kingdom · Anatolia and the Levant

Hassum

1800 BCE – 1630 BCE (approx.) · capital Hassum

Hassum, a wealthy kingdom west of the upper Euphrates, ally of Aleppo, whose gods were carried off to Hattusa by the Hittite king Hattusili I.

Origins

Hashshum lay in the borderlands of northern Syria and south-eastern Anatolia, west of the Euphrates. It is mentioned in the Old Assyrian trade letters and the Mari archives as a kingdom on the caravan routes, closely tied to Yamhad.

Rule and society

Little is known of its internal government. The texts show it as a prosperous city with temples of the storm god and his consort Hebat, reflecting the Hurrian and Syrian culture of the region.

Decline and legacy

In the 17th century BCE Hattusili I of the Hittite Empire defeated the armies of Hassum and Aleppo, sacked the city and carried its divine statues, wagons and treasures to the temple of the sun goddess of Arinna.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (2)

More states of Anatolia and the Levant →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