kingdom · Anatolia and the Levant

Bit Adini

1000 BCE – 856 BCE (approx.) · capital Til Barsip

Bit Adini, an Aramaean kingdom on the Euphrates bend whose fall in 856 BCE opened Syria to Assyrian armies.

Origins

After the Late Bronze Age collapse, Til Barsip at Tell Ahmar was the Luwian city of Masuwari. In the 10th century BCE Aramaean tribes took control, and the land on both banks of the Euphrates became Bit Adini, the House of Adini, controlling a key river crossing.

Rule and society

Bit Adini combined Aramaean tribal leadership with older Luwian urban traditions, and its rulers raised fortified towns. King Ahuni led resistance to Ashurnasirpal II and Shalmaneser III of the Assyrian Empire, forming alliances with Carchemish and other Syrian kingdoms.

Decline and legacy

Shalmaneser III captured Til Barsip in 856 BCE, renamed it Kar-Shalmaneser and made it an Assyrian base, with palaces decorated with wall paintings. Ahuni was deported to Assyria.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bit Adini. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bit-adini
MLA
“Bit Adini.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bit-adini. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bit Adini.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bit-adini.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bit Adini’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bit-adini (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