Mari, Syria

{{Other uses|Mari (disambiguation){{!}}Mari}}

{{Infobox ancient site

|name = Mari

|native_name = تل حريري {{in lang|ar}}

|alternate_name = Tell Hariri

|image = MariZiggurat.jpg

|caption = Ruins of Mari

|map_type = Near East#Syria

|relief=yes

|map_alt = Mari lies in the east of Syria, close to the border with Iraq.

|coordinates = {{coord|34|32|58|N|40|53|24|E|display=inline,title}}

|location = Abu Kamal, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria

|type = Settlement

|part_of =

|length =

|width =

|area ={{convert|60|ha}}

|height =

|builder =

|material =

|built = c. 2900 BC

|abandoned = 3rd century BC

|epochs = Bronze Age

|cultures = East-Semitic (Kish civilization), Amorite

|dependency_of =

|occupants =

|event =

|excavations =

|archaeologists = André Parrot

|condition = Ruined

|ownership = Public

|public_access = Yes

|website =

|notes =

}}

Mari (Cuneiform: {{cuneiform|𒈠𒌷𒆠}}, ma-ri^ki, modern Tell Hariri; {{langx|ar|تل حريري}}) was an ancient Semitic city-state in modern-day Syria. Its remains form a tell 11 kilometers north-west of Abu Kamal on the Euphrates River western bank, some 120 kilometers southeast of Deir ez-Zor. It flourished as a trade center and hegemonic state between 2900 BC and 1759 BC.{{#tag:ref|Dates are estimated according to the Middle chronology unless otherwise stated.|group=note}} The city was built in the middle of the Euphrates trade routes between Sumer in the south and the Eblaite kingdom and the Levant in the west.

Mari was first abandoned in the middle of the 26th century BC but was rebuilt and became the capital of a hegemonic East Semitic state before 2500 BC. This second Mari engaged in a long war with its rival Ebla and is known for its strong affinity with Sumerian culture. It was destroyed in the 23rd century BC by the Akkadians, who allowed the city to be rebuilt and appointed a military governor (Shakkanakku). The governors became independent with the disintegration of the Akkadian Empire, and rebuilt the city as a regional center of the Euphrates valley. The Shakkanakkus ruled Mari until the second half of the 19th century BC, when the dynasty collapsed for unknown reasons. A short time later, Mari became the capital of the Amorite Lim dynasty. The Amorite Mari lasted only a short time before it was destroyed by Babylonia in c. 1761 BC, but it survived as a small settlement under the rule of the Babylonians and the Assyrians before being abandoned and forgotten during the Hellenistic period.

The Mariotes worshiped both Semitic and Sumerian deities and established their city as a major trading center. Although the pre-Amorite periods were characterized by heavy Sumerian cultural influence, Mari was not a city of Sumerian immigrants but a Semitic-speaking nation with a dialect similar to Eblaite. The Amorites were West Semites who began to settle the area before the 21st century BC; by the Lim dynasty (c. 1830 BC), they became the dominant population in the Fertile Crescent.

Mari's discovery in 1933 provided an important insight into the geopolitical map of ancient Mesopotamia and Syria, due to the discovery of more than 25,000 tablets explicating the state administration in the 2nd millennium BC and the nature of diplomatic relations among the political powers of the region. They also revealed the wide trading networks of the 18th century BC, which connected areas as far as Afghanistan in Southern Asia and Crete in the Mediterranean.

Name

File:Mari-ki in cuneiform on the statue of Iddi-Ilum.jpg: {{cuneiform|𒈠𒌷𒆠}}, ma-ri^ki), on the statue of Iddi-Ilum, c. 2090 BC]]

Written in Cuneiform {{cuneiform|𒈠𒌷𒆠}} (ma-ri^ki),{{sfn|Tinney|Novotny|Robson|Veldhuis|2020}} the name of the city can be traced to Itūr-Mēr, an ancient storm deity of northern Mesopotamia and Syria, who was considered the tutelary deity of the city,{{cite book | author = Paul-Alain Beaulieu | date = 20 November 2017 | title = A History of Babylon, 2200 BC - AD 75 | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | page = 106 | isbn = 978-1-119-45907-1 | oclc = 1010542283 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VcQ_DwAAQBAJ&pg=P106}} Georges Dossin noted that the name of the city was spelled identically to that of the storm god and concluded that Mari was named after him.{{sfn|Oldenburg|1969|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hM8UAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA60 60]}}

History

=Early Bronze Age=

==First kingdom==

It is believed that Mari did not grow from a small settlement,{{sfn|Viollet|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eZsAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 36]}} but was founded c. 2900 BC during the Mesopotamian Early Dynastic period I as a new city to control the waterways of the Euphrates trade routes connecting the Levant with the Sumerian south.{{sfn|Viollet|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eZsAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 36]}}{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}} The city was built about 1 to 2 kilometers from the Euphrates river to protect it from floods,{{sfn|Viollet|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eZsAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 36]}} and was connected to the river by an artificial canal 7 to 10 kilometers long whose route is hard to identify today.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA520 520]}}

File:Mari landmarks.png

The city is difficult to excavate as it is buried deep under later layers of habitation.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}} A circular flood embankment was unearthed,{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}} containing an area 300 meters in length for gardens and craftsmen's quarters,{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA520 520]}} and a defensive circular internal rampart 6.7 m thick{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}} and 8 to 10 meters high, strengthened by defensive towers.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA520 520]}} Other findings include one of the city gates, a street beginning at the center and ending at the gate, and residential houses.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}} Mari had a central mound,{{sfn|Akkermans|Schwartz|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_4oqvpAHDEoC&pg=PA286 286]}} but no temple or palace has been unearthed there.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}} A large building was however excavated (with dimensions of 32 m x 25 m), seemingly with an administrative function. It had stone foundations and rooms up to 12 meters long and 6 meters wide.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA522 522]}} The city was abandoned c. 2550 BC at the end of the Early Dynastic period II, for unknown reasons.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}}

==Second kingdom==

Around the beginning of Early Dynastic period III (earlier than 2500 BC){{sfn|Akkermans|Schwartz|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_4oqvpAHDEoC&pg=PA267 267]}} Mari was rebuilt and populated again.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}}{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 117]}} The new city kept many of the first city's exterior features, including the internal rampart and gate.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}}{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA523 523]}} Also kept was the outer circular embankment measuring 1.9 km in diameter, which was topped by a wall two meters thick capable of{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA523 523]}} protecting archers.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}}

Image:Ebish-Il Louvre AO17551.jpg, a superintendent in Mari. (25th century BC)]]

However, the internal urban structure was completely changed{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA524 524]}} and the new city was carefully planned. First to be built were the streets that descended from the elevated center into the gates, ensuring the drainage of rain water.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}}

At the heart of the city, a royal palace was built that also served as a temple.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA136 136]}} Four successive architectural levels from the second kingdom's palace have been unearthed (the oldest is designated P3, while the latest is P0). The last two levels are dated to the Akkadian period.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA137 137]}} The first two levels were excavated;{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA137 137]}} the findings include a temple (Enceinte Sacrée or sacred enclosure) dedicated to an unknown deity,{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA137 137]}}{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA527 527]}} a pillared throne room, and a hall with three double wood pillars leading to the temple.{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA137 137]}}

Six smaller temples were discovered in the city, including the temple called the Massif Rouge (unknown dedication), and temples dedicated to {{ill|Ninni-Zaza|it}} (INANA.ZA.ZA),Parrot, André, "Les Temples d’Ishtarat et de Ninni-zaza", Mission Archéologique de Mari, vol. 3, Librairie Orientaliste. Paris: Paul Geuthner, 1967 Ishtarat,{{sfn|Aruz|Wallenfels|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA531 531]}} Ishtar, Ninhursag, and Shamash.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA527 527]}} All the temples were located in the center of the city except for the Ishtar temple; the area between the Enceinte Sacrée and the Massif Rouge is considered to have been the administrative center of the high priest.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA527 527]}}

The second kingdom appears to have been a powerful and prosperous political center,{{sfn|Akkermans|Schwartz|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_4oqvpAHDEoC&pg=PA267 267]}} its kings held the title of Lugal,{{sfn|Nadali|2007|p=[https://www.academia.edu/619545/Davide_Nadali_2007_Monuments_of_war_war_of_monuments_Some_considerations_on_commemorating_war_in_the_Third_Millennium_BC 354]}} and many are attested in the city, the most important source being the letter of king Enna-Dagan c. 2350 BC,{{#tag:ref|In old readings, it was thought that Enna-Dagan was a general of Ebla. However, the deciphering of Ebla's tablets showed him in Mari and receiving gifts from Ebla during the reigns of his Mariote predecessors.{{sfn|Frayne|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8PNAnIome3AC&pg=PT817 335]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Michalowski|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA463 463]}} which was sent to Irkab-Damu of Ebla,{{#tag:ref|Irkab-Damu is not named in the letter but it is almost certain that he was the recipient.{{sfn|Podany|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_ez3ih5JgzUC&pg=PA26 26]}}|group=note}}. In it, the Mariote king mentions his predecessors and their military achievements.{{sfn|Roux|1992|p=142}} However, the reading of this letter is still uncertain and many interpretations have been presented by scholars.{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA57 57]}}{{sfn|Matthews|Benjamin|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6gVAFOSDhL4C&pg=PA261 261]}}{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 119]}}

===Mari–Ebla war===

File:Helmetted warrior with axe, Mari.jpg

File:Ishqi-Mari (dark background).jpg, king of the Second Kingdom of Mari, circa 2300 BC]]

The earliest attested king in the letter of Enna-Dagan is Ansud, who is mentioned as attacking Ebla, the traditional rival of Mari with whom it had a long war,{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA58 58]}} and conquering many of Ebla's cities, including the land of Belan.{{#tag:ref|Located 26 km west of Raqqa.{{sfn|Frayne|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=C5ddTkXWxEMC&pg=PA233 233]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 119]}} The next king mentioned in the letter is Saʿumu, who conquered the lands of Ra'ak and Nirum.{{#tag:ref|Located in the Euphrates middle valley close to Sweyhat.{{sfn|Frayne|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8PNAnIome3AC&pg=PT765 307–310]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 119]}} King Kun-Damu of Ebla defeated Mari in the middle of the 25th century BC.{{sfn|Dolce|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=J9eZToFfVJ0C&pg=PA68 68]}} The war continued with Išhtup-Išar of Mari's conquest of Emar{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 119]}} at a time of Eblaite weakness in the mid-24th century BC. King Igrish-Halam of Ebla had to pay tribute to Iblul-Il of Mari,{{sfn|Dolce|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=J9eZToFfVJ0C&pg=PA68 68]}}{{sfn|Michalowski|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA462 462]}} who is mentioned in the letter, conquering many of Ebla's cities and campaigning in the Burman region.{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 119]}}

Enna-Dagan also received tribute;{{sfn|Michalowski|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA462 462]}} his reign fell entirely within the reign of Irkab-Damu of Ebla,{{sfn|Podany|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_ez3ih5JgzUC&pg=PA315 315]}} who managed to defeat Mari and end the tribute.{{sfn|Podany|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_ez3ih5JgzUC&pg=PA26 26]}} Mari defeated Ebla's ally Nagar in year seven of the Eblaite vizier Ibrium's term, causing the blockage of trade routes between Ebla and southern Mesopotamia via upper Mesopotamia.{{sfn|Bretschneider|Van Vyve|Leuven|2009|p=5}} The war reached a climax when the Eblaite vizier Ibbi-Sipish made an alliance with Nagar and Kish to defeat Mari in a battle near Terqa.{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA123 123]}} Ebla itself suffered its first destruction a few years after Terqa in c. 2300 BC,{{sfn|Stieglitz|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA219 219]}} during the reign of the Mariote king Hidar.{{sfn|Bretschneider|Van Vyve|Leuven|2009|p=[https://www.academia.edu/645365/War_of_the_lords_The_battle_of_chronology 7]}} According to {{ill|Alfonso Archi|de}}, Hidar was succeeded by Ishqi-Mari whose royal seal was discovered. It depicts battle scenes, causing Archi to suggest that he was responsible for the destruction of Ebla while still a general.{{sfn|Bretschneider|Van Vyve|Leuven|2009|p=[https://www.academia.edu/645365/War_of_the_lords_The_battle_of_chronology 7]}}{{sfn|Archi|Biga|2003|p=33–35}}

===Destruction of Mari by Sargon of Akkad===

File:Soldiers, shell inlay, Mari, Syria.jpg

Just a decade after Ebla's destruction (c. 2300 BC middle chronology), Mari itself was destroyed and burned by Sargon of Akkad, as shown by one of his year names ("Year in which Mari was destroyed").{{cite web |title=Year Names of Sargon |url=http://cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=sargon_year-names |website=cdli.ox.ac.uk}}{{cite book |last1=Potts |first1=D. T. |title=The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State |date=2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-09469-7 |pages=92–93 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WE62CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA92 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Álvarez-Mon |first1=Javier |last2=Basello |first2=Gian Pietro |last3=Wicks |first3=Yasmina |title=The Elamite World |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-32983-1 |page=247 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yClKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT247 |language=en}}{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA123 123]}} Michael Astour proposed the date as c. 2265 BC (short chronology).{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA75 75]}} Ishqi-Mari was probably the last king of Mari before the conquests by the Akkadian Empire.{{sfn|Bretschneider|Van Vyve|Leuven|2009|p=[https://www.academia.edu/645365/War_of_the_lords_The_battle_of_chronology 18]}} Sargon of Akkad collected tribute from Mari and Elam:{{cite book |last1=Frayne |first1=Douglas |title=Sargonic and Gutian Periods |pages=10–12 |url=https://www.academia.edu/29704423 |language=en}}

{{blockquote|Sargon the King bowed down to Dagan in Tuttul. He (Dagan) gave to him (Sargon) the Upper Land: Mari, Iarmuti, and Ebla, as far as the Cedar Forest and the Silver Mountains|Nippur inscription of Sargon{{cite book |last1=Buck |first1=Mary E. |title=The Amorite Dynasty of Ugarit: Historical Implications of Linguistic and Archaeological Parallels |date=2019 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-41511-9 |page=169 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KkSxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA169 |language=en}}See also Inscription of Sargon. E2.1.1.1 {{cite book |last1=Frayne |first1=Douglas |title=Sargonic and Gutian Periods |pages=10–12 |url=https://www.academia.edu/29704423 |language=en}}}}

==Third kingdom==

Mari was deserted for two generations before being restored by the Akkadian king Manishtushu.{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA71 71], [https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA64 64]}} A governor was appointed to govern the city who held the title Shakkanakku (military governor).{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA64 64]}} Akkad kept direct control over the city, which is evident by Naram-Sin of Akkad's appointment of two of his daughters to priestly offices in the city.{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA64 64]}}

===Shakkanakku dynasty===

File:Statue_of_Puzur-Ishtar.jpg, Shakkanakku (Military Governor) of Mari, circa 2050 BC]]

In the Akkadian period, the first member of the Shakkanakku dynasty on the lists is Ididish, who was appointed in c. 2266 BC.{{#tag:ref|According to Jean-Marie Durand, this Shakkanakku was appointed by Manishtushu, other opinions consider Naram-Sin as the appointer of Ididish.{{sfn|Michalowski|1993|p=83}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Leick|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nAGFAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 77]}} According to the lists, Ididish ruled for 60 years{{sfn|Oliva|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MM3SJvJgGKoC&pg=PA86 86]}} and was succeeded by his son=, making the position hereditary.{{sfn|Leick|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nAGFAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA152 152]}}

The third Mari followed the second city in terms of general structure,{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA138 138]}} phase P0 of the old royal palace was replaced by a new palace for the Shakkanakku.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA530 530]}} Another smaller palace was built in the eastern part of the city,{{sfn|Akkermans|Schwartz|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_4oqvpAHDEoC&pg=PA286 286]}} and contained royal burials that date to the former periods.{{sfn|Suriano|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MfSfzOqEK4sC&pg=PA56 56]}} The ramparts were rebuilt and strengthened while the embankment was turned into a defensive wall that reached 10 meters in width.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA530 530]}} The former sacred inclosure was maintained,{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA530 530]}} so was the temple of Ninhursag. However, the temples of Ninni-Zaza and Ishtarat disappeared,{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA530 530]}} while a new temple called the "temple of lions" (dedicated to Dagan),{{sfn|Strommenger|1964|p=167}} was built by the Shakkanakku Ishtup-Ilum and attached to it, was a rectangular terrace that measured 40 x 20 meters for sacrifices.{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA530 530]}}{{sfn|Akkermans|Schwartz|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_4oqvpAHDEoC&pg=PA286 286]}}{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA531 531]}}

