podany, Amanda H., In the 3700 year footsteps of a king, a barber, and a slave, Aeon, February 9, 2023 The location produced a number of sealing (on tablets, tags, and bullae). Many of the tablets are dated to the time of ruler Yadib-Abu. A few Mari Period sealings were found elsewhere at the site.kelly-buccellati, marilyn. "Sealing Practices at Terqa" in Insight through images. Studies in Honor of E. Porada. ed. by Marilyn Kelly-buccellati. - Malibu: Undena publ. 1986. X, 268, 64 s., ill., kt., portr. (= bibliotheca mesopotamica. 21.), 1986
Temple to Ninkarrak Ninkarrak was the ancient goddess of healing. Her temple was identified based on a tablet with a list of offerings which starts with her name, and by seals mentioned the goddess. Thousands of beads made out of precious materials such as agate, carnelian, and lapis lazuli were found here.
Archaeologists also found a number of small bronze figurines of dogs inside the temple as well. Dogs were the animals sacred to Ninkarrak. p. 14
A ceremonial axe and a scimitar with a devotional inscription mentioning Ninkarrak, both bronze, were also found.
Early occupation of the structure has been dated to roughly the same period as the reigns of three kings of Terqa. The earliest of them was Yadikh-abu, a contemporary of Samsuiluna of Babylon, defeated by the latter in 1721 BCE. p.23 Kashtiliash, and Shunuhru-ammu also ruled during this period. The temple was remodeled multiple times.