The Kingdom of Khana or Kingdom of Hana (end of 18th century BC – middle of 17th century BC) was the Syrian Kingdom from Hana Land located in the middle Euphrates region north of Mari which included the ancient city of

Terqa Terqa is the name of an ancient city discovered at the site of Tell Ashara on the banks of the middle Euphrates in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, approximately from the modern border with Iraq and north of the ancient site of Mari, Syria. ...

. The kingdom emerged during the decline of the

First Babylonian Dynasty The Old Babylonian Empire, or First Babylonian Empire, is dated to BC – BC, and comes after the end of Sumer, Sumerian power with the destruction of the Third Dynasty of Ur, and the subsequent Isin-Larsa period. The chronology of the first dy ...

. A newer view is that only the initial six rulers lived during that time and after an interregnum, Khana re-emerged in the Middle Babylonian period under the last six kings. The Low Chronology dating scheme for Hana has gained much support. It was located in the middle

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

close to the junction of Khabur River. Its capital was the town of

Location

The kingdom of Hana was located on territories formerly ruled by the sovereigns of Mari. The rulers of Mari held the title "King of Mari,

Tuttul The Bronze Age town of Tuttul is identified with the archaeological site of Tell Bi'a in Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria. Tell Bi'a is located near the modern city of Raqqa and the confluence of the rivers Balikh and Euphrates. History During ...

and the land of Hana". Since Mari was abandoned after its destruction by

Hammurabi Hammurabi (Akkadian: ; ) was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from to BC. He was preceded by his father, Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to failing health. During his reign, he conquered Elam and the city-states ...

in c. 1759 BC (

middle chronology The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...

) and Tuttul certainly was not part of the territories of the new state, the location of Khana is identified with the territories around Mari. Its capital Terqa was located 45 km north of Mari below the junction of Khabur River, roughly at the site of the modern Syrian town of

Asharah Al-Asharah ( ar, ٱلْعَشَارَة, al-ʿAšārah, also spelled al-Ashareh or Esharah) is a town in eastern Syria, administratively part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, located along the Euphrates River, south of Deir ez-Zor. Nearby localit ...

History

An independent kingdom under the leadership of Mari, the kingdom fell to the

Old Babylonian Empire The Old Babylonian Empire, or First Babylonian Empire, is dated to BC – BC, and comes after the end of Sumerian power with the destruction of the Third Dynasty of Ur, and the subsequent Isin-Larsa period. The chronology of the first dynasty ...

when

destroyed Mari. During the reign of the Babylonian king Abieshu (c. 1711-1684 BC)

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...

lost its territories on the middle Euphrates where the kingdom of Hana was formed. Its capital Terqa was a former chief district town from the time of the last ruler of Mari,

Zimrilim __NOTOC__ Zimri-Lim (Akkadian: ''Zi-im-ri Li-im'') was king of Mari c. 1775–1761 BCE. Zimri-Lim was the son or grandson of Iakhdunlim, but was forced to flee to Yamhad when his father was assassinated by his own servants during a coup. He ha ...

(1775-1761 BC). No direct evidence is available on the relationship of the new state and its kings with the last Babylonian rulers from the First Dynasty. The kingdom was probably conquered around the middle of the 15th century BC by the Hurrian kingdom of

Mitanni Mitanni (; Hittite cuneiform ; ''Mittani'' '), c. 1550–1260 BC, earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, c. 1600 BC; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat (''Hanikalbat'', ''Khanigalbat'', cuneiform ') in Assyrian records, or ''Naharin'' in ...

The Hanaeans

The Hanaeans were a nomadic tribal confederacy based around the middle Euphrates on the Syrian-Iraqi border. The Hanaean people led a semi-nomadic life characterized by seasonal movement of the sheep herds, never too far from the rivers and watering places, returning to their settlements for the harvest season. Based on

onomastic Onomastics (or, in older texts, onomatology) is the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names. An ''orthonym'' is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onomastic study. Onomastics can be helpful in data mining, w ...

evidence they were related to the other West Semitic peoples known as the

Amorites The Amorites (; sux, 𒈥𒌅, MAR.TU; Akkadian language, Akkadian: 𒀀𒈬𒊒𒌝 or 𒋾𒀉𒉡𒌝/𒊎 ; he, אֱמוֹרִי, 'Ĕmōrī; grc, Ἀμορραῖοι) were an ancient Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic-speaking people ...

