Ebla

Ebla
   An important independent city-state and commercial center in the Orontes Valley in northern Syria. Ebla (modern Tell Mardikh), which had close ties with nearby Mesopotamia, rose to prominence twice. The first time was in the late third millennium B.C., when it thrived by trading timber, textiles, and cattle, of which it was said to own more than two hundred thousand head. The local palace contained numerous workshops and employed nearly five thousand artisans and servants. The principal deity worshipped in the city was the Semitic storm god, Dagan. Ebla was sacked circa 2250 b.c., apparently by an Akkadian army, although the ruler who led that army is still disputed by scholars. Ebla's second period of prosperity was about 1800 to 1650 b.c., when Amorites controlled it. Little is known about the city in this era, which ended when the Hit-titesdestroyeditforgood.
   Ebla was largely forgotten until 1964, when excavations began by Italy's University of Rome La Sapienza under the direction of Paolo Matthiae. The Italians uncovered an archaeological bonanza in the form of the city's archive, consisting of some twenty thousand clay tablets. These bear cuneiform symbols in Sumerian and Ebalite, a Semitic language related to Akkadian. Translations have revealed tribute lists, trade contracts, law cases, diplomatic letters, and more, providing important insights about the economic and cultural life of the inhabitants.
   See also: Dagan; Hittites; Syria; trade

Ancient Mesopotamia dictioary. . 2015.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ebla — Tell Mardikh Ruines du site de Tell Mardikh/Ebla Localisation Pays …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ebla — (Arabic: عبيل، إيبلا, modern Tell Mardikh, Syria) was an ancient city about 55 km southwest of Aleppo. It was an important city state in two periods, first in the late third millennium BC, then again between 1800 and 1650 BC. The site is most… …   Wikipedia

  • EBLA — EBLA, archaeological site in northern Syria, present day Tell Mardikh, located 35 mi. (60 km.) south of Aleppo and excavated by an Italian team of archaeologists starting in 1964. In the 1970s thousands of cuneiform texts dated to the second half …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Ebla — fue un reino de Síria centrado en la ciudad de Ebla, la cual ya existía al comienzo del tercer milenio momento en el que llegó a ser un verdadero centro urbano amorrita, que se desarrolló por el comercio con Mari, ciudad de la que fue tributaria… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Ebla — site archéologique proche d Alep, en Syrie, ville et royaume antique de Mésopotamie (IIIe millénaire av. J. C.). Vestiges et très importantes archives sur tablettes cunéiformes rédigées parfois en sumérien, et le plus souvent dans une langue… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ebla — Ruinas de Ebla …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ebla — Ausgrabungen in Ebla I Ausgrabungen in Ebla II …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ebla — /eb leuh, ee bleuh/, n. an ancient city whose remains are located near Aleppo in present day Syria, the site of the discovery in 1974 75 of cuneiform tablets (Ebla Tablets) documenting a thriving culture of the third millennium B.C. * * * modern… …   Universalium

  • EBLA — (modern TELLMARDIKH)    City in the Orontes valley in Syria, a land well known for the fertility of its fields and rich pasture. The history and economy of Ebla are unusually well known, due to the voluminous archives discovered by Italian… …   Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia

  • Ebla — Ẹbla,   Ịbla, altorientalische Stadt in Nordsyrien, die u. a. in akkadischen Texten von etwa 2250 bis 1950 v. Chr. mehrmals erwähnt wird; im 2. Jahrtausend nehmen Erzählungen aus Hattusa Bezug auf Ebla. Die Stadt wird seit 1964 von… …   Universal-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”