Mari in Syria: Rebirth of a city in the 3rd Millennium.
Royal Museum of Mariemont| N° d'inventaire | 30888 |
| Format | 23.7 x 31 |
| Détails | 304 p., numerous figures and color and b&w photographs, publisher's hardcover. |
| Publication | Morlanwelz, 2023 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782931215067 |
Destroyed by Hammurabi in 1759 BC, then rediscovered by the archaeologist and future director of the Louvre André Parrot, during the winter of 1933-1934, and finally caught up in the turmoil of the Syrian conflict since 2011, the city of Mari has an exceptional archaeological significance due to the testimonies of the past that it has delivered for the 3rd and the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. This work focuses on a specific period of its discontinuous history, marked by real times of construction and destruction, the period of the Sakkanakkus, which saw the emergence of a new phase of the city ("City III"). After its destruction by the kings of Akkad, Mari was reborn under the aegis of these governors who reigned over the ancient city from around 2300 to 1820/1810 BC.
Based on a precious selection of objects - archival images, inscribed clay bricks, stone statuettes, painting records, ceramics, etc. - from the collections of six institutions and resulting from nine decades of research, a dozen researchers explore the city's temples such as the "Lion Temple" or the Temple of Ninhursag, the architecture of the Grand Royal Palace and its wall paintings, and thus highlight a rich artistic production as evidenced by the famous "Lion of Mari." They also lift the veil on the administrative and economic life of the Mariotes through cylinder seals and cuneiform tablets. They also recount the history of the archaeological adventure that Mari represents, the constitution of the excavation archives and their preservation as well as the efforts to conserve and safeguard the site.
Destroyed by Hammurabi in 1759 BC, then rediscovered by the archaeologist and future director of the Louvre André Parrot, during the winter of 1933-1934, and finally caught up in the turmoil of the Syrian conflict since 2011, the city of Mari has an exceptional archaeological significance due to the testimonies of the past that it has delivered for the 3rd and the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. This work focuses on a specific period of its discontinuous history, marked by real times of construction and destruction, the period of the Sakkanakkus, which saw the emergence of a new phase of the city ("City III"). After its destruction by the kings of Akkad, Mari was reborn under the aegis of these governors who reigned over the ancient city from around 2300 to 1820/1810 BC.
Based on a precious selection of objects - archival images, inscribed clay bricks, stone statuettes, painting records, ceramics, etc. - from the collections of six institutions and resulting from nine decades of research, a dozen researchers explore the city's temples such as the "Lion Temple" or the Temple of Ninhursag, the architecture of the Grand Royal Palace and its wall paintings, and thus highlight a rich artistic production as evidenced by the famous "Lion of Mari." They also lift the veil on the administrative and economic life of the Mariotes through cylinder seals and cuneiform tablets. They also recount the history of the archaeological adventure that Mari represents, the constitution of the excavation archives and their preservation as well as the efforts to conserve and safeguard the site.