Battle of Qarqar

Kurkh stela of Shalmaneser depicting the battle of Qarqar

Date	853 BC
Location	Qarqur, Northern Syria
Result	Indecisive

Belligerents

Neo-Assyrian Empire

12 Kings alliance:
Kingdom of Hamath
Kingdom of Israel
Kingdom of Aram-Damascus
Egypt (disputed)
Kingdom of Ammon
Kingdom of Arwad
Kingdom of Que
Kingdom of Irqanata
Kingdom of Shianu
Usannata
Masura
Arabs

Commanders and leaders

Shalmaneser III

Hadadezer
Ahab of Israel
Irhuleni of Hamath
Gindibu of Arabia
Ba'asa of Ammon
Kate of Que
Matinu Baal of Arwad
Adunu Baal of Shianu

Strength

35,000 army,
20,000 infantry,
12,000 cavalry,
1,200 chariots,

53,000-63,000 infantry,
4,000 chariots,
2,000 cavalry,
1,000 camelry

Casualties and losses

Unknown

The Battle of Qarqar (or Ḳarḳar) was fought in 853 BC, when the army of Assyria led by king Shalmaneser III encountered an allied army of eleven kings at Qarqar, led by Hadadezer (also called Adad-idr and possibly to be identified with Benhadad II) of Damascus and King Ahab of Israel. This battle, fought during the 854 BC–846 BC Assyrian Conquest of Syria, is notable for having a larger number of combatants than any previous battle, and for being the first instance in which some peoples enter recorded history (such as the Arabs). The battle is recorded on the Kurkh Monolith. The ancient town of Qarqar at which the battle took place has generally been identified with the modern-day archaeological site of Tell Qarqur near the village of Qarqur.

According to an inscription later erected by Shalmaneser, he had started his annual campaign, leaving Nineveh on the 14th day of Iyar. He crossed both the Tigris and Euphrates without incident, receiving the submission and tribute of several cities along the way, including Aleppo. Once past Aleppo he encountered his first resistance from troops of Irhuleni, king of Hamath, whom he defeated; in retribution, he plundered both the palaces and the cities of Irhuleni's kingdom. Continuing his march after having sacked Qarqar, he encountered the allied forces near the Orontes River.

Twelve Kings is an Akkadian term meant to symbolize any kind of alliance. The most famous example is in the Kurkh Monolith, where an alliance of 11 kings are listed as 12 in the Assyrian document as fighting against Assyrian King Shalmaneser III in the battle of Qarqar. Shalmaneser's inscription describes the forces of his opponent Hadadezer in considerable detail as follows:

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