society, institutions, law, and economy 69
two talents of purple wool from pattina annually.219 excavations on tell
mishrife (kingdom of hamath) demonstrated the importance of this
place for the textile industry under assyrian dominion. the region may,
however, have played a role in textile industry earlier. excavations have
brought to light many tools for the production of textiles: spindle whorls,
clay looms, spool weights, bone spatulas. tools for dying were also found
in large numbers.220 excavations in tell afis, hamath, Zincirli, and other
places discovered loom weights and other weaving tools.221
4.6 Mineral Resources and MetalworkingS. mazzoni noted that “metalwork emerges throughout the period (sc.
iron age ic), to become, in the following century, one of the major and
more innovative crafts of the region (sc. Syria).”222 in the tribute lists of
assurnasirpal ii copper223 and other metals such as iron and tin are docu-
mented. metalworking is known to have taken place in the mountains of
northern Syria. the mining of copper and other metals is accepted for the
regions adjacent to Bit Zamanni.224 Bit Zamanni was of great importance
for metalworking. e. Lipiński states that “Bēt-Zammāni may have been
a centre of anatolian iron industry.”225 the assyrians also received iron
from Laqe, Samʾal, Bit Ḫalupe, and aram-damascus.226 aside from iron,
bronze was still used for weapons227 and other utensils.228
219 dion 1997: 359 with n. 172.
220 morandi Bonacossi 2009: esp. p. 123 with figures 3a–e, which depict different
tools.
221 cecchini 2000.
222 mazzoni 2000a: 53.
223 the mining of copper in Syria is, at best, indirectly attested in epigraphic sources.
the tribute lists mention large numbers of bronze utensils. Lipiński 2000a: 535 hints at
rima 2, a.0.101.19, p. 211, lines 121–122; a.0.101.17, p. 252, iv 115–118; a.0.101.19, pp. 88–89,
261.
224 dion 1997: 353 and Lipiński 2000a: 535 hint at the important mines in the area of
modern diyarbekir.
225 Lipiński 2000a: 535. Similar dion 1997: 352f.
226 Lipiński 2000a: 535f; dion 1997: 349 hints at the contradictory references of 2000
and 5000 talents of iron that adad-nerari ii received from damascus.
227 dion 1997: 351.
228 the assyrian annals often mention bronze vessels as tribute. rima 2, a.0.101.19,
p. 211, ll. 121–122; a.0.101.17, p. 252, iv 115–118; a.0.101.19, pp. 88–89, 261. For the produc-
tion of bronze vessels and other bronze products and their stylistic classification, see the
contribution of d. Bonatz in this volume.