352 angelika berlejung
aram-damascus was a permanent opponent of “israelite” claims, with
both sides alternatively claiming or actually holding Galilee and the Jezreel
Valley.55 Omri (882/878–871/870 B.C.), the founder of the first dynasty of
the northern kingdom and the real “father” of that political entity, and his
son ahab (871/0–852/1 B.C.) managed to include the Jesreel Valley and
the southern parts of Galilee into their political entity, but the northern
parts were and remained aramaean. the assyrian western expansion
forged the western political entities into some solidarity. in 853 B.C.,
shalmaneser iii marched against the towns of Giammu in the land of the
Baliḫ river and then turned south via aleppo (halman) in order to attack
the kingdom of hamath.56 however, he was stopped at Qarqar on the
Orontes by an alliance led by the symbolic number of twelve kings (i.e.;
hadad-idri/hadad-ezer i, king of damascus; irḫuleni, king of hamath;
ahab, king of israel; contingents of Byblos, egypt, irqanat, and usanat;
mattin-Baʿal of arwad; adon-Baʿal of shianu; Ba ʾasa, son of ruhub/rehov57
of the mountain amana;58 and camels of the arab Gindibu). this anti-
assyrian alliance appears to have broken up around 843/2 B.C. because of
the death of hadad-idri/ezer i, its main protagonist; the usurpation of the
throne of aram-damascus by hazael (842 B.C.); and the end of the peace-
ful relationships between aram-damascus and israel.59 hazael appears to
have waged a war against the chief-/kingdom of israel in 842/1 B.C., which
was assisted by Judah. according to the readable part of the tel dan stele60
hazael won a battle killing the Omride Joram, and ahaziah, kings of israel
and Judah. as a consequence of these events, the Omride dynasty in israel
was eliminated and Jehu, son of Nimsi, seized (841 B.C.) the throne of
israel. hazael had to face shalmaneser iii alone when he marched against
damascus, the hauran, as far as the mountain cape Baʿalira’asi (841 B.C.),
55 Concerning the history of aram-damascus, see lipiński 2000a: 347–407 and dion
1997: 177–221. referring to the 9th century, see hafÞórsson 2006: 181f, 247–251. for the
assyrian attestation of aram-damascus = ša imerišu = Bit hazael, see Bagg 2007: 49,
60–62, 238f.
56 rima 3, a.0.102.2 ii 78–ii 102 par. for a summary, see hafÞórsson 2006: 82–90. for
the history of hamath, see dion 1997: 137–170 and lipiński 2000a: 249–318.
57 this could refer to Bit rehov; see the discussion in Weippert 2010: 258 n. 52.
Consider also notes 15 and 29.
58 see notes 15 and 29. for the discussion about the identification of kur a-ma-na-a-a,
see Na ʾaman 1995: 385–387 and hafÞórsson 2006: 87–89.
59 see lipiński 2000a: 373–391; id. 2006: 216f (dated 843); dion 1997: 191–197.
60 see n. 25. summarizing the main topics and problems of the stele: hafÞórsson 2006:
49–65. see further and clarifying Na ʾaman 2006.