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Ebla
Ebla , an ancient city located in N Syria 34 mi (55 km) S of Aleppo. First excavated in 1964, the ruins of the city were discovered in 1973 by an Italian archaeological expedition from the Univ. of Rome. Most importantly, nearly 20,000 cuneiform tablets were discovered (1975) in the palace archives. The tablets date from the middle of the 3d millennium and are written in Eblaite, a Semitic dialect, as well as in Sumerian. A vocabulary list matching words from the two languages was found among the tablets, which has allowed scholars to translate the previously unknown language of Eblaite. The tablets relate mostly to economic matters, showing that Ebla was a major commercial center trading mostly in textiles, wood, and finished metals. Its influence rivaled that of Egypt and Mesopotamia, stretching from the Sinai peninsula to the Mesopotamian highlands. The documents have been taken to imply that Ebla had as many as 200,000 inhabitants and a government that was administered by 12,000 officials. One of Ebla's earliest dynasties ruled from about 2400 BC to 2250 BC and was probably destroyed by Naram-Sin of Akkad. Ebla flourished again (2000-1800 BC), but was unable to regain its former power. Most of the remaining ruins are from this period. The tablets contain the earliest known reference to Jerusalem. Some scholars claim they also name the five biblical "Cities of the Plain" (Sodom, Gomorah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela) just as they are named in Genesis, but this claim has been contested. As an aid to studying the Bible, the tablets are most valuable as a linguistic tool, helping to illuminate some of the more difficult Hebrew readings. |
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"Ebla." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ebla." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ebla.html "Ebla." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ebla.html |
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Ebla
Ebla Archaeological site in Syria excavated in 1974–5. Many thousands of cuneiform texts were discovered written in a language which resembles Hebrew. They give important information about the Near East in the years 2400–2250 BCE, showing that there was a high degree of urban civilization in Canaan before Abraham migrated from Haran (Gen. 12: 4). But the supposed allusions to people and places in the Hebrew Bible have not withstood closer scrutiny.
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Cite this article
W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ebla." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ebla." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Ebla.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ebla." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Ebla.html |
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Ebla
Ebla a city in ancient Syria, situated to the south-west of Aleppo. It became very powerful in the mid 3rd millennium bc, when it dominated a region corresponding to modern Lebanon, northern Syria, and SE Turkey. It was a thriving trading city and centre of scholarship, as testified in some 15,000 cuneiform tablets discovered among the city's ruins in 1975.
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ebla." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ebla." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Ebla.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ebla." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Ebla.html |
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