Economy and Trade

The Orontes River and its surrounding farmland provided an agricultural foundation for Hamath. Grain, orchards, livestock, and craft production supported the city and neighboring settlements. Routes through western Syria linked Hamath with inland markets, northern cities, and the Mediterranean coast. These connections made the kingdom strategically valuable and helped explain why both neighboring rulers and Assyria sought influence over the region. Royal wealth also depended on control of dependent settlements and tribute, although surviving evidence gives few exact figures for Hamath's trade.