ns some
uneasiness. The King of Damascus was not only lord of Coele-Syria and
the Hauran, but he exercised a suzerainty more or less defined over
Hamath, Israel, Ammon, the Arabian and Idumean tribes, Arvad and the
principalities of Northern Phoenicia, Usanata, Shianu, and Irkanata;* in
all, twelve peoples or twelve kings owned his sway, and their forces,
if united to his, would provide at need an army of nearly 100,000 men:
a few years might see these various elements merged in a united empire,
capable of withstanding the onset of any foreign foe.**

* Irkanata, the Egyptian Arqanatu, perhaps the Irqata of the
Tel-el-A marna tablets, is the Arka of Phoenicia. The other
countries enumerated are likewise situated in the same
locality. Shianu (for a long time read as Shizanu), the Sin
of the Bible (Gen. x. 17), is mentioned by Tiglath-pileser
III. under the name Sianu. Ushanat is called Uznu by
Tiglath-pileser, and Delitzsch thought it represented the
modern Kalaat-el-Hosu. With Arvad it forms the ancient Zahi
of the Egyptians, which was then subject to Damascus.

** The suzerainty of Ben-hadad over these twelve peoples is
proved by the way in which they are enumerated in the
Assyrian documents: his name always stands at the head of
the list. The manner in which the Assyrian scribes introduce
the names of these kings, mentioning sometimes one,
sometimes two among them, without subtracting them from the
total number 12, has been severely criticised, and Schrader
excused it by saying that 12 is here used as a round number
somewhat vaguely.

Shalmaneser set out from Nineveh on the 14th day of the month Iyyar, 854
B.C., and chastised on his way the Aramaeans of the Balikh, whose sheikh
Giammu had shown some inclination to assert his independence. He crossed
the Euphrates at Tul-harsip, and held a species of durbar at Pitru for
his Syrian subjects: Sangar of Carchemish, Kundashpi of Kummukh, Arame
of Agusi, Lalli of Melitene, Khaiani of Samalla, Garparuda who had
succeeded Shapalulme among the Patina, and a second Garparuda of Gurgum,
rallied around him with their presents of welcome, and probably also
with their troops. This ceremony concluded, he hastened to Khalmaa and
reduced it to submission, then plunged into the hill-country between
Khalman and the Orontes, and swept over the whole territory of Hamath.
A few easy victories at t