ARVAD
/ ARWAD
Founded
by Amorite settlers at the start of the second millennium BC, Arvad
was also populated by Canaanites, and later became a Phoenician
kingdom. Known as Arado or Arados to the Greeks, and by many variations
thereafter, the fishing town of Arvad fills the only island belonging
to modern Syria. It is located three kilometres from Tartus and
is approximately 700 metres long. Limited resources meant it was
always dependent on the mainland for its survival, but the island
was also important as a base for commercial ventures into the Orontes
valley. For much of the time, the small city of Amrit
fell under Arvad's control, as apparently did a number of regional
cities in northern Canaan.
c.1600
BC :
Settlers from Arvad found the city of Amrit, which remains under
Arvad's authority.
1472
BC :
Thotmes of Egypt takes Arvad in his campaign in northern Syria.
1453
BC :
The Egyptians conquer the Levant and Syria and establish three provinces
in their conquered territories which are named Amurru
(in southern Syria), Upe (in the northern Levant), and Canaan (in
the southern Levant). Each one is governed by an Egyptian official.
Native dynasts are allowed to continue their rule over the small
states, but have to provide annual tribute.
c.1200
BC :
There is general collapse in the region as instability grips the
Mediterranean coast and the Hittite empire is destroyed by the Sea
Peoples and other various groups. Unlike Byblos, Sidon, and
Tyre, Arvad is sacked,
but the city manages to drive back the invaders and stage a recovery.
Phoenician
Arvad :
Descended from the Canaanites who formerly inhabited the entire
Levant region, most of these later Canaanites occupied the long
coastal strip which forms modern Lebanon. Possibly just a typical
Phoenician kingdom, Arvad is thought by some scholars to be the
world's first republic, in which its citizens formed the government.
Whether they did or not, there are extremely few kings known for
this period, and the names of the few that are known only survive
through their interaction with the Assyrians.
(Additional information from The Histories, Herodotus (Penguin,
1996), and from External Link: The Role of the Phoenician
Kings at the Battle of Salamis (480 BC), Josette Elayi (Journal
of the American Oriental Society Vol 126, No 3 (Jul-Sep 2006),
pp 411-418, available via JSTOR), and An Updated Chronology of
the Reigns of Phoenician Kings during the Persian Period (539-333
BC), Josette Elayi (Trans 32, 2007, available in English at
DigitOrient).)
c.1050
BC :
A weakened Egypt loses its remaining imperial possessions in Canaan.
876
BC :
Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria makes Arvad tributary during his conquest
of Syria, but the city soon rebels.
fl
853 BC :
Matinu-ba'al
/ Mattan Baal
853
BC :
Matinu-ba'al
is a member of an alliance of states which also includes Ammon,
Byblos, Damas, Edom,
Egypt, Hamath, Kedar, and Samaria.
Together they fight Shalmaneser III of Assyria at the Battle of
Qarqar which consists of the largest known number of combatants
in a single battle to date, and is the first historical mention
of the Arabs from the southern deserts. Despite claims to the contrary,
the Assyrians are defeated, since they do not press on to their
nearest target, Hamath, and do not resume their attacks on Hamath
and Damas for about six years.
![Map of Canaan and Syria c.850 BC](Map850BC_full.jpg)
When
the Neo-Assyrian empire threatened the various city states of southern
Syria and Canaan around 853 BC, they united to protect their joint
territory - successfully it seems, at least for a time
fl
701 BC :
Abd-ilihit
/ Abdilihit : Became
a vassal of Assyria.
701
BC :
Assyria conquers all of Phoenicia. Abd-ilihit is forced to pay tribute
to his new masters.
fl
664 BC :
Yakinlu
: Vassal
of Assyria.
c.664
BC :
Yakinlu is compelled by Ashurbanipal of Assyria to submit and send
one of his daughters to become a member of the royal harem, along
with a large amount of tribute in the form of a dowry.
fl
650s? BC :
Azibaal
/ Ozbaal (I) : Vassal
of Assyria under Ashurbanipal.
612
- 573 BC :
The Phoenician cities appear to regain their freedom after the destruction
of the Assyrian empire.
573
- 539 BC :
Babylonia conquers all of Phoenicia, including Arvad.
539
BC :
Arvad and all of Phoenicia is submerged within the Persian empire.
Arvad is one of four 'kingdoms' created by the Persians in Phoenicia,
and is ruled by governors in the name of the king.
Persian
& Greek Vassal Kings of Arvad / Arados :
Like the other Phoenician cities, at its height Arvad (or Arwad)
controlled a number of smaller cities. Unlike Sidon and Tyre, though,
these were principally located in Phoenicia itself, such as those
of Amrit and Sarepta. In fact, its position as the northernmost
of the four greatest Phoenician cities meant that its focus was
always a little different, more trading and interacting with northern
Syria than establishing Mediterranean colonies. Known as Arado or
Arados to the Greeks, and by many variations thereafter,
the fishing town of Arvad fills the only island belonging to modern
Syria. It is located three kilometres from Tartus and is approximately
seven hundred metres long. Limited resources meant that it has always
been dependent upon the mainland for its survival, but the island
was also important as a base for commercial ventures into the Orontes
valley.
