Mari

The city Mari has long remained out of sight of archaeologists. Meanwhile, in cuneiform texts found during excavations of Sumerian and Akkadian cities, Mari was mentioned again and again. During the excavations of Babylon, even a statue of Puzur-Ishtar, the king of Mari, was found.

The city Mari has long remained out of sight of archaeologists

The ancient city of Mari was in the 3rd - early 2nd millennium BC the capital of the eponymous state, vying with Shumer and Akkad. The city controlled all trade routes that traveled from South Mesopotamia to Anatolia. In many places, enthusiastic reports of travelers who visited Mari and glorified the beauty of the city were found. So, the king of the Phoenician city of Ugarit sent his son to Marie, and he confirmed that even the most colorful descriptions pale before reality.

There is hardly any other archaeological enterprise that would lead to such success as excavation of Marie. The first discovery made by the scientists was a statue - a long-bearded man in skins clothes, his right shoulder open, and a cuneiform inscription on his shoulder: "Lamghi-Mari I, the king of Mari... The great priest-ruler of god Enlil, who dedicates his statue Ishtar". The mysterious city of Mari, was opened, as they say, from the first shovel!

Excavations of the great city of Mari continue until now, but it has long become clear that it was one of the most brilliant centers of ancient Mesopotamia. At least eight successive strata have been found here, the oldest of which dates back to the Late Neolithic (late 4th millennium BC). All buildings were built of raw bricks. In the center of the city there was a traditional ziggurat for Mesopotamia. By the 3rd millennium BC these include the main temples of Mari - the goddess Ishtar and the goddess Ningursag. The huge palace of King Zimlirim occupied an area of 2,5 hectares. This palace, with its remarkable murals and numerous works of art, belongs to the largest and most significant discoveries of world archeology.

The entrance to the palace was protected by two mighty towers. The walls of numerous halls, sometimes preserved to a height of 4-5 m, were decorated with numerous murals depicting gods and goddesses, scenes of battles and everyday life. On one large fragment you can make out the scene where King Mari is elevated to the throne by the deity. This deity is the ruler of the sky Ishtar.

In the ruins of Mari, magnificent sculptures were made, made of alabaster or soft limestone. They depict portraits of kings and nobles: standing or sitting characters, half-naked, dressed in broad lush skirts; Their hands are crossed on the chest. Particularly striking are the huge eyes of the statues, made of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl.

Among the ruins of Mari, painted terracotta vessels, items made of mother of pearl and gold, necklaces, bracelets, precious stones, seals and a variety of earthen vessels are found, some of which reach a height of 1,5 m.

Of particular value is the "archives of the King Zimlirim" found in the palace, which includes more than 23000 cuneiform clay tablets. It took several columns of trucks to take these finds out of the ruins of Mari. Tablets tell about life in the ancient city and the activities of the tsarist administration. Some contain rules of religious rituals, others - instructions of the king to officials, and third - reports on the construction of Nai-Dena canals. The entire state archive of Mari was found.

The read texts from the "Zimlirim archive" provided answers to many questions in the history of Mari. This city-state was created by the West Semitic tribes. It is known that around 3000 BC. Marie grew into a significant center. He led a lively trade with many countries; his wealth caused the envy of other states. The city was destroyed many times and rebuilt. The flourishing of Mari dates back to around 2000, when the magnificent royal palace and numerous sanctuaries were erected. In the 18th century BC, in the 33rd year of the reign of Babylonian King Hammurabi, the city of Mari was conquered, and after the uprising of the townspeople, which flared up in response to the cruelty of the detachment of the Babylonian invaders, was so severely destroyed that it ceased to exist. Mari had never recovered. In the form in which his researchers found him, Marie lay underground for three and a half millennia!..

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