Ebla, Syria
 |
|
Click
on Image for Larger Version |
|
This hill is 40 km south of Aleppo. It is the site of
important and recent archaeological discoveries. Excavations in the Tel
(hill in Arabic) have revealed a very old civilization considered to be
the oldest in Syria, that of Ebla, which flourished in the 3rd and 2nd
millenniums BC.
In 1955 the discovery of a basalt altar, now on show in
the Aleppo Museum, revealed the importance of Ebla. Subsequent archaeological
expeditions uncovered a city surrounded by a circular inner wall with
four great gates and outer fortifications containing towers.
 |
| Click
on Image for Larger Version |
|
The main streets extended from city walls to converge
at the royal palace of King Aghrish. Clay tablets found in the palace
have led archaeologists to conclude that Ebla was destroyed about 2250
BC.
In the palace of this great kingdom; Ebla's real treasure;
a library of the Royal Archives containing more than 17,000 clay tablets
was uncovered. These tablets; recording an important period in Syria history;
are the earliest written documents in Syria, among these was the world's
earliest bilingual dictionary. |
