Karkar is an archaeological site in northwestern Syria. It was the site of one of the most important battles of the ancient world, the battle of Karkar, fought in 853 BC when the army of Assyria, led by king Shalmaneser III, encountered an allied army of 11 kings at Karkar led by Hadadezer of Damascus. It is situated in the fertile Orontes Valley. The site of Karkar has been excavated for some years by Dr. Rudolph Dornemann on behalf of the American Schools of Oriental Research. Dr. Dornemann has excavated the impressive defenses of the Iron Age city, with exposures revealing the earlier towns, of the Middle and Early Bronze Age. The Battle of Karkar (or Qarqar) was fought in 853 BC when the army of Assyria, led by king Shalmaneser III, encountered an allied army of 12 kings led by Hadadezer of Damascus. ... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC - 850s BC - 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC Years: 859 BC 858 BC 857 BC 856 BC 855 BC 854 BC 853 BC 852 BC... Assyria in earliest historical times referred to a region on the Upper Tigris river, named for its original capital, the city of Ashur. ... Shalmaneser III (Šulmānu-ašarēdu, the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent) was king of Assyria (858 BC - 823 BC), and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II. His long reign was a constant series of campaigns against the eastern tribes, the Babylonians, the nations of Mesopotamia and Syria... Hadadezer (or Hadad-Ezer or Adad-Idri) was the king of Damascus at the time of The Battle of Qarqar. ... Damascus by night, pictured from Jabal Qasioun; the green spots are minarets Damascus (Arabic officially دمشق Dimashq, colloquially ash-Sham الشام) is the capital city of Syria and is the oldest inhabited city in the world. ... The Orontes and the norias of Hama The Orontes or ‘Asi is a river of Lebanon and Syria. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ...