Tegarama (Old Assyrian: Tergarma; Hittite: Takarama; Luwian: Lakarma/Lukarma) was a city in Anatolia during the Bronze Age. It is often identified with Gürün and biblical Togarmah.

History Middle Bronze Age Karum tablets: Tegarma/Tagarma (Te-ga-ar-ma), Tergarma/Targarma (Tar-ga-ar-ma)

The city contained a palace, a karum and an Assyrian colony office.Veenhof, K.R., Eidem, J., Wäfler, M. Annäherungen: the Old Assyrian Period. Mesopotamia Saint-Paul, 2008 It was important in terms of trade which included tin, textiles, wool, livestock, slaves and wine. The city was inhabited during the Old Assyrian Kingdom and Hittite Empire.Bajramovic, Gojko Historical Geography of Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period p.133, Museum Tusculanum Press, 2011

A logistic hub (wabartum, smaller trading station) acting as a station for donkey caravans traveling between Assur and the main Anatolian trading center, Kanesh. The region produced wool and textiles which were high-demand commodities. In the Old Assyrian network, Tegarama was strategically positioned between the karum of Hahhum (near the Euphrates) and the central karum of Kanesh. It served as the gateway where caravans transitioned from the Mesopotamian foothills into the central Anatolian highlands.

Middle Bronze I MB I (c. 2000–1836 BCE): This corresponds to the Kültepe Level II period. This was the golden age of the trade network. Most of the 22,000+ tablets found at Kanesh come from this era. During MB I, Tegarama functioned primarily as a wabartum (trading station), facilitating the movement of textiles and tin into central Anatolia.

Middle Bronze II MB II (c. 1836–1700 BCE): This corresponds to the Kültepe Level Ib period. After a period of destruction and a short abandonment, the network was revived. During MB II, the political landscape shifted; the native Anatolian kingdoms became more powerful and centralized. Some scholars suggest Tegarama's status may have been elevated to a karum, reflecting the city's growth in importance during the later stage of the trade system.

Late Bronze Age Hittite: Takarama

Reign of Tudhaliya III The city was sacked by Isuwa during the early reign of the Hittite king Tudhaliya III on the eastern border.

Reign of Suppiluliuma I During his victorious campaign against Mitanni, Hittite king Suppiluliuma I halted in Tegarama and inspected his forces before attacking and capturing Karkemish.Burney, Charles Historical Dictionary of the Hittites Scarecrow Press, 2004 Consequently, city must have been on the road from Hattusa to Karkhemish.

Iron Age A fortified city in Kammanu (on the border of Tabal) mentioned in Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions of the ninth, eighth, and seventh centuries BC (reigns of Shalmaneser III, Sargon II, and Sennacherib) as Til-garimmu/Til-garimme.

Reign of Sargon II The vassal ruler of Melid, Tarḫun-azi, revolted against Sargon's rule, seeking assistance from king Midas of Phrygia.http://oracc.org/rinap/Q006482 After Sargon sacked Melid, Tarḫun-azi sought refuge in Til-garimme. Sargon eventually captured the city, imprisoned Tarḫun-azi and his family, and incorporated the city into the empire.http://oracc.org/rinap/Q006482

Reign of Sennacherib The city seems to have been occupied by the armies of a certain king called Gurdî, king of the city Urdutu (possibly identical to Gurdî the king of Kulumma), who was warring against Sennacherib. Sennacherib besieged the city, incorporated the use of battering rams. Sennacherib claims to have destroyed the city, turning it into a "mound of ruins"http://oracc.org/rinap/Q003491 (lit. tīlli-ù-karme, which some scholars speculate to be a pun).Borger, HKL 1 p.319 It is possible this pun was used previously by Tiglath-pileser III in reference to the city,http://oracc.org/rinap/Q006333Yamada AoF 33 (2006) p.232 which he located in Gurgum.http://oracc.org/rinap/Q003448

Biblical tradition The city is sometimes associated with Biblical Togarmah.Bajramovic, p. 312Austerlitz, Eddie History of the Ogus p.36, 2010, Srinivasan, Liny Desi Words Speak of the Past p.175 Author House (2011?),

In Ezekiel 27:14, Togarmah is described as a trading partner of Tyre. The text specifies their primary export: "They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules." (KJV) Historical scholarship often links this to the Hittite or Neo-Assyrian province of Til-Garimmu, known for its horse breeding.

Theories The exact location of the city in Anatolia is disputed. Oliver Gurney placed Tegarama in Southeast Anatolia.map on inside cover of Gurney, The Hittites, Folio Society edition Others have located it in central Anatolia near the town of Gürün, Sivas about 90 miles (140 km) east of Kanesh.Burney, Charles. Historical Dictionary of the Hittites. Scarecrow Press, 2004

Gürün Til-garimmu is usually identified with modern Gürün, biblical Tōgarmā, classical Gauraene/Gauraina, Old Assyrian Tergarama, Hittite Takarama, and Luwian Lakarma/Lukarma. However, no pre-Roman remains have been discovered at Gürün.

Akçadaǧ Akçadaǧ, ca. 30 km west of Malatya, has been tentatively suggested as an alternate location.

Changing location One theory is that the name of the city was 'moved' to another settlement during the history.Bajramovic, p.131

Bibliography - YAMADA, SHIGEO. "The City of Togarma in Neo-Assyrian Sources" Altorientalische Forschungen, vol. 33, no. 2, 2006, pp. 223-236. https://doi.org/10.1524/aofo.2006.33.2.223

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