Mari Letters

The Mari Letters are a collection of ancient texts discovered in the ruins of the city of Mari, located on the Euphrates River in modern-day Syria. Excavations revealed a vast palace belonging to King Zimrilim, whose prosperous reign ended when Hammurabi of Babylon conquered the city in the 18th century BCE.1

Within the palace, archaeologists found nearly 300 rooms, including administrative offices and scribal chambers. These chambers yielded thousands of archives, primarily diplomatic correspondence and reports from across the region. The letters provide invaluable insights into the political and diplomatic landscape of the time, detailing treaties, embassies, and military alliances. They also offer a vivid picture of daily life and historical events, significantly expanding knowledge of Assyrian geography and history.12