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History
Carchemish is mentioned in the Ebla texts at the end of the Early Bronze
Age, and in the letters from Mari in the Middle Bronze II, when it was a
dependency of the kingdom of Yamhad (Aleppo). In the 14th century BC, the
Hittite king Suppiluliuma I conquered Mitanni and appointed one of his sons
as viceroy at Carchemish and another son as ruler in Aleppo. After the fall
of the Hittite empire, the Hittite dynastic line continued at Carchemish
for several generations into the Neo-Hittite period. It has produced the
largest number of Neo-Hittite sculptures and Hieroglyphic Luwian
inscriptions from any single site. |
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Battle of Carchemish
Carchemish is mentioned in the western campaigns of several Assyrian kings.
In 717 BC, Sargon II made Carchemish an Assyrian province and appointed a
governor. After the fall of Nineveh, the Assyrian kings removed to Haran,
and then to Carchemish. In 605 BC, Pharaoh Necho II and the Egyptian army
came to Assyria’s aid and faced Nebuchadnezzar II in battle at Carchemish
(Jer. 46:2). In a pro-Babylonian move, King Josiah attempted to prevent the
Egyptian advance at Megiddo, but he was fatally wounded (2 Chr. 35:20-25). |
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Berlin-Baghdad Railway Bridge
The Berlin-Baghdad railway was constructed in 1903-1940. In 1910-1911,
German engineers constructed a bridge for the rail line over the Euphrates
River at Carchemish. The bridge now lies on the border between Turkey and
Syria and is no longer in use. Its location provides a modern confirmation
of Carchemish’s strategic geographic position. |
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