Emar

Emar is an ancient Bronze Age city on the middle Euphrates in what is now Aleppo Governorate, Syria, known for its archaeological remains and cuneiform texts. It played a regional role in commerce and ritual during the Late Bronze Age.

The tell preserves the remains of temples, streets and houses laid out in discrete quarters; excavation trenches expose wall foundations, floors and storage areas. Archaeological publications emphasise a substantial corpus of administrative and ritual texts that illuminate local practice and international contacts.

Emar flourished in the Late Bronze Age and is documented in archaeological layers dating mainly to the 14th-12th centuries BCE; it was a regional centre with temples and administrative institutions. The site was excavated in the 20th century, and finds include cuneiform tablets, household assemblages and temple remains.

Emar lies on the middle reaches of the Euphrates in eastern Aleppo Governorate, at the modern mound known as Tell Meskene, east of Aleppo and within the river corridor of northern Syria.

• Cuneiform archive: Excavations recovered a substantial archive of cuneiform texts in Akkadian and related local languages, dating mainly to the Late Bronze Age (14th-12th centuries BCE).

What to See#

• Temple precinct: A temple precinct with foundations, ritual installations and architectural remains that formed the religious centre of the city during the Late Bronze Age.
• Residential and archive zones: Residential and administrative quarters where archaeologists recovered household remains, streets and archive contexts containing cuneiform tablets.