modern Tell Mard 012B; kh
Ancient city, northwestern Syria.
Located south of Aleppo , it dominated what is now northern Syria, Lebanon, and parts of northern Mesopotamia during the height of its power ( 0441; 26002240 BC) and enjoyed trade with states as far away as Egypt, the Iranian plateau, and Sumer. The city's archives, dating to the 3rd millennium BC, were discovered virtually intact during excavations in 1975; they offer a rich source of information about the area's ancient way of life.