The Kingdom of Mari: Cities, Villages and Identities during the Old Babylonian Period (2000-1600 BCE)

Abstract

In this short contribution we would like elaborate some thoughts on two different types of settlements that were located throughout the kingdom of Mari, during the Old Babylonian period: cities and villages. In the Royal Archive of Mari, residents of the political centre of Mari are described using references closely linked to labour, rather than to other identity diacritics. In the smaller cities and villages, however, the attested identities in the sources also highlight the ethnic issue, something that is mostly occluded in the capital city.