Tell Afis
Their excavations have revealed Iron Age (first millennium) occupation levels, including what appears to be a prison area on the acropolis.
The site is significant for the discovery in 1903 of an early 8th century BC basalt victory stela, written in Aramaic known as the ‘Zakkur Stela’, after king Zakkur of Hamath who dedicated it.
It is significant not only for its links with the biblical accounts of the Syrian city states and the advance of the Assyrians, but for our understanding of some religious rituals of the region.
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View of Tell Afis, with the modern town hugging the slopes of the tell (R. Aspden, 2001) |
| Excavations by an Italian team connected with the University of Rome’s archaeological work at Ebla have revealed Early bronze, Late Bronze, and Iron Age occupation at this site, with the most extensive development in the latter phases, when the site appears to have grown in importance. | |
