Ebla Tablets

Overview

The Ebla Tablets, unearthed during excavations at Tell Mardikh in northern Syria between 1974 and 1976 by Italian archaeologist Paolo Matthiae, represent one of the most important archaeological discoveries for understanding the early Bronze Age Near East. The archives, dating to around 2300 BCE, consist of over 17,000 clay tablets written in a unique syllabic cuneiform script that predates Akkadian cuneiform. These documents reveal a powerful kingdom with extensive trade networks, legal systems, and diplomatic relations that stretched from Anatolia to Mesopotamia. Crucially, the tablets contain references to cities that appear in Genesis, including Ebla itself, Haran, and possibly Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as personal names that closely resemble biblical figures such as Abraham, Eber, and Saul. This discovery demonstrated that the patriarchal world described in Genesis was not a later literary construction but reflected historical realities of the third millennium BCE. The tablets also contain what may be the earliest known reference to the term 'Canaan' in a diplomatic context, further anchoring the biblical narratives within a verifiable historical framework. Today, the tablets are housed in various institutions including the University of Rome and the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities, providing irreplaceable insights into the ancient world.

Inscription