Pitru was an ancient town off the Sajur (Sagura and Sagurru), a western tributary of the Euphrates, approximately 12.5 miles south of ancient Carchemish. It is thought to be the Pethor mentioned in Numbers 22 as the home of Balaam, the non-Israelite prophet called upon by Balak to curse the Israelites of the Exodus.
Pitru was established by Assyrian ruler Tiglath-Pileser I in c. 1100 BCE, but it was later seized by the Arameans. It is later mentioned as one of the Hatti cities or villages conquered by either Ashurnasirpal II (reigned 883 – 859 BCE) or his son Shalmaneser III, Assyrian rulers. It was later given an Assyrian name, Ana-Aššur-utēr-aṣbat, in Shalmaneser's sixth year, becoming a base of operations for further military campaigns.