Marhasi

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Short description: Ancient Near Eastern Kingdom
Marhasi
š’ˆ„š’„©š’…†š’† 
Possible location of Marhasi, to the east of Sumer and Elam.

MarhaÅ”i (Sumerian: Mar-įø«a-Å”iKi š’ˆ„š’„©š’…†š’† , Marhashi, Marhasi, Parhasi, Barhasi; in earlier sources Waraįø«Å”e) was an important ancient Near East polity situated in the region near Elam. It is generally assumed, though not certain, that the Paraįø«Å”um/Baraįø«Å”um (š’€š’Šš’„“š’‹§š’†  pa2-ra-ah-shum2-ki) of the Akkadian Empire period referred to MarhaÅ”i. This equivalence has been challenged.[1] It is known from 3rd millennium BC and early 2nd millennium BC Mesopotamian sources. Its precise location has not been identified but the current thinking places it on the eastern side of the Iranian plateau.

The language of MarhaÅ”i is considered to be different from that of SimaÅ”ki, and only minimally Elamite-related.[2] MarhaÅ”i is known to have been the source of a number exotic trade goods for Mesopotamia including the "bear of MarhaÅ”i".[3] Other trade goods were lapis lazuli and carnelian. One lexical list includes a mention of "Carnelian which is speckled with yellow, Marįø«aÅ”i Carnelian is its name".[4]

History

Account of the victories of Rimush, king of Akkad, over Abalgamash, king of MarhaŔi, and upon Elamite cities. Louvre Museum AO5476.[5] In several inscriptions, Rimush described his conquest of Elam and Marhashi far to the east of Sumer, even mentioning victories over troops of Meluhha.[6][7]

Assuming the equivalence between Paraįø«Å”um/Baraįø«Å”um and MarhaÅ”i is correct, MarhaÅ”i was mentioned by two Akkadian Empire rulers. The empire's founder Sargon the Great took the title "conqueror of Elam and Parahsum". In inscriptions celebrating his military victories in the east are mentioned "Ulu[l], gene[ral] of Parahsum", "Dagu, brother of the kin[g] of Parahsum", "Sidga'u, general of Parahsum", and "Kundupum, judge of Parahsum".[7] After a rebellion the second ruler of Akkad, Rimush, reported defeating king Abalgamash of Paraįø«Å”um and capturing his general Sidgau saying "Zahara and Elam had assembled in Paraįø«Å”um for battle, but he (Rimus) was victorious (over them) and struck down 16,212 men (and) took 4,216 captives". In the aftermath he "he conquered the cities of Elam, destroyed their walls, and tore out the foundations of Paraįø«Å”um [from the land of Elam]". The battle took place "in [betwe]en (the cities of) [Aw]an and [Susa], by the [Mid]dle Ri[ver]". The booty of this victory included "Diorite, dusu-stone and (various) stones which I took ... as booty of Paraįø«Å”um". A number of bowls and vases were found in Nippur inscribed that they were booty from Paraįø«Å”um, dedicated to the god Enlil.[7][8] Akkadian empire ruler Naram-Sin took as a title "commander of all the land of Elam, as far as Paraįø«Å”um, and the land of [S]ubartum as far as the Cedar Forest".[7]

King Shulgi of the Ur-III dynasty gave his daughter Liwwir-mittaŔu, in marriage to the king of MarhaŔi in his 18th year "Year Liwwir-mittaŔu the king's daughter was elevated to the ladyship in MarhaŔi".[9] One of the generals (Ŕagina) of Shulgi's successor Amar-Sin, a HabruŔa, is attested as leading "troops from MarhaŔi" in Amar-Sin's 5th regnal year.[10] The final Ur III ruler, Ibbi-Sin, in a text reports fashioning for the god Nanna "an image of a Meluhhan speckled "dog" that had been brought to him as tribute from Marhasi. He [dedicated (it) for [h]is (own) life. The name of that speckled "dog" (is): "May he catch (the enemy)".[11] In one Ur III text a "LibanaŔgubi, messenger of LibanukŔabaŔ, governor of MarhaŔi" is listed.[12] Another text notes that a royal gift was brought by one Banana a "man of Marhashi".[13]

Hammurabi of Babylonia's 30th year name was

"Year Hammurabi the king, the mighty, the beloved of Marduk, drove away with the supreme power of the great gods the army of Elam who had gathered from the border of MarhaŔi, Subartu, Gutium, Tupliash (Eshnunna) and Malgium who had come up in multitudes, and having defeated them in one campaign, he (Hammurabi) secured the foundations of Sumer and Akkad."[9]

On a fragment from a statue of Kurigalzu II found at Susa, thought to be part of the booty from the Elamite raid of Mesopotamia under ruler Kidin-Hutran (c. 1224 BC), was found the inscription "Kurigalzu, the king of the universe, who has struck Susa and Elam as far as the border of [Mar]įø«aÅ”i". The mention of MarhaÅ”i is an anachronism, typical in Kassite inscriptions, cribbed from Akkadian Empire texts.[14]

