Ishqi-Mari or Ishgi-Mari ( iš₁₁-gi₄-ma-rí), previously read Lamgi-Mari, was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2350-2330 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology,

Ikun-Shamash Ikun-Shamash or Iku-Shamash () was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BC. According to François Thureau-Dangin, the king reigned at a time earlier than Ur-Nanshe's of Lagash. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeo ...

probably being the oldest one. The third king is

Iku-Shamagan Iku-Shamagan (, ''i-ku- Dsha-ma-gan'') was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, Ikun-Shamash probably being the oldest one. Another king was Ishqi-Mari, also known f ...

, also known from an inscribed statue. In their inscriptions, these Mari kings used a dialect of the

Akkadian language Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language t ...

, whereas their

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of ...

ian contemporaries to the south used the

Sumerian language Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 3000 BC. It is accepted to be a local language isolate and to have been spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is modern-day ...

. It is thought that Ishqi-Mari was the last king of Mari before the conquest and the destruction of Mari by the

Akkadian Empire The Akkadian Empire () was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one r ...

under Sargon circa 2330 BCE.

Inscriptions

Ishqi-Mari is known from a statue with inscription. The statue is in the Aleppo National Museum. The inscription on the back of the statue reads: This inscription was instrumental in identifying Tell Hariri with the Mari of antiquity. Several cylinder seals with intricate designs in the name of "Ishqi-Mari, King of Mari" are also known.

Discovery (23 January 1934)

The statue of Ishqi-Mari was discovered buried in the archaeological remains of the ancient city of Mari, in the Temple of

Ishtar Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in Su ...

, by a French archaeological team led by

André Parrot André Charles Ulrich Parrot (15 February 1901 – 24 August 1980) was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and is best known for his work at Mari, Syria, where he led ...

on 23 January 1934. The statue shows Ishqi-Mari with a long beard and parted and plaited hair. He wears a hairbun similar to the Sumerian royal hairbuns, such as on the headdress of Meskalamdug or reliefs on

Eannatum Eannatum ( sux, ) was a Sumerian '' Ensi'' (ruler or king) of Lagash circa 2500–2400 BCE. He established one of the first verifiable empires in history: he subdued Elam and destroyed the city of Susa as well as several other Iranian cities, ...

. He wears a fringed coat leaving one shoulder bare, a type of clothing also seen on contemporary

depictions of rulers. File:Ishqi-Mari statue (front).jpg, Ishqi-Mari statue (front) File:Ishqi-Mari statue (side).jpg, Ishqi-Mari statue (side) File:Ishqi-Mari statue (back).jpg, Ishqi-Mari statue (back)

In Aleppo museum

File:Ishqi-Mari profile.jpg, Ishqi-Mari in profile. He wears a hairbun similar the Sumerian royal hairbuns, such as on the headdress of Meskalamdug or reliefs on

. The inscription is visible on the back of the right shoulder. Mari statues in Aleppo Museum (Ishqi-Mari highlighted).jpg, Statues from Mari. The statue of Ishqi-Mari appears partially on the left: it is much smaller than many of the traditional Mari statues. Aleppo National Museum File:Mari priest figures (3rd millenium BC), Aleppo National Museum, Syria.jpg, Ishqi-Mari (forefront, in profile), before larger figures.

References

{{Early Rulers of Mesopotamia Kings of Mari 24th-century BC rulers 24th-century BC people