Day 07 EBLA APEMEA HOMS HOMUS April 23, 2010 Friday
We left Aleppo at 08:30. Every one is eager to be heading to the
country side of Syria. The first impression of Syria is that the people are very
hospitable. The sites we have seen are impressive. We are looking forward to
visiting Ebla.
Ebla is a 5000 year old settlement. So we are not expecting a visual grandeur
but we know that being in Elba where 17000 tablets were found is going to be
special.
The
regular urban pattern with the hill of the acropolis in the central position and
the peripheral relief of the ramparts of the outer fortifications can be easily
read in the topographic plan/ the four openings are the for city g ates, each
oriented towards other important settlements. the great south west gate was the
beginning of the road leading to the southern center of Hamat and Damascus. the
south east gate lead towards the semi desert steppe. the north east gate was the
beginning of the road heading towards the cities along the Euphrates river. the
northwest gate was leading to Hallepo.
THE CHRONOLOGY OF EBLA
The Proto-Historic and archaic Early Syrian Period 3000- 2500 BC
The Early Syrian Period 2400 - 2000 BC
The Mature Early Syrian Period : 2400 - 2300 BC
This is the first great phase of full urban flourishing of Elba. The
palace and the temple of the goddess Ishtar were built during this era. The
great settlement of the age of the Archives was destroyed around 2300 BC by
the legendary Sargon of Akkad, when Ish ar Damu reigned at Ebla and Pepi in
Egypt.
Late Early Syrian Period 2300 - 2000 BC
After the destruction which took place in Sargon's times, Ebla was abandoned
for a few decades and remained largely uninhabited; then it experienced a
renaissance between 2200 and 2000 BC, contemporary with the XIth dynasty of
the Middle Kingdom in Egypt. the tablets found related to this era reveal the
trade routes and relations with the cities of the Mesopotamia region
especially with the city of UR and the other Neo-Sumerian metropolis.
al Madik village
Ottoman Caravansarai at Al Madik preparing for 2nd of May celebrating the coming of spring