Most sites that once belonged to the territories controlled directly by Aram-Damascus are still waiting to be excavated (Sanders 2006: 6). Limited excavations were done in southern Syria and northern Transjordan in recent decades (see Hafbórsson 2006: 194–205) but in today's Syria the archaeological record pertaining to Hazael's Aram-Damascus is extremely limited. Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna is an exception in that regard. The situation is not much better in northern Jordan, with the exceptions of Tall ar-Ramit and the iron smelting site at Tall Hammeh. Therefore, after having a brief look at Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna and Tall ar-Ramit, this chapter will concentrate on the excavations in northern and southern Israel/Palestine, since those are the only areas from which we can draw significant results concerning Hazael's empire.

3.1 TELL MISHRIFEH/QATNA

Excavations at Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna, 170 km north of Damascus, have revealed a reviving of the site during the tenth-eighth century BCE after a destruction and a phase of abandonment at the end of the second millennium (see Bonacossi 2007: 80–86).

The Iron Age phase at Qatna has been connected with the Aramaean Kingdom of Hamath for which Qatna served as centre for the southern part of the kingdom (ibid.: 86). For part of that period, however, Qatna must also have had connection with Damascus since Aram-Damascus extended its authority over the whole of Syria during the reign of Hazael. The kingdom of Hamath was itself a vassal of Hazael during that period.