Independence ended in 701 BC, following Assyria's invasion and conquest
of the Levant in 738 BC. Local arrangements for governance were
generally allowed to continue, however, setting a pattern for subsequent
domination by Babylonia, Achaemenid Persia, and the Greek empire
of Alexander the Great. One of the main reasons for this, especially
under the Persians, was that it was the Phoenicians who made up
much of the empire's naval forces, both building and manning the
ships.
As part of the Achaemenid empire Arvad was one of the four Phoenician
vassal 'kingdoms' to be established and controlled by sub-kings
in the name of the Persian king (the others being Byblos, Sidon,
and Tyre). Overall, Achaemenid-era Phoenicia formed part of a large
satrapy which was commanded from Babirush (Babylon) and which included
Ebir-nāri (Syria). Later Achaemenid Syria and Phoenicia seem
to have been established as a single satrapy in their own right,
away from oversight by Babylon. Ebir-nāri dominated this arrangement,
with a capital that was probably at Damascus or Sidon. Unfortunately,
the task of establishing a chronology for the kings of Arvad during
the Persian and Greek periods is even more difficult than it is
for the similarly-vague Byblos.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from
The Persian Empire, J M Cook (1983), from The Histories,
Herodotus (Penguin, 1996), from The Cambridge Ancient History,
John Boardman, N G L Hammond, D M Lewis, & M Ostwald (Eds),
from Alexander the Great, Krzysztof Nawotka (Cambridge Scholars
Publishing, 2009), from Jewish Antiquities, Flavius Josephus,
from Alexander the Great, I Worthington (Routledge, 2004),
and from External Links: Encyclopędia Britannica, and the
Nabonidus Chronicle, contained within Assyrian and Babylonian
Chronicles, A K Grayson (Translation, 1975 & 2000, and now
available via Livius in an improved version), and Encyclopaedia
Iranica, and Ancient History Encyclopaedia, and The Role of the
Phoenician Kings at the Battle of Salamis (480 BC), Josette
Elayi (Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol 126,
No 3 (Jul-Sep 2006), pp 411-418, available via JSTOR), and An
Updated Chronology of the Reigns of Phoenician Kings during the
Persian Period (539-333 BC), Josette Elayi (Trans 32, 2007,
available in English at DigitOrient).)
539
BC :
Arvad and all of Phoenicia is submerged within the Persian empire.
Arvad is one of four 'kingdoms' created by the Persians in Phoenicia,
and is ruled by governors (in the form of a retained native monarchy
for which documentation is sadly lacking) in the name of the Persian
king.
![Cyrus the Great](Persia_CyrusGreat_01_full.jpg)
Cyrus
the Great freed the Indo-Iranian Parsua people from Median domination
to establish a nation that is recognisable to this day, and an empire
that provided the basis for the vast territories that were later
ruled by Alexander the Great
fl
500? BC :
Ozbaal?
/ Agbalos (II) : Ruled?
Vassal of Persia.
fl
480 BC :
Maharbaal
/ Merbalos : Son.
Vassal of Persia.
480
BC :
Invading
Greece in 480 BC, the Persians subdue the Macedonians and the Thracian
tribes (except for the Satrai, precursors to the Bessoi). Then the
vast army of Xerxes makes its way southwards and is swiftly engaged
by Athens and Sparta in the Vale of Tempe. The Persian army is held
up long enough for the Athenians to prepare their navy for a seaborne
engagement with the Persian fleet.
Athens, as the leader of the coalition of city states known as the
Delian League, fights the Persian navy at the battles of Artemisium
and Salamis, the latter being a resounding Greek victory. Tetramnestus,
son of Anysos of Sidon, is present - along with Anysos himself,
and other leading Phoenicians such as Mattan of Tyre and Maharbaal
of Arvad (Merbalos is the Greek form of his name) - but the battle
leaves much of the Persian navy destroyed and Xerxes is forced to
retreat to Asia, leaving his army in Greece under Mardonius to face
defeat in 479 BC.
c.425 BC :
Arvad is a little late in starting to mint its own coinage, copying
the other three cities of Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre about a generation
later than their start date of circa 450 BC. Most Arvadian
coins bear the same two letters: 'M' and ☽, when they do not
fall off the flan. In some series they are separated by the head
of the deity, which can be understood if they represent the abbreviations
of two words. Several interpretations have been proposed concerning
these two letters, but no consensus has been reached. Perhaps the
most logical theory is that it simply says 'king of Arvad', without
naming individual kings.
