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Introduction:
Mari (Where History Began Before History) was an ancient
city in Syria situated on the site of Tell Hariri, 11
kilometers north-west of the modern locality of
Abu Kamal on the western bank of
Euphrates river, some 120 km southeast of
Deir ez-Zor, Syria. It is thought to have been inhabited since
the 5th millennium BC, although it flourished from 2900 BC until
1759 BC, when it was sacked by Hammurabi. Abraham is thought to
have passed through Mari on his way from Ur to Harran.
Mari was discovered in 1933 on the eastern of
Syria, near the Iraqi border. A
Bedouin tribe was digging through a mound for a gravestone that
would be used for a recently deceased tribesman, when they came
across a headless statue. 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. Discoveries came quickly, with the temple of Ishtar
being discovered in the next month. Mari was classified by
the archaeologists as the "most westerly outpost of Sumerian
culture". Since the beginning of excavations, over 25,000 clay
tablets in Akkadian language written in cuneiform were discovered.
Mari has been excavated every year since 1933 (except for
the period 1939-1951). Less than half of the 1000 by 600 meter
area of Mari has been uncovered as of 2005. Although
archaeologists have tried to determine how many layers the site
descends, it hasn't proved possible. 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".
Ancient History
Mari had been inhabited since the 5th millennium BC, but the real
significance of the city was during the third and second millennia
BC. The inhabitants of Mari were a Semitic people, thought to be
part of the same Eblaite and Akkadian migration.
First Golden Age
The city flourished since it was strategically important as a
relay point between Sumerian cities of lower Mesopotamia and the
cities of northern Syria. Sumer required building materials such
as timber and stone from northern Syria, and these materials had
to go through Mari to get to Sumer.
First Destruction
After a period of eminence beginning 2900 BC, Mari was destroyed
around 24th century BC. This destruction brought a period of
relative decline in importance in the region and the city was
reduced to no more than a small village. Historians are divided
when it comes to who destroyed the city; some name Sargon of Akkad
(who stated that he had passed through Mari on his famous campaign
to the west), while others say it was the Eblaites, Mari's
traditional commercial rivals.
Second Golden Age
The status of the city was revived again under an Amorite dynasty.
The second golden age commenced around 1900 BC. Two significant
archaeological discoveries were made that dated back to this
period. The palace of Zimri-Lim, a king of Mari (ca. 1775-1761
BCE), contained over 300 rooms. The palace was possibly the
largest of its time, and its reputation in neighboring cities and
kingdoms was well-known. Supposedly, "King Yahmad of Aleppo and
the King of Ugarit both expressed their desire to visit the
palace"[attribution needed] to see its splendor for themselves.
The state archives were also built during this time. From the
archives over 25,000 cuneiform tablets have been taken. The
tablets, according to Andre Parrot, "brought about a complete
revision of the historical dating of the ancient Near East and
provided more than 500 new place names, enough to redraw or even
draw up the geographical map of the ancient world".
Final Destruction
Mari was destroyed again around 1759 BC by Hammurabi. This is
known from the numerous state archives tablets that recount
Hammurabi turning on his old ally Zimrilim, and defeating him in
battle. After this destruction, there were scattered inhabitations
by Assyrians and Babylonians, but the city remained a village
until the arrival of the Greeks, and vanished from history
thereafter.
Economy
The growth of the city from a small village to an important
trading center was due to its diverse economy in the ancient
world. The city came to control the trade lanes between different
regions such as western Iran, Mesopotamia, Carchemish, and parts
of Anatolia. Cities that Mari is confirmed to have traded with
include Ur, Aleppo, and Ugarit. The cargo brought through the city
grew to include dates, olives, pottery, porcelain, grains, timber,
and stone.
Culture and religion
Intendant Ebih-Il, found in the temple of Ishtar at Mari,
Archaic Dynasties (ca. 2400 BC), Louvre MuseumThe citizens of Mari
were well known for elaborate hair styles and dress, and were
considered to be part of Mesopotamian culture, despite being more
than 150 miles upriver of Babylon. It is theorized by some that
Mari functioned as a trading outpost for southern Mesopotamia.
The inhabitants of Mari worshiped a vast array of Sumerians gods
and goddesses. Dagan, the deity of storms, had an entire temple
dedicated to him, as did Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, and
Shamash, the Sun god. Shamash was believed to be all-knowing and
all-seeing, and in many seals he is seen standing between two
large doors. According to the legend of Gilgamesh, these doors are
between Mount Mashu, and are the eastern doors to heaven. Through
Mari's extensive trade network, Sumerian gods and goddesses were
taken to non-Sumerian cities such as Ebla and Ugarit and
incorporated into their native religions.
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