kingdom · Anatolia and the Levant

Hamath

1100 BCE – 720 BCE (approx.) · capital Hamath

Hamath, a Syrian kingdom on the Orontes whose kings led resistance to Assyria at Qarqar and left both Luwian and Aramaic inscriptions.

Origins

Hamath, modern Hama, rose after the Late Bronze Age collapse as a kingdom on the middle Orontes. Its early rulers wrote in Luwian hieroglyphs; carved stones from the city, noticed by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812, were the first Hittite hieroglyphs known to modern scholars.

Rule and society

Under King Urhilina, Hamath joined Aram-Damascus and the Kingdom of Israel to fight Shalmaneser III at Qarqar in 853 BCE. Around 800 BCE the usurper Zakkur ruled Hamath and Lu'ash, and his Aramaic stele tells how the god Baalshamin saved him from a siege by a coalition led by Aram-Damascus.

Decline and legacy

Hamath became a tributary of the Assyrian Empire. In 720 BCE Yau-bidi led a revolt; Sargon II defeated him at Qarqar, flayed him, and annexed Hamath as a province, deporting many of its people.

Connections (3)

  • Hamath in personal union with Lu'ash800 BCE – 720 BCE
  • Lu'ash in personal union with Hamath800 BCE – 738 BCE
  • Hamath was conquered by Assyrian Empire720 BCE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