QATTARA
/ KARANA
Qattara
emerged as a small state in the northern Mesopotamian plain in the
nineteenth century BC. Its eponymous capital city is thought to
have been located at modern Tell Rimah (60km west of Mosul), but
there is a chance this site may have been Karana instead, as the
state incorporated both the cities of Qattara and Karana. Tell Rimah
has been occupied since prehistory, but to date its earliest levels
have not been searched, with the first excavation of the higher
layers only dating to 1964.
The
Amorite Numha population which controlled the city in the first
half of the second millennium BC seems to have been related to that
of Ekallatum to the south-east, while to the west they were neighboured
by the Yamutbal, and Ninevah was not far away to the north-east.
As was common with many of the small city states of northern Mesopotamia
in this period, the kings of Qattara maintained close ties with
Zimri-Lim of Mari, and the city was probably the fourth stage on
the trade route from Ashur to Kanesh.
c.1809
- 1776 BC :
Qattara
is conquered by Shamshi-Adad and is incorporated into the kingdom
of Upper Mesopotamia. Its ruler, Hatnu-rabi, is retained as a vassal
until the collapse of the kingdom and the re-establishment of much
of the previous order in northern Mesopotamia. Hatnu-rabi immediately
loses the city of Karana to Asqur-Addu.
fl
c.1780 BC :
Hatnu-rabi
/ Hadnu rabi : Vassal of Upper Mesopotamia. Later ally
of Zimri-Lim of Mari.
Upon the death of Hatnu-rabi, Asqur-Addu of Karana extends his control
to include Qattara, reuniting the kingdom. He hands over the day-to-day
control of Qattara to his own man, a military leader and soothsayer
by the name of Aqba-Hammu. This new governor is also given the hand
of Asqur-Addu's sister, Iltani, in marriage. At this time, the city
is protected by a bulwark of 600 metres in diameter. At the centre
of the enclosure is a sacred area which is the city's main temple,
and is probably dedicated to Ishtar. Its facade is decorated with
mud bricks which reproduce the appearance of palm tree trunks (as
at the temple of contemporary Apum).
![](Sumer_Tablet01_full.jpg)
Sumerian
script remained the Latin of ancient Mesopotamia long after the
fall of Sumerian civilisation itself. This tablet contains a record
of beer
Asqur-Addu
/ Ashkur-Addu : King of Karana.
Aqba-Hammu
: Governor and then king of Qattara.
Not
content with governing Qattara, Aqba-Hammu seizes the throne of
Karana, forcing the king to flee.
Iltani
: Wife. Sister of Asqur-Addu. Queen of Qattara & Karana.
Iltani
is referred to as queen of Qattara in an Old Babylonian letter (part
of the 'Iltana Archives') which is addressed to her, and mention
is made of the fact that she had previously lived in exile in Eshnunna.
c.1762
BC :
Qattara's
brief period of independence is ended when Hammurabi of Babylon
occupies northern Mesopotamia. Aqba-Hammu remains on the throne
for a time, a vassal to Hammurabi, but after the latter's death
in c.1750 BC, the region slowly declines. The city is apparently
never again worthy of note, and its history down to the mid-Assyrian
period is known only through archaeology.
c.1350
BC :
As
the power of Mitanni fails, Assyria gains control over the city.c.1200
BC
Assyria
loses its foothold in the region in the face of regional attacks,
particularly by Aramaeans. The city is abandoned at some point around
this time, probably due to those attacks.
8th
century BC :
The
city is partially re-occupied and is known as Zamahe within the
province of Rasapa during the Neo-Assyrian Period. It becomes an
important regional centre.
fl
c.800 BC :
Nergal-Eresh : Governor under Assyrian rule (Adad-Nirari
III).
c.600
BC :
Following
the collapse of the Assyrian empire, the city loses all importance
and is eventually abandoned.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsMiddEast/
MesopotamiaQattara.htm