Tell Ashtara
| تل عشترة | |
 .svg.png){kind=icon} Shown within Syria | |
| Alternative name | Aštartu, Ashtaroth |
|---|---|
| Location | 4 km (2.5 mi) from Al-Shaykh Saad, Syria |
| Region | Bashan (modern Hauran) |
| Coordinates | 32°49′N 36°01′E / 32.81°N 36.02°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Area | 7 ha (17 acres) |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1966-1967 |
| Archaeologists | Ali Abu Assaf |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Management | Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums |
| Public access | Yes |
Tell Ashtara (Arabic: تل عشترة) is an archaeological mound south of Damascus. The Bronze Age city that once stood here was mentioned in the Amarna letters correspondence of 1350 BC as Aštartu, and is usually identified with the Biblical city of Ashtaroth.
Aštartu in the Amarna letters
Aštartu is only referenced in two of the 382-letter Amarna corpus, in letters EA 256 and EA 197 (EA stands for 'el-Amarna').
EA 197 is catalogued as "Biryawaza's plight". Biryawaza was the mayor of Damascus, called Dimasqu in the letters' Akkadian.
EA 256 is a story concerning Mutbaal, the son of Labaya, and the Habiru, in regard to the whereabouts of Ayyab, who may be in Pihilu, modern day Pella, Jordan, and is a letter of intrigue, catalogued as "Oaths and denials", and lists 7 cities located in the Golan area.
Ayyab was the king of Aštartu. He authored of one surviving letter to the Egyptian pharaoh, listed as EA 364.
See also
- Ashteroth Karnaim, initially simply Karnaim, a Biblical city who annexed the name of its neighbour, the city of Ashteroth
- Ayyab, major of Aštartu
- Shutu (for the name "Ayyab")
- Aram Damascus
References
- Moran, William L. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)