![Arvad coin of the late fifth century BC](Arvad_Coin01_full.jpg)
Two
sides of an Arvad coin are shown here, dated to between about 420-400
BC which would mark it as being amongst the earliest of the city's
issues, complete with two identifying letters on the reverse instead
of the three of the fourth century BC
The series of coins that is produced between about 400 BC to 333
BC carries a third letter after the other two, with these being
proposed as being the initial of the reigning king (alternatives
are available such as governors or magistrates, but kings seem most
likely seeing as they are certainly in place before and after this
phase). The letters are shown below, in no particular order, along
with reasonable suggestions of a complete name. An average reign
of seven or eight years could be allotted to each king, but of course
some reigns would be longer and some shorter.
☽-
: Coin
inscription.
Y-
: Coin
inscription.
K-
: Coin
inscription.
M-
: Coin
inscription.
N-
: Coin
inscription.
c.400
BC :
S-
: Coin
inscription.
☾-
/ Abdashtart? : Coin
inscription.
fl
343/342 BC :
P-?
: Coin
inscription.
339
- 331? BC :
Gerashtart
/ Gerostratos : Vassal
of Persia. Reigned 7 years to 331 BC.
334 - 332 BC :
In 334 BC Alexander of Macedon launches his campaign into the Persian
empire by crossing the Dardanelles. Much of Anatolia falls by 333
BC and Alexander proceeds into Syria during 333-332 BC to receive
the submission of Ebir-nāri, which also gains him Harran, Judah,
and Phoenicia (principally Byblos and Sidon, with Tyre holding out
until it can be taken by force).
![Alexander the Great crosses the River Graneikos](Macedonia_Alexander03_full.jpg)
Alexander
the Great crossed the River Graneikos (or Granicus) in 334 BC to
spark a direct face-off with the Persians that had been brewing
for generations, and his victory in battle near the river sent shockwaves
through the Persian empire
Gerostratos of Arvad (or Arados to the Greeks) is only too ready
to ally himself to Alexander the Great, even supplying ships to
aid in the conquering of Tyre. His son, Strato, personally welcomes
Alexander, but it is unknown whether he reigns now, later, or at
all, and whether Gerashtart remains on the throne.
?
BC :
Abdashtart
/ Strato / Straton : Son.
Reigned?
329? BC :
The cities of Arados, Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre are incorporated into
the satrapy of Syria within the Greek empire. The satrap in Syria
is probably Menes (probably the son of Dionysius who had been raised
to the circle of Alexander's 'Bodyguards' in 333 BC - a major distinction
which would mark him out as a commanding figure), although his role
has been called into question by some scholars.
323
- 320 BC :
Immediately following Alexander's untimely death, Syria and Phoenicia
are assigned to Laomedon. He is confirmed in his position during
the second partition of Alexander's empire in 321 BC in the middle
of the First War of the Diadochi, while Cilicia has been
separated as a satrapy in its own right. But Ptolemy of Egypt soon
begins taking an interest, offering him a large bribe to hand over
his satrapy. When Laomedon declines his offer, Ptolemy sends an
army under the command of Nicanor to take it by force by 318 BC.
Laomedon
has little with which to resist so he is taken prisoner, escapes,
and seemingly joins the general opposition to the Antigonids. His
final fate is unknown while Antigonus governs Syria (and Phoenicia)
during the period of the remaining Wars of the Diadochi.
313
- 301 BC :
The domination of Syria and Phoenicia by Ptolemy of Egypt briefly
comes to an end in 313 BC when he joins the widespread opposition
to the Antigonids. In 312 BC Seleucus Nicator defeats Demetrius,
son of Antigonus, at the Battle of Gaza which briefly allows Ptolemy
to reoccupy Coele Syria. Following a reversal in battle fortunes
he pulls out again as Antigonus invades Syria in strength to occupy
it.
![Battle of Ipsus](Macedonia_Ipsus01_full.jpg)
The
Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC ended the drawn-out and destructive Wars
of the Diadochi which decided how Alexander's empire would be divided
301
- 63 BC :
Much of Syria and Phoenicia are gained by the Hellenic Seleucid
empire following the decisive Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, although
Seleucus allows Ptolemy to retain Coele Syria. Seleucus had already
declared himself king of Syria and Babylonia in 305 BC, immediately
founding the city of Seleucia in Mesopotamia by massively rebuilding
and expanding an existing settlement.
Arvad
is later renamed Antiochia in Pieria by Seleucid king, Antiochus
I Soter. Over the years, the Seleucids go to war against Ptolemaic
Egypt over the rest of Syria, with full possession finally being
gained at the end of the Fifth Syrian War in 195 BC. With
the final fall of the Seleucids in 63 BC, Phoenicia is taken by
Rome.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsMiddEast/
CanaanArvad.htm#Persians