Zimri-Lim

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Zimri-Lim was in the Middle Bronze Age the king of Mari (c. 1767–1752 BCE; low chronology).

Background

Family

Zimri-Lim ( Akkadian: ''Zi-im-ri Li-im'') was the son or grandson of king Yahdun-Lim of Mari.

Exile

The assassination of Yahdun-Lim by his own servants during a palace coup, forced Zimri-Lim to flee to the neighboring Great Kingdom of Yamhad (Halab, Aleppo). Mari was occupied by Shamshi-Adad I, the king of Ekallatum, who put his own son Yasmah-Adad on the throne.

Ruler of Alalakh

Zimri-Lim went into exile under Sumu-Epuh of Yamhad, and became the vassal ruler of Alalakh, unable to claim his rightful heritage to the throne of Mari.

Reign

Following the death of Shamshi-Adad I of Assyria (c. 1776/1775 BC; middle chronology), Zimri-Lim was aided by Yarim-Lim I, the Great King of Yamhad, to oust Yasmah-Adad from the throne of Mari.

There is an Akkadian literary text, written in the early years of his reign, entitled The Epic of Zimri-Lim.

Zimri-Lim ruled Mari for about fifteen years, and campaigned extensively to establish his power in the neighboring areas along the Euphrates and the Khabur valley. He extended the royal palace in the city, which was possibly the largest at the time, containing over 260 rooms at the ground level, and certainly the envy of other kings. It was destroyed by Hammurabi of Babylon.

Zimri-Lim's personal life is partly known through tablets preserved in the state archive of Mari. He married Shibtu, a princess of Yamkhad (Aleppo and surrounding territory), and is known to have had at least eight daughters through various wives. Several of his daughters were married to rulers of local towns, and two others are known to have become priestesses. Correspondence between the king and his daughters provides evidence that Zimri-Lim thought highly of women and considered them competent at making decisions.

He had a tenuous relationship with kingdom of Andarig, with which he battled and occasionally allied.

He was known for his lavish banquets at which delicacies such as chickpea salad, fried locusts, and large amounts of desert truffle were served.

Elamite War

He was also active on a wider stage, and for a time (perhaps about 1764 BCE) was allied with Hammurabi in his wars against Elam, Eshnunna, and Larsa. Zimri-Lim lent troops to Hammurabi's campaigns, and although the two kept extensive diplomatic contacts, it appears they never met in person.

Fall of Mari to Hammurabi of Babylon

After the defeat of Elam, there was no outside force to keep the precarious balance of power between the Kings of Mesopotamia. The alliance between Zimri-Lim and Hammurabi deteriorated after Babylon's conquest of Larsa. In 1762 BCE, Hammurabi conquered and sacked Mari (though it may be that the city had surrendered without a fight), despite the previous alliance. At this time Zimri-Lim disappears from historical view, and is presumed to have been killed. Terqa becomes the new center of the Kingdom of Khana.

See also

* ''Investiture of Zimri-Lim''
* List of Mesopotamian dynasties

References

Sources

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* Charpin, D. (1992). "Les legendes de sceaux de Mari: Nouvelles Données". In Young, Gordon D. (ed.). ''Mari in Retrospect: Fifty Years of Mari and Mari Studies''. Eisenbrauns. pp. 59–76. ISBN 978-0-931464-28-7.
* Pappi, Cinzia. "Religion and Politics at the Divine Table: The Cultic Travels of Zimrī-Līm". Organization, Representation, and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East: Proceedings of the 54th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Würzburg 20–25 Jul, edited by Gernot Wilhelm, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, 2022, pp. 579–590
* Heimpel, Wolfgang. "2. Reconstruction of Events during Years 9` to 11` of Zimri-Lim’s Reign". Letters to the King of Mari: A New Translation, with Historical Introduction, Notes, and Commentary, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, 2021, pp. 37–164
* Miglio, Adam E.. "ZIMRI-LIM’S CONDUCT OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS". Tribe and State: The Dynamics of International Politics and the Reign of Zimri-Lim, Piscataway, NJ, USA: Gorgias Press, 2014, pp. 109–186
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* Van de Mieroop, Marc (2005). ''King Hammurabi of Babylon (Third ed.)''. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 16–78. ISBN 1-4051-2660-4.


Válek, František, "The Epic of Zimrī-Lîm.", Masters Dissertation, Czech Institute of Egyptology, Univerzita Karlova, Filozofická fakulta, 2022.
{{Rulers of Mari, state=collapsed
18th-century BC monarchs
Kings of Mari
18th-century BC deaths
Year of birth unknown
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