The name Marįø«aÅ”i may appear in a damaged tablet where it designates an area to the north and east conquered by Neo-Babylonian Empire ruler Nebuchadrezzar II (605ā€“562 BC) though that restoration is uncertain.[15]

In literary tradition

In the purely literary Sumerian text The Cursing of Akkad, composed during the later Ur III period and which blamed the fall of civilization on the Akkadian Empire, it lists one of the benefits of having the blessing of Inanna "That even MarhaŔi would be reentered on the (tribute) rolls".[16]

In the much later Sumerian literary composition Great Revolt against Naram-Sin one of the many kings who revolted against him was a Hubshumkibi of MarhaŔi.[17]

In the Sumerian royal hymn for Ishbi-Erra (c. 2017ā€” 1986 BC) ruler of the city-state Isin in the Isin-Larsa period it states "From Basime on the sea-coast (...) to the border of; from Urua, the bolt of Elam (...) to the border of MarhaƤi" as being the territory of Å imaÅ”ki ruler Kindattu, where Urua - Marhasi defines an eastā€“west axis and BaÅ”ime (Pashime) - Zabsali defines a south to north axis. PaÅ”ime is now know to be at the site of Tell Abu Sheeja.[18]

In a much later Old Babylonian period Sumerian literary composition the Early Dynastic period Lugal-Anne-Mundu of Adab mentions MarhaÅ”i among the seven provinces of his empire, between the names of Elam and Gutium: "the Cedar Mountains, Elam, Marįø«aÅ”i, Gutium, Subartu, Amurru, Sutium, or the Eanna Mountain".[19] The composition also states that he confronted Migir-Enlil, the governor (ensi) of Marhashi, who had led a coalition of 13 rebel chiefs against him.[20][21]

In the fragmentary early 2nd millennium BC Sumerian myth text Enki and the World Order, the god Enki rebuilds the world after a catastrophe. It includes the phrase "He cleansed and purified the land of Dilmun. He placed Ninsikila in charge of it. He gave ...... for the fish spawn, ate its ...... fish, bestowed palms on the cultivated land, ate its dates. ...... Elam and Marhaci ....... ...... to devour ....... The king endowed with strength by Enlil destroyed their houses, demolished (?) their walls. He brought their silver and lapis-lazuli, their treasure, to Enlil, king of all the lands, in Nibru"[22][23]

Location

Early on MarhaŔi was speculated to be east of the Diyala river and in the mountains northwest or north of Elam. [24][25] This was based on an inscription of a little known early Old Babylonian period ruler of Der, Ilum-muttabbil, who claimed defeating the armies of Anshan, Elam, and Simaski, in alliance with MarhaŔi.[26]

In modern times the consensus has shifted to a location on the eastern side of the Iranian plateau (holding Susa and Anshan), acting as an intermediate between Mesopotamia and Meluhha further to the east.[27]

Rulers of MarhaŔi

The main rulers known from inscriptions are:[12][7][27]

  1. Abalgamash (revolted against Rimush, king of Akkad)
  2. HupŔumkipi (contemporary with Naram-Sin of Akkad)
  3. Hashibatal (contemporary with Shulgi king of Ur)
  4. Arwilukpi (contemporary with Amar-Sin king of Ur)
  5. Libanu-ugŔabaŔ (contemporary with Amar-Sin king of Ur)

Artifacts

  • "Abalgamash, King of Marhashi" (š’€€š’€š’€ š’‚µš’ˆ¦ š’ˆ— š’€š’Šš’„“š’‹³š’†  Abalgamash Lugal Paraahshum-ki) on one of the Rimush inscriptions (Louvre Museum, AO 5476)
    "Abalgamash, King of Marhashi" (š’€€š’€š’€ š’‚µš’ˆ¦ š’ˆ— š’€š’Šš’„“š’‹³š’†  Abalgamash Lugal Paraahshum-ki) on one of the Rimush inscriptions (Louvre Museum, AO 5476)
  • Prisoner of the Akkadian Empire, nude, fettered, drawn by nose ring, with pointed beard and vertical braid. Fragment of a vase possibly from Warka, ancient Uruk. Louvre museum.[28]
    Prisoner of the Akkadian Empire, nude, fettered, drawn by nose ring, with pointed beard and vertical braid. Fragment of a vase possibly from Warka, ancient Uruk. Louvre museum.[28]
  • The area of Jiroft and the Jiroft culture may correspond to the ancient country of Marhashi.[29]
    The area of Jiroft and the Jiroft culture may correspond to the ancient country of Marhashi.[29]

See also

References

  1. ā†‘ Westenholz, A., "The Old Akkadian period: History and culture", in Attinger, P. and WƤfler, M, eds. Mesopotamien: Akkade-Zeit und Ur III-Zeit. Freiburg: AnnƤherungen 3 [= Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 160/3], pp. 17-117, 1999
  2. ā†‘ F. Vallat, "ElĆ©ments de gĆ©ographie Ć