Title: The royal archives of Ebla /
Authors: Alberg, Mildred Freed,; Ellison, L. Richard,; Warshofsky, Fred
Year: 1979
Subjects: Matthiae, Paolo; Archaeology Methodology; Clay tablets.; Cuneiform tablets.; Excavations (Archaeology) Middle East; Ebla (Extinct city)
Abstract: An award winning documentary which follows the exploits of an Italian archeological expedition, what they discovered at Tell Mardikh-Ebla in Syria, and why these findings are important to ancient Near Eastern archeologists, cultural historians, and philologists. The discovery of 17,000 cuneiform tablets and fragments at Tell Mardikh-Ebla in northwest Syria in 1975 was a significant contribution to the archeology of the Middle East. Written 4,500 years ago, the tablets are at once an invaluable source of information on the earliest period of recorded history, and a subject of controversy because of the biblical sounding names identified in the texts. Dr. Paolo Matthiae, discoverer of Ebla appears in the film.