Akkad disintegrated during Shar-Kali-Sharri's reign,{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QD9GrxiILH8C&pg=PR41 xli]}} and Mari gained its independence, but the use of the Shakkanakku title continued during the following Third Dynasty of Ur period.{{sfn|Cooper|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=JgA-ez-BLbEC&pg=PA65 65]}} A princess of Mari married the son of king Ur-Nammu of Ur,{{sfn|Wossink|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Oy4xUpsa7DkC&pg=PA31 31]}}{{sfn|Tetlow|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ONkJ_Rj1SS8C&pg=PA10 10]}} and Mari was nominally under Ur hegemony.{{sfn|Bryce|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=q8Z7AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 18]}} However, the vassalage did not impede the independence of Mari,{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E1aF0hq1GR8C&pg=PA451 451]}}{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA127 127]}} and some Shakkanakkus used the royal title Lugal in their votive inscriptions, while using the title of Shakkanakku in their correspondence with the Ur's court.{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA132 132]}} The dynasty ended for unknown reasons not long before the establishment of the next dynasty, which took place in the second half of the 19th century BC.{{sfn|Roux|1992|p=188, 189}}{{sfn|Frayne|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u2nUT_RtyQ8C&pg=PA597 597]}}{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA139 139]}}

=Middle Bronze Age=

==Lim dynasty==

The second millennium BC in the Fertile Crescent was characterized by the expansion of the Amorites, which culminated with them dominating and ruling most of the region,{{sfn|Sicker|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5MYFOWRZ8Z4C&pg=PA25 25]}} including Mari which in c. 1830 BC, became the seat of the Amorite Lim dynasty under king Yaggid-Lim.{{sfn|Astour|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA139 139]}}{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=aOJJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA27 27]}} However, the epigraphical and archaeological evidences showed a high degree of continuity between the Shakkanakku and the Amorite eras.{{#tag:ref|This ruled out the former theory that there was an abandonment of Mari during the transition period.{{sfn|Wossink|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Oy4xUpsa7DkC&pg=PA31 31]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Wossink|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Oy4xUpsa7DkC&pg=PA31 31]}}

Yaggid-Lim was the ruler of Suprum before establishing himself in Mari,{{#tag:ref|Suprum is 12 kilometers upstream from Mari, perhaps the modern Tel Abu Hasan.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA673 673]}}|group=note}}{{#tag:ref|It is not certain that Yaggid-Lim controlled Mari, however he is traditionally considered the first king of the dynasty.{{sfn|Porter|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7TEgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 31]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Frayne|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u2nUT_RtyQ8C&pg=PA601 601]}} he entered an alliance with Ila-kabkabu of Ekallatum, but the relations between the two monarchs changed to an open war.{{sfn|Porter|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7TEgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 31]}}{{sfn|Roux|1992|p=189}} The conflict ended with Ila-kabkabu capturing Yaggid-Lim's heir Yahdun-Lim and according to a tablet found in Mari, Yaggid-Lim who survived Ila-kabkabu was killed by his servants.{{#tag:ref|The credibility of the tablet is doubted as it was written by Yasmah-Adad who was Ila-kabkabu grandson.{{sfn|Porter|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7TEgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 31]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Porter|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7TEgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 31]}} However, in c. 1820 BC Yahdun-Lim was firmly in control as king of Mari.{{#tag:ref|The transition of the Lim family from Suprum to Mari could have been the work of Yahdun-Lim after the war with Ila-kabkabu.{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA86 86]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Roux|1992|p=189}}

File:Goddess of the vase, Mari,18th century BCE.jpg

Yahdun-Lim started his reign by subduing seven of his rebelling tribal leaders, and rebuilding the walls of Mari and Terqa in addition to building a new fort which he named Dur-Yahdun-Lim.{{sfn|Frayne|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u2nUT_RtyQ8C&pg=PA603 603]}} He then expanded west and claimed to have reached the Mediterranean,{{sfn|Frayne|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u2nUT_RtyQ8C&pg=PA606 606]}}{{sfn|Fowden|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0VOzAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA93 93]}} however he later had to face a rebellion by the Yaminite nomads who were centered at Tuttul, and the rebels were supported by Yamhad's king Sumu-Epuh, whose interests were threatened by the recently established alliance between Yahdun-Lim and Eshnunna.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E1aF0hq1GR8C&pg=PA451 451]}}{{sfn|Frayne|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u2nUT_RtyQ8C&pg=PA606 606]}} Yahdun-Lim defeated the Yaminites but an open war with Yamhad was avoided,{{sfn|Bryce|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=41-MAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA19 19]}} as the Mariote king became occupied by his rivalry with Shamshi-Adad I of Shubat-Enlil, the son of the late Ila-kabkabu.{{sfn|Pitard|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4DVHJRFW3mYC&pg=PA38 38]}} The war ended in a defeat for Mari,{{sfn|Pitard|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4DVHJRFW3mYC&pg=PA38 38]}}{{sfn|Van Der Meer|1955|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gB8VAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA29 29]}} and Yahdun-Lim was assassinated in c. 1798 BC by his possible son Sumu-Yamam,{{sfn|Launderville|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=z4oHNWUWTSkC&pg=PA271 271]}}{{sfn|Frayne|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u2nUT_RtyQ8C&pg=PA613 613]}} who himself got assassinated two years after ascending the throne while Shamshi-Adad advanced and annexed Mari.{{sfn|Bryce|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=41-MAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 20]}}

