Battle of Qarqar
Qarqur
What happened
King Shalmaneser III of Assyria faced an alliance of kings led by Hadadezer of Damascus, together with Irhuleni of Hamath and Ahab of Israel. Shalmaneser marched west from Nineveh, crossing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Near the town of Qarqar on the Orontes River, he met the army of the allied kings. He carved a victory claim in stone, but the alliance held together and he had to come back to fight them again.
Why it matters
Result: Inconclusive Assyrian tactical victory in battle Assyrian advance temporarily halted, strategic defeat. Leaders: Shalmaneser III against Irhuleni of Hama / Ahab of Israel. Why it matters: More soldiers took part than in any earlier recorded battle. It is also the first time some peoples, including the Arabs, appear in written history.
What came next
Shalmaneser returned to Syria several times over the next decade before the alliance broke apart. Assyrian power in Syria then lasted for about two centuries.
Did you know?
The stone that records the battle, the Kurkh Stela, is full of spelling mistakes, which suggests it was carved in a hurry.
Timeline
- Spring 853 BCEShalmaneser III leaves Nineveh on his yearly campaign.
- 853 BCEThe Assyrian and allied armies meet at Qarqar.
- 849-845 BCEShalmaneser fights the alliance again in several more campaigns.
- 841 BCEShalmaneser receives tribute from Tyre, Sidon and Israel after the alliance has broken up.