- Aleppo
- Ebla (Tel Mardikh)
- Ugarit (Ras Shamra)
- Tadmur/Palmyra
- Dura Europus
- Damascus
Syria can boast some of the oldest cities in the Middle East, including Damascus, already a thriving city in the time of Abraham (ca. 1800 BCE). Ebla and Ugarit were city-states with international relations long before Abraham’s time.
Tragically, the war in Syria has taken a toll on ancient, archaeological findings, due in part to bombings, but also to intentional pillaging and even willful destruction of artifacts.
Want to dive deeper?
- Trevor Bryce – Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand Year History (New York: Oxford University, 2014).
- Marie-Henriette Gates – “From Ebla to Damascus: The Archaeology of Ancient Syria,” (Biblical Archaeology Review 12, 3 [May/June 1986]).
- James Harkin – “The Race to Save Syria’s Archaeological Treasures,” (Smithsonian Magazine [March 2016]).
- Deborah Amos and Alison Meuse – “In Syria, Archaeologsits Risk Their Lives to Protect Ancient Heritage,” (National Public Radio [3/9/2015])