==Shamshi-Adad of Assyria and Yasmah-Adad==

Shamshi-Adad (r. 1809-1775 BC) appointed his son Yasmah-Adad on the throne of Mari, the new king married Yahdun-Lim's daughter,{{sfn|Van De Mieroop|2011|p=109}}{{sfn|Tetlow|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ONkJ_Rj1SS8C&pg=PA125 125]}} while the rest of the Lim family took refuge in Yamhad,{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA452 452]}} and the annexation was officially justified by what Shamshi-Adad considered sinful acts on the side of the Lim family.{{sfn|Grayson|1972|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=psmYIYJZCnoC&pg=PA27 27]}} To strengthen his position against his new enemy Yamhad, Shamshi-Adad married Yasmah-Adad to Betlum, the daughter of Ishi-Addu of Qatna.{{sfn|Tetlow|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ONkJ_Rj1SS8C&pg=PA125 125]}} However, Yasmah-Adad neglected his bride causing a crisis with Qatna, and he proved to be an unable leader causing the rage of his father who died in c. 1776 BC,{{sfn|Tetlow|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ONkJ_Rj1SS8C&pg=PA125 125]}}{{sfn|Harris|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=O0qOp_rDTHUC&pg=PA141 141]}}{{sfn|Hamblin|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=biyDDd0uKGMC&pg=254 258]}} while the armies of Yarim-Lim I of Yamhad were advancing in support of Zimri-Lim, the heir of the Lim dynasty.{{#tag:ref|Although officially a son of Yahdun-Lim, in reality he was a grandchild or nephew.{{sfn|Charpin|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Nvgz3NOuo5EC&pg=PA252 252]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Hamblin|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=biyDDd0uKGMC&pg=254 258]}}

File:Investiture of Zimri-Lim Louvre AO19826 n01.jpg (18th century BC)]]

==Zimri-Lim of Mari==

As Zimri-Lim advanced, a leader of the Sim'alites (Zimri-Lim's tribe) overthrew Yasmah-Adad,{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA228 228]}} opening the road for Zimri-Lim who arrived a few months after Yasmah-Adad's escape,{{sfn|Dalley|2002|p=143}} and married princess Shibtu the daughter of Yarim-Lim I a short time after his enthronement in c. 1776 BC.{{sfn|Hamblin|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=biyDDd0uKGMC&pg=254 258]}} Zimri-Lim's ascension to the throne with the help of Yarim-Lim I affected Mari's status, Zimri-Lim referred to Yarim-Lim as his father, and the Yamhadite king was able to order Mari as the mediator between Yamhad's main deity Hadad and Zimri-Lim, who declared himself a servant of Hadad.{{sfn|Malamat|1980|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=fwGAtGBa_JcC&pg=PA75 75]}}

Zimri-Lim started his reign with a campaign against the Yaminites, he also established alliances with Eshnunna and Hammurabi of Babylon,{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA452 452]}} and sent his armies to aid the Babylonians.{{sfn|Van Der Toorn|1996|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VSJWkrXfbLQC&pg=PA101 101]}} The new king directed his expansion policy toward the north in the Upper Khabur region, which was named {{ill|Idamaraz|ca}},{{sfn|Kupper|1973|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=FF5-7JVj4jYC&pg=PA9 9]}} where he subjugated the local petty kingdoms in the region such as Urkesh,{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA329 329]}} and {{ill|Talhayum|ca}}, forcing them into vassalage.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA687 687]}} The expansion was met by the resistance of Qarni-Lim, the king of Andarig,{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA45 45]}} whom Zimri-Lim defeated, securing the Mariote control over the region in c. 1771 BC,{{sfn|Charpin|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u__yJn8MHJQC&pg=PA39 39]}} and the kingdom prospered as a trading center and entered a period of relative peace.{{sfn|Hamblin|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=biyDDd0uKGMC&pg=254 258]}} Zimri-Lim's greatest heritage was the renovation of the Royal Palace, which was expanded greatly to contain 275 rooms,{{sfn|Akkermans|Schwartz|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_4oqvpAHDEoC&pg=PA286 286]}}{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=z_IBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA198 198]}} exquisite artifacts such as The Goddess of the Vase statue,{{sfn|Gates|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=--x-3W2R_QwC&pg=PA65 65]}} and a royal archive that contained thousands of tablets.{{sfn|Shaw|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8HKDtlPuM2oC&pg=PA379 379]}}

==Babylonian period==

The relations with Babylon worsened with a dispute over the city of Hīt that consumed much time in negotiations,{{sfn|Van De Mieroop|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ELMAGvmJ7YIC&pg=PA68 68]}} during which a war against Elam involved both kingdoms in c. 1765 BC.{{sfn|Van De Mieroop|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ELMAGvmJ7YIC&pg=PA70 70]}} Finally, the kingdom was invaded by Hammurabi who defeated Zimri-Lim in battle in c. 1761 BC and ended the Lim dynasty,{{sfn|Van De Mieroop|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ELMAGvmJ7YIC&pg=PA76 76], [https://books.google.com/books?id=ELMAGvmJ7YIC&pg=PA139 139], [https://books.google.com/books?id=ELMAGvmJ7YIC&pg=PA152 152]}} while Terqa became the capital of a rump state named the Kingdom of Hana.{{sfn|Fleming|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3_sfAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA226 226]}} In the south, the region of Suhum became a Babylonian province.

