Hassum (also given asKhashshum,Ḫaššum,Hassu,Hassuwa orHazuwan) was aHurrian city-state,[1] located in southernTurkey most probably on the Euphrates river north ofCarchemish.[2]
The city was a vassal toEbla, it was mentioned in theTablets of Ebla as Hazuwan, and was governed by its own king.[5] It came under the influence ofMari for a short period of time in the 24th century BC,[6] beforeIrkab-Damu of Ebla regained influence over the area,[7] the city survived theAkkadians conquests in 2240 BC and flourished as a trade center in the first half of the 2nd millennia BC.[8]
In the beginning of 18th century BC, Hassum allied with Yamhad againstYahdun-Lim ofMari,[9] it later helpedYamhad against a kingdom inZalmakum (a marshy region between theEuphrates and lowerBalikh),[10] but then shifted alliance toShamshi-Adad I ofAssyria after he annexed Mari. The city sent him 1,000 troops to attackSumu-Epuh of Yamhad.[11][12] Later,Yarim-Lim I of Yamhad brought Hassum under his hegemony and the city remained subjugated to Yamhad until the Hittite conquest.[13]
In the course of his war against Yamhad,Hattusili I of theHittites, having destroyedAlalakh andUrshu, headed toward Hassum in his sixth year (around 1644 BC,middle chronology).Yarim-Lim III of Yamhad sent his army under General Zukrassi, leader of the heavy-armed troops, accompanied by General Zaludis the commander of theManda troops. They united with the army of Hashshum,[14] then the battle of Atalur mountain ensued (Atalur is located north of Aleppo not very far from theAmanus, it can be identified with theKurd-Dagh Mountains).[15][16] Hattusili destroyed his enemies and moved on to burn and loot Hassum. The citizens rallied their forces three times against the Hittites,[17] but Hattusili sacked the city and seized the statues of the godTeshub, his wifeHebat and a pair of silver bulls that were the bulls of Teshub,[18] and carried them toHattusa,[19] where they were kept in the temple ofArinna.[20] The king of Hassum was captured and humiliated, he was harnessed to one of the wagons used to transport the loot of his city and taken to the Hittite capital.[21]
