Hama

A city in central Syria on the Orontes River that was an important prehistoric settlement, which became the kingdom of Hamath under the Aramaeans in the 11th century BC. It fell under Assyrian control in the 9th century BC, later passing under Persian, Macedonian, and Seleucid rule. A Neolithic occupation comparable to that of Mersin was succeeded by a village with Halaf pottery. Later levels continue through to the Iron Age, when it was an inland site of the Phoenicians. During the 2nd millennium BC, Hama was a large town, but it does not appear in ancient documents until c 1000 BC, when it became capital of an Aramaean kingdom. Excavations revealed a fine palace of this period, with evidence of ivory carving. The Arabs took the city in the 7th century AD.

[Hamath]. A tell site on the River Orontes in Syria which has produced evidence of occupation from the Early Neolithic to c700 BC (and, after rebuilding c200 bc, later occupation in the Greek, Roman and Islamic periods). During the 2nd millennium bc Hama was a large town, but it does not appear in ancient documents until cl000 bc, when it became capital of an Aramaean kingdom. Danish excavations in the 1930s revealed a fíne palace of this period, with evidence of ivory carving. The palace ground floor was used for storage while upper floor rooms were used as living-quarters, decorated with red, white and blue plaster with gold leaf ornament. Across the central court was a temple dedicated to the moon god Sin. The city was destroyed by the Assyrians c720 bc.