Mari survived the destruction and rebelled against Babylon in c. 1759 BC, causing Hammurabi to destroy the whole city.{{sfn|Van De Mieroop|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ELMAGvmJ7YIC&pg=PA76 76]}} However, by an act of mercy Hammurabi may have allowed Mari to survive as a small village under Babylonian administration (according to Marc Van De Mieroop).{{sfn|Van De Mieroop|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ELMAGvmJ7YIC&pg=PA76 76]}}

=Late Bronze Age=

Later, Mari became part of Assyria and was listed among the territories conquered by the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I (reigned 1243–1207 BC).{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA453 453]}} Afterward, Mari constantly changed hands between Assyria and Babylon.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA453 453]}}

=Iron Age=

In the middle of the eleventh century BC, Mari became part of Hana whose king Tukulti-Mer took the title king of Mari and rebelled against Assyria, causing the Assyrian king Ashur-bel-kala (r. 1074-1056 BC) to attack the city.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA453 453]}} Mari came firmly under the authority of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and was assigned in the first half of the 8th century BC to a certain Nergal-Erish to govern under the authority of king Adad-Nirari III (r. 810–783 BC).{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA453 453]}}

File:Shamsh-res-usur, governor of Mari and Suhi.jpg

In c. 760 BC, Shamash-Risha-Usur,{{sfn|Dalley|2002|p=201}} an autonomous governor ruling parts of the upper middle Euphrates under the nominal authority of Ashur-dan III, styled himself the governor of the lands of Suhu and Mari, so did his son Ninurta-Kudurri-Usur.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA453 453]}} However, by that time, Mari was known to be located in the so-called Land of Laqe,{{#tag:ref|An ancient designation for the land that include the confluence of the Khabur and the Euphrates rivers.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA408 408]}}|group=note}} making it unlikely that the Usur family actually controlled it, and suggesting that the title was employed out of historical reasons.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA453 453]}}

The city continued as a small settlement until the Hellenistic period before disappearing from records.{{sfn|Bryce|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwNS0diXP4C&pg=PA453 453]}}

=Modern history=

By 2015, ISIS devastated and looted systematically the site and specially the royal palace.{{cite news |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/150901-isis-destruction-looting-ancient-sites-iraq-syria-archaeology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222062735/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/150901-isis-destruction-looting-ancient-sites-iraq-syria-archaeology |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 22, 2021 |title=Here Are the Ancient Sites ISIS Has Damaged and Destroyed |first=Andrew |last=Curry |date=1 September 2015 |access-date=24 October 2022 |work=National Geographic |publisher=National Geographic Society}} It was one of the first archaeological sites to be occupied by this group.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/apr/19/destruction-at-the-ancient-site-of-mari-in-syria |title=Destruction at the ancient site of Mari in Syria |first=Mary |last=Shepperson |date=19 April 2018 |access-date=24 October 2022 |newspaper=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited}}

People, language and government

File:Bust orant Louvre AO17557.jpg

The founders of the first city may have been Sumerians or more probably East Semitic speaking people from Terqa in the north.{{sfn|Viollet|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eZsAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 36]}} I. J. Gelb relates Mari's foundation with the Kish civilization,{{sfn|Hasselbach|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eiHXt0yIWiIC&pg=PA3 3]}} which was a cultural entity of East Semitic speaking populations, that stretched from the center of Mesopotamia to Ebla in the western Levant.{{sfn|Van De Mieroop|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6lDgYxV0DN8C&pg=PA133 133]}}

At its height, the second city was the home of about 40,000 people.{{sfn|Chew|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=YmtN6zr_hroC&pg=PA67 67]}} This population was East-Semitic speaking one, and used a dialect much similar to the language of Ebla (the Eblaite language),{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 117]}}{{sfn|McMahon|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA469 469]}} while the Shakkanakku period had an East-Semitic Akkadian speaking population.{{sfn|Heimpel|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tiHwDe7JmCEC&pg=PA21 21]}} West Semitic names started to be attested in Mari from the second kingdom era,{{sfn|Haldar|1971|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=S88UAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA8 8]}} and by the middle Bronze-Age, the west Semitic Amorite tribes became the majority of the pastoral groups in the middle Euphrates and Khabur valleys.{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA222 222]}} Amorite names started to be observed in the city toward the end of the Shakkanakku period, even among the ruling dynasty members.{{sfn|Heimpel|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tiHwDe7JmCEC&pg=PA22 22]}}

File:Statues from Mari. Syria - Aleppo - National Museum.jpg]]

During the Lim era, the population became predominantly Amorite but also included Akkadian named people,{{#tag:ref|Jean-Marie Durand, although not speculating the fate of the East-Semitic population, believe that the Akkadians during the Lim dynasty are not descended from the East-Semites of the Shakkanakku period.{{sfn|Heimpel|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tiHwDe7JmCEC&pg=PA21 21]}}|group=note}} and although the Amorite language became the dominant tongue, Akkadian remained the language of writing.{{sfn|Nemet-Nejat|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=lbmXsaTGNKUC&pg=PA114 114]}}{{sfn|Riehl|Pustovoytov|Dornauer|Sallaberger|2013|p=117}}{{sfn|Michalowski|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qRtUqxkB7wkC&pg=PA55 55]}} The pastoral Amorites in Mari were called the Haneans, a term that indicate nomads in general,{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223 223]}} those Haneans were split into the Yaminites (sons of the south) and Sim'alites (sons of the north), with the ruling house belonging to the Sim'al branch.{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223 223]}} The kingdom was also a home to tribes of Suteans who lived in the district of Terqa.{{sfn|Heimpel|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tiHwDe7JmCEC&pg=PA26 26]}}

Mari was an absolute monarchy, with the king controlling every aspect of the administration, helped by the scribes who played the role of administrators.{{sfn|Finer|1997|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=aEziNfjinnMC&pg=PA173 173]}}{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA224 224]}} During the Lim era, Mari was divided into four provinces in addition to the capital, the provincial seats were located at Terqa, Saggarâtum, Qaṭṭunān and Tuttul. Each province had its own bureaucracy,{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA224 224]}} the government supplied the villagers with ploughs and agricultural equipments, in return for a share in the harvest.{{sfn|Maisels|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=YI2JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA322 322]}}

