Carchemish

Carchemish was an ancient city beside an important crossing point on the west bank of the upper Euphrates River. It was about 104.6 kilometers (65 miles) northeast of Aleppo. Today, part of the ruins lies in Turkey and part in Syria. The meaning of the name is uncertain. Discoveries at Ebla suggest that it may mean “city of Chemosh,” the name of a Moabite god.

A north–south trade route followed the Euphrates River through Carchemish. An east–west route also passed through the city, linking Nineveh with the Mediterranean Sea.

Pottery found at the site shows that people lived there in prehistoric times. The earliest known reference to Carchemish appears in the Ebla tablets, dating to about 2400 BC. Carchemish lies about is about 120.7 kilometers (75 miles) west of Haran. Abraham may have passed through the city on his journey to Canaan.

Early in its history, Carchemish was first allied with Mari and later with Aleppo. The Hittites captured the city in 1355 BC. It became the regional capital of eastern Hatti and adopted Hittite culture and language.

The Assyrians tried for several centuries to bring Carchemish into their empire. Sargon II finally conquered the city in 717 BC and made it an Assyrian stronghold in the northwest (Isaiah 10:9).

Archaeological excavations show that Carchemish included both Hittite and Assyrian styles of architecture. The city had a casemate wall, a double wall with spaces between its sections. It stood above sloping earthworks that made attacks more difficult.

A fortified citadel stood at the highest point of the city and had its own wall. The city also had a palace, a temple, and a large ceremonial staircase.

When the Neo-Babylonian kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar replaced the Assyrian Empire, Carchemish was the last major Assyrian city to fall, in 605 BC. Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt helped defend it (2 Chronicles 35:20; Jeremiah 46:2). After this, Carchemish became less important.