354 angelika berlejung
on the power or weakness of the actual Neo-assyrian king. Only when
aram-damascus itself came under increasing pressure from assyria did it
become possible for the samarian kingdom to move out from its heart-
land in the mountains and to expand once again. this was the case during
adad-nirari iii’s (809–781 B.C.) western campaigns in the years 805–80266
(mainly against arpad) and 796 (against manṣuate).67 adad-nirari iii
received tribute in damascus from “the lord” (ma-ri-iʾ), king of aram,
(80368 or 79669 B.C., maybe already Bar/Ben-hadad ii, son of hazael), and
from Joash from israel, edom, philistia, and further from the city-states of
tyre and sidon.70 according to e. lipiński, adad-nirari iii received tribute
from Joash after having rescued samaria (803 B.C.), which was besieged
by the aramaeans (Bar/Ben-hadad ii).71 according to d. kahn, tyre,
sidon, samaria, edom, and philistia had to pay tribute to assyria, although
they were not conquered, because they had been under the rule of aram-
damascus before; after the defeat of “the lord” of aram, they had to fol-
low their overlord and submit to assyria.72 all this is far from being
proved. the sources only attest the fact of the tribute payment, but—
apart from the assyrian supremacy—not its specific reasons. after these
years assyria had to focus its energy against other areas, which brought a
short respite to syria. this was apparently used by Bar/Ben-hadad ii of
aram-damascus to attack israel again (perhaps already 802 B.C.
[2 kgs 13: 3.7.25; 2 kgs 14: 25f; perhaps anachronistic: 1 kgs 20: 26]).
however, the aramaeans were pushed back by Joash (800–785 B.C.) and
his son Jeroboam ii (785–745 B.C.), who were able to recover portions of
the northern territories73 that had been lost to the aramaeans. the bound-
ary between “israel” and aram-damascus may have lain for a time near
kinneret, for there, with kinneret iii around 800 B.C., a fortress was built
on the northern hill, though a new city, kinneret ii was founded only in
the course of the 8th century B.C. perhaps the israelite king Joash (2 kgs
13: 25) or his son founded a border fortress town there. Joash or Jeroboam ii
are also the israelite kings who could have built dan iii/ii (see above; see
66 lipiński 2000a: 214f and id. 2006: 219f.
67 the location is under discussion, as to whether it is southern syria or southern Beqaʿ;
it is, in any case, a part of aram-damascus, see Weippert 2010: 273 n. 15.
68 according to lipiński 2000a: 393 and id. 2006: 219.
69 according to Weippert 2010: 273–275.
70 rima 3, a.0.104.8:15–21; rima 3, a.0.104.7:4–12; rima 3, a.0.104.6:11–20.
71 lipiński 2000a: 395 and id. 2006: 219.
72 kahn 2007: 82.
73 dion 1997: 207–214; lipiński 2000a: 401, 403f; id. 2006: 220.