Culture and religion

File:Woman polos Louvre AO17564.jpg

The first and second kingdoms were heavily influenced by the Sumerian south.{{sfn|Armstrong|1996|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ystMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA457 457]}} The society was led by an urban oligarchy,{{sfn|Chavalas|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=REVFoXJM4WIC&pg=PA43 43]}} and the citizens were well known for elaborate hair styles and dress.{{sfn|Pardee|Glass|1984|p=95}}{{sfn|Matthiae|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA170 170]}} The calendar was based on a solar year divided into twelve months, and was the same calendar used in Ebla "the old Eblaite calendar".{{sfn|Pettinato|1981|p=147}}{{sfn|Cohen|1993|p=23}} Scribes wrote in Sumerian language and the art was indistinguishable from Sumerian art, so was the architectural style.{{sfn|Kramer|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=iY9xp4pLp88C&pg=PA30 30]}}

Mesopotamian influence continued to affect Mari's culture during the Amorite period,{{sfn|Green|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZGjcLBYTUUgC&pg=PA161 161]}} which is evident in the Babylonian scribal style used in the city.{{sfn|Larsen|2008|p=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_gr5BgOwEJicC/page/n42 16]}} However, it was less influential than the former periods and a distinct Syrian style prevailed, which is noticeable in the seals of kings, which reflect a clear Syrian origin.{{sfn|Green|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZGjcLBYTUUgC&pg=PA161 161]}} The society was a tribal one,{{sfn|Wossink|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Oy4xUpsa7DkC&pg=PA126 126]}} it consisted mostly of farmers and nomads (Haneans),{{sfn|Heimpel|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tiHwDe7JmCEC&pg=PA29 29]}} and in contrast to Mesopotamia, the temple had a minor role in everyday life as the power was mostly invested in the palace.{{sfn|Grabbe|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=C32xAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 3]}} Women enjoyed a relative equality to men,{{sfn|Dougherty|Ghareeb|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZmQYAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA657 657]}} queen Shibtu ruled in her husband's name while he was away, and had an extensive administrative role and authority over her husband's highest officials.{{sfn|Tetlow|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ONkJ_Rj1SS8C&pg=PA84 84]}}

The Pantheon included both Sumerian and Semitic deities,{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA90 90]}} and throughout most of its history, Dagan was Mari's head of the Pantheon,{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA304 304], [https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA171 171]}} while Mer was the patron deity.{{sfn|Green|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZGjcLBYTUUgC&pg=PA62 62]}} Other deities included the Semitic deities; Ishtar the goddess of fertility,{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA90 90]}} Athtar,{{sfn|Smith|1995|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VLyUd1hau1IC&pg=PA629 629]}} and Shamash, the Sun god who was regarded among the city most important deities,{{sfn|Thompson|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=WUGtAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA245 245]}} and believed to be all-knowing and all-seeing.{{sfn|Darke|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=jv2jHT_GRe0C&pg=PA293 293]}} Sumerian deities included Ninhursag,{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA90 90]}} Dumuzi,{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA92 92]}} Enki, Anu, and Enlil.{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA170 170]}} Prophecy had an important role for the society, temples included prophets,{{sfn|Nissinen|Seow|Ritner|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wOZOYl-T1poC&pg=PA79 79]}} who gave council to the king and participated in the religious festivals.{{sfn|Walton|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FENzqidE2lsC&pg=PA209 209]}}

Economy

The first Mari provided the oldest wheel workshop yet discovered in Syria,{{sfn|Margueron|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA521 521]}} and was a center of bronze metallurgy.{{sfn|Viollet|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eZsAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 36]}} The city also contained districts devoted to smelting, dyeing, and pottery manufacture,{{sfn|Margueron|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA137 137]}} using charcoal brought by river boats from the upper Khabur and Euphrates area.{{sfn|Viollet|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eZsAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 36]}}

The second kingdom's economy was based on both agriculture and trade.{{sfn|Riehl|Pustovoytov|Dornauer|Sallaberger|2013|p=117}} It was centralized and directed through a communal organization,{{sfn|Riehl|Pustovoytov|Dornauer|Sallaberger|2013|p=117}} with grain stored in communal granaries and distributed according to social status.{{sfn|Riehl|Pustovoytov|Dornauer|Sallaberger|2013|p=117}} The organization also controlled the animal herds in the kingdom.{{sfn|Riehl|Pustovoytov|Dornauer|Sallaberger|2013|p=117}} Some groups were direct beneficiaries of the palace instead of the communal organization, including the metal and textile producers and military officials.{{sfn|Riehl|Pustovoytov|Dornauer|Sallaberger|2013|p=117}} Ebla was an important trading partner and rival,{{sfn|Otto|Biga|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=9bbgJzacoJYC&pg=PA486 486]}} Mari's position made it an important trading center astride the road linking the Levant and Mesopotamia.{{sfn|Liverani|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA126 126]}}

The Amorite Mari maintained the older aspects of the economy, still largely based on irrigated agriculture along the Euphrates valley.{{sfn|Riehl|Pustovoytov|Dornauer|Sallaberger|2013|p=117}} The city remained a trading center for merchants from Babylonia and other kingdoms,{{sfn|Aubet|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Li66Bd4QZD4C&pg=PA141 141]}} with goods from the south and east transported on riverboats bound for the north, northwest and west.{{sfn|Teissier|1996|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oiSoxUE_Vn0C&pg=PA6 6]}} The main trade was metals and tin from the Iranian Plateau exported west as far as Crete. Other goods included copper from Cyprus, silver from Anatolia, wood from Lebanon, gold from Egypt, olive oil, wine, and textiles, and even precious stones from modern Afghanistan.{{sfn|Teissier|1996|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oiSoxUE_Vn0C&pg=PA6 6]}}