, such as the Benjaminites, Rabbians and

Habiru Habiru (sometimes written as Hapiru, and more accurately as ʿApiru, meaning "dusty, dirty"; Sumerian: 𒊓𒄤, ''sagaz''; Akkadian: 𒄩𒁉𒊒, ''ḫabiru'' or ''ʿaperu'') is a term used in 2nd-millennium BCE texts throughout the Fertile C ...

, originally coming from the deserts of Syria. The contact with the settled population leads to gradual transformation of the population into more settled rural communities. The history of the Hanaeans is closely linked to the kingdom of Mari. They were strongly presented in the Euphrates and Khabur valleys. Records indicate that the area around Terqa could muster several thousand in times of need. The Hanaeans were widely used as soldiers by the rulers of Mari after their subduing by king

Iakhdunlim Yahdunlim (or ''Yakhdunlim, Yahdun-Lim'') was the king of Mari probably in 1820—1796 BC. He was of Amorite origin, and became king after the death of his father Iagitlim. Yahdunlim built Mari up to become one of the major powers of the region. ...

. Within the armed forces of Mari they were grouped by clans of which about ten are known.

The Kassite domination

There is some evidence about a link between the kingdom of Hana and the

Kassites The Kassites () were people of the ancient Near East, who controlled Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire c. 1531 BC and until c. 1155 BC (short chronology). They gained control of Babylonia after the Hittite sack of Babylon ...

who came to dominate Babylonia in the following centuries. From the preserved list of rulers of Khana the name of one king, Khashtiliash, notably suggests a Kassite origin. There is also a Kassite element in the name of a canal dug by one of the other rulers. One dedicatory inscription preserved in later copies records the return of

Marduk Marduk (Cuneiform: dAMAR.UTU; Sumerian: ''amar utu.k'' "calf of the sun; solar calf"; ) was a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of ...

’s statue from Hana by

Agum II Agum IIInscribed ''a-gu-um-ka-ak-ri-me'' in his eponymous inscription, elsewhere unattested. (also known as Agum Kakrime) was ''possibly'' a Kassite ruler who may have become the 8th or more likely the 9th king of the third Babylonian dynasty som ...

(Agum-Kakrime),Bromiley, Geoffrey W. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1986. a later Kassite king, most probably the first to rule over most of Babylonia (c.1570 BC). The part of the inscription that mentions Hana reads: : I sent to the distant land, to the land of the Haneans and they conducted Marduk and Sarpanitu back to me. I returned Marduk and Sarpanitu, the ones who love my reign, to the Esagil and Babylon. I returned them to the temple that Shamash had confirmed to me in my investigation.Longman, Tremper. Fictional Akkadian Autobiography: A Generic and Comparative Study, 1991, p. 222. Even if the text does not convey clearly the relationship between the Kassite Agum II and "the Haneans" at that point, it nevertheless links Hana with the sack of Babylonia by the Hittite king

Mursili I Mursili I (also known as Mursilis; sometimes transcribed as Murshili) was a king of the Hittites 1620-1590 BC, as per the middle chronology, the most accepted chronology in our times, (or alternatively c. 1556–1526 BC, short chronology), and w ...

in c.1595 BC and the subsequent takeover by the Kassite dynasty in Babylonia. It is possible that after the initial clashes with Babylon's

Samsuiluna Samsu-iluna (Amorite: ''Shamshu''; c. 1750–1712 BC) was the seventh king of the founding Amorite dynasty of Babylon, ruling from 1750 BC to 1712 BC (middle chronology), or from 1686 to 1648 BC (short chronology). He was the son and successor of ...

, the Kassites, originally coming from the Zagros Mountains, withdrew north occupying and imposing control over middle Euphrates including the lands of Khana. It is also reasonable to assume some sort of cooperation between the Hittite and Khana as the invading armies of Murshilish I must have passed through its territories. Such alliance may have facilitated the seizing of power in Babylon by the Kassites some years after the Hittite retreat.Saggs, H. W. F. Babylonians, 2000.

References

{{Reflist States and territories established in the 18th century BC Ancient Mesopotamia Bronze Age Asia Semitic-speaking peoples Ancient peoples