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ALALAKH

(Akk. alalaḫ)

Tell ʿAṭachana (ʿAṭšan), a mound in northwest Syria (in the modern Turkish province of Hatay) near the mouth of the Orontes River. It was first excavated in 1937 by British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley. Tablets discovered in the second season confirmed that the site was the ancient trading city of Alalakh, which flourished during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages (ca. 2400-1200 b.c.e.). Alalakh was at various times a vassal of Ebla, Ur III, Yamḫad, Mitanni, and Hatti. It was apparently destroyed by the Sea Peoples.

Seventeen levels of settlement were discovered during the eight seasons of excavation, with royal archives found in Levels IV and VII. The archives consisted of more than 500 clay tablets, mostly in Akkadian. The majority of the tablets were lists (e.g., censuses, inventories, rations), but contracts and deeds were also found. The texts portray a stratified society, with {Apiru included among the lower class. The large Hurrian sector of the population in stratum VII becomes the predominant group by stratum IV. In addition to the texts, a 104-line inscription on a statue of King Idrimi offers important historical information about the period.

Bibliography. D. J. Wiseman, The Alalakh Tablets (New York, 1953); C. L. Woolley, Alalakh: An Account at Tell Atchana in the Hatay, 1937-1949 (Oxford, 1955).

James R. Adair

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ALALAKH

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)