Tell-Ashtara

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Tell-Ashtara, or Tell-'Ashtara, also Aštartu, was a site south of Damascus mentioned in the Amarna letters correspondence of 1350 BC. In the Amarna letters the city is named: Aštartu, and is the Biblical 'Ashtarot'.

Aštartu is only referenced in two letters of the 382 letter corpus, in letters EA 256, and EA 197: (titled: "Biryawaza's plight"), -(EA is for 'el Amarna'). Biryawaza was the mayor of Damascus-called Dimasqu.

EA 256 is a story concerning Mutbaal, the son of Labaya, and the Habiru, and concerns the whereabouts of Ayyab, who may be in Pihilu, modern day Pella, Jordan, and is a letter of intrique, titled: "Oaths and denials", and lists 7 cities located in the Golan area. Ayyab is the king of Aštartu and does author one letter to the Egyptian pharaoh, letter EA 364.

[edit] See also

• Ayyab, major of Aštartu
• Shutu, (for the name "Ayyab"}
• Aram Damascus

[edit] References

• Moran, William L. The Amarna Letters. John Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)