[modem Tell Hariri]. Situated on the middle Euphrates River in Syria, Mari was a wealthy and powerful city in the 3rd and early 2nd millennium bc. The city probably dates back to the Early Dynastic II period and was occupied until its final destruction by Hammurabi in 1757 bc on the Middle Chronology (see Table 3, page 321). Among the important Early Dynastic buildings are six temples dedicated to Ishtar, goddess of love, while from the Old Babylonian period evidence of growing secular power is seen in the Palace. The Great Palace was repeatedly enlarged during its 400-year period of use before it was destroyed in Hammurabi’s campaign.During the reign of Zimri-Lim, last king of Mari, it covered two hectares and had 250 rooms, including an audience chamber and other reception rooms, as well as administrative and residential quarters. The structure demonstrates clearly the multiple functions of the palace as residence of the ruler, place of reception for important guests, centre for the civil service, and tax and storage depot. An archive of some 25,000 tablets has provided invaluable information about the economic organization of the city state and its international relations, both commercial and political. A room near the archive has been interpreted as a school — the only one known from Mesopotamia, although schooling was certainly an important aspect of Mesopotamian society. The Palace is famous also for its mural decorations: both representational pictures and geometric designs were painted directly on a thin layer of mud plaster and represent a new and impressive school of decoration.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied