Assyria
 Assyrians at Tell Sabi Abyad
The kingdom of Hanigalbat was in the steppes of northeastern Syria. For centuries the kings of Hanigalbat played off the superpowers in the region against each other: the Hittites in the northwest and the Assyrians in the east. But around 1250 BC the Assyrian king Salmanassar I decided to annex Hanigalbat to the Assyrian kingdom. He and his successors turned the Syrian steppe into an important part of the Assyrian state.
 The Euphrates had now become the official western frontier of the state, but the real border with the fortresses lay about 100 kilometres to the east, on the Balikh river. In this tumultuous border territory the Assyrian kings built a number of government centres from which they administrated the area. It is one of these that we have been excavating: the Assyrian settlement at Tell Sabi Abyad.
 The fortress covers a square area of about 60 by 60 metres, enclosed within a high wall. It has a number of functions: border fortress, customs office and administrative centre for the agriculture in the region. The numerous cuneiform texts in the fortress clearly show that it was part of the private estate of one of the most powerful men in Assyria: grand vizier Ili-ippada. Ili-pada was a member of the royal family and was allowed to call himself 'King of Hanigalbat'. Usually he resided elsewhere, in one of his luxurious town houses. Now and again he came to Tell Sabi Abyad to settle his affairs and to check if everythings was in order. In his absence the daily administration of Tell Sabi Abyad was in the hands of a steward: Tammitte. Tammitte had a civil service and a military garrison at his disposal. He was responsible for the organization of agricultural activities in the area. He had to inspect trade caravans and levy taxes. He also had to spy: Tell Sabi Abyad was after all a border settlement and the Hittites were near. And of course he took care that Ili-pada was comfortable when at Tell Sabi Abyad.
 We have not yet discovered the original Assyrian name of the frontier settlement at Tell Sabi Abyad. The excavations do, however, provide us with a detailed picture of daily life in a border town like this. For a short while Tell Sabi Abyad played a role in the government of the international border territory between the Hittites and the kingdom of Assur. Somewhere between 1200 and 1150 BC. a large part of the inhabitants left Tell Sabi Abyad. We do not know why as yet. At the time the whole of the Assyrian kingdom was shaking on its foundations and nearly all Assyrian settlements in Syria were being evacuated. Dark times were awaiting Tell Sabi Abyad.
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