The Ta‘yinat Survey, 1999-2002

First paragraph from the chapter

Tell Tayinat (AS 126) forms a large, low lying mound 1.5 km east of Demir Köprü on the northern bend of the Orontes River at the point where it turns west and winds around the southern edge of the Amuq valley (fig. 7.1). Tell Tayinat was the scene of large-scale excavations in the 1930s, conducted as part of the University of Chicago’s Syro-Hittite Expedition, which revealed a lengthy occupational history dating to the Early Bronze and Iron Age periods. This archaeological record and the available documentary evidence indicate that the site preserves the remains of ancient Kunulua, capital of the Neo-Hittite/Aramean Kingdom of Patina/Unqi. Since the results of the Chicago excavations remain largely unpublished, the Tayinat survey was initiated in part with the aim of producing a final report that integrates the results of this earlier research effort.