Long & Dever/Transitions, 4. The MB II-LB I Transition in North Inner Syria

In this contribution, I will present the archaeological evidence about the phases of LB I–II at Tell Mardikh/Ebla. This was the first period of true decadence of the site: immediately after the destruction around 1600 BCE, there was an attempt to resettle the site, as also happened in other great centers of northern Syria like Alalakh, which had also been destroyed in the same period, or slightly earlier. Unlike other sites, however, the attempt was not successful, although the region of Ebla was under the control of the Hittite Empire, which guaranteed stability. I will present the evidence thus far, and I will analyse the possible reasons for the failure of this experiment of resettlement, which, on the contrary, was successful in other areas of northern Syria, like nearby Tell Afis, Alalakh, and Aleppo.