Excavations and archive

File:Ishtup-Ilum excavation in Mari, Syria.jpg in 1936. Discovery of the statue of military Governor Ishtup-Ilum]]

Mari was discovered in 1933, on the eastern flank of Syria, near the Iraqi border.{{sfn|Dalley|2002|p=10}} A Bedouin tribe was digging through a mound called Tell Hariri for a gravestone that would be used for a recently deceased tribesman, when they came across a headless statue.{{sfn|Dalley|2002|p=10}} After the news reached the French authorities currently in control of Syria, the report was investigated, and digging on the site was started on December 14, 1933, by archaeologists from the Louvre in Paris.{{sfn|Dalley|2002|p=10}} The location of the fragment was excavated, revealing the temple of Ishtar, which led to the commencing of the full scale excavations.{{sfn|Evans|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5MIgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA180 180]}} Mari was classified by the archaeologists as the "most westerly outpost of Sumerian culture".{{sfn|Gadd|1971|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=slR7SFScEnwC&pg=PA97 97]}}

Since the beginning of excavations, over 25,000 clay tablets in Akkadian language written in cuneiform were discovered.{{sfn|Malamat|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P2jtZOP4MLwC&pg=PA45 45]}} Finds from the excavation are on display in the Louvre,{{sfn|Frayne|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=u2nUT_RtyQ8C&pg=PR28 xxviii]}} the National Museum of Aleppo,{{sfn|Gates|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=--x-3W2R_QwC&pg=PA143 143]}} the National Museum of Damascus,{{sfn|Darke|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=jv2jHT_GRe0C&pg=PA293 293]}} and the Deir ez-Zor Museum. In the latter, the southern façade of the Court of the Palms room from Zimri-Lim's palace has been reconstructed, including the wall paintings.{{sfn|Bonatz|Kühne|Mahmoud|1998|p=93}}

Mari has been excavated in annual campaigns in 1933–1939, 1951–1956, and since 1960.{{sfn|Daniels|Hanson|2015|p=87}} André Parrot conducted the first 21 seasons up to 1974,{{sfn|Margueron|1992|p=217}} and was followed by {{ill|Jean-Claude Margueron|fr}} (1979–2004),{{sfn|Crawford|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qSOYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR17 xvii]}} and Pascal Butterlin (starting in 2005).{{sfn|Daniels|Hanson|2015|p=87}} A journal devoted to the site, released in 8 volumes between 1982 and 1997, was Mari: Annales de recherches interdisciplinaires.{{sfn|Dalley|2002|p=2}}{{sfn|Heintz|Bodi|Millot|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dN5gAMc_3b0C&pg=PA48 48]}} Archaeologists have tried to determine how many layers the site descends, according to French archaeologist André Parrot, "each time a vertical probe was commenced in order to trace the site's history down to virgin soil, such important discoveries were made that horizontal digging had to be resumed."{{sfn|McLerran|2011}}

=Mari tablets=

Over 25,000 tablets were found in the burnt library of Zimri-Lim written in Akkadian{{sfn|Ochterbeek|1996|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=R44VRnNCzAYC&pg=PA214 214]}} from a period of 50 years between circa 1800 – 1750 BC.Sasson, Jack M.. From the Mari Archives: An Anthology of Old Babylonian Letters, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, 2015 They give information about the kingdom, its customs, and the names of people who lived during that time.{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=aOJJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA27 27]}} More than 3000 are letters, the remainder includes administrative, economic, and judicial texts.{{sfn|Fleming|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=C32xAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA48 48]}} Almost all the tablets found were dated to the last 50 years of Mari's independence,{{sfn|Fleming|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=C32xAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA48 48]}} and most have now been published.{{sfn|Feliu|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC&pg=PA63 63]}} The language of the texts is official Akkadian, but proper names and hints in syntax show that the common language of Mari's inhabitants was Northwest Semitic.{{sfn|Gates|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=--x-3W2R_QwC&pg=PA62 62]}} Six of the tablets found were in the Hurrian language.Campbell, Dennis R. M., and Sebastian Fischer, "A HURRIAN RITUAL AGAINST TOOTHACHE: A REANALYSIS OF MARI 5", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 112, pp. 31–48, 2018

Current situation

Excavations stopped from 2011 as a result of the Syrian Civil War and have not restarted.{{sfn|Simons|2016}} The site came under the control of armed gangs and suffered large scale looting. A 2014 official report revealed that robbers were focusing on the royal palace, the public baths, the temple of Ishtar, and the temple of Dagan.{{sfn|Cockburn|2014}} Based on satellite imagery, looting continued until at least 2017.Casana J, Laugier EJ (2017) Satellite imagery-based monitoring of archaeological site damage in the Syrian civil war. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0188589. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188589

Notes

References

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External links

[http://www.dgam.gov.sy/index.php?d=245&id=701 Mari] Mari passage on the Syrian ministry of culture website (in Arabic).
[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/364795/Mari Syrie - Mari] Mari page on Britannica.
[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1294/ Mari (Tell Hariri)] Suggestion to have Mari (Tell Hariri) recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site, in 1999

Category:States and territories established in the 3rd millennium BC

Category:States and territories disestablished in the 18th century BC

Category:Amorite cities

Category:Former populated places in Syria

Category:Archaeological sites in Deir ez-Zor Governorate

Category:Bronze Age sites in Syria

Category:Tells (archaeology)

Category:Populated places established in the 3rd millennium BC

Category:29th-century BC establishments

Category:Kish civilization

Category:Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)

Category:Former kingdoms