Archaeological Evidence

The most important archaeological evidence for Aram-Damascus comes from inscriptions and the remains of settlements affected by Aramean military campaigns.

The Tel Dan Stele, discovered in northern Israel, is an Aramaic victory inscription generally dated to the ninth century BC. It describes victories over kings of Israel and Judah and contains a reference to the House of David.

The surviving inscription does not name its author, but many scholars attribute it to Hazael of Damascus.

Assyrian royal inscriptions provide additional evidence for the kingdom. The records of Shalmaneser III describe conflicts with Hadadezer and Hazael, while the inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III document the final Assyrian campaigns against Damascus.

Archaeological excavations at Tell es-Safi, identified with biblical Gath, reveal a major ninth-century BC destruction commonly associated with Hazael.

Other sites in northern Israel and the southern Levant contain destruction layers that have been connected with Aramean campaigns, although the identification of individual events remains debated.

Because Damascus has remained continuously inhabited for thousands of years, archaeological investigation of its earliest urban levels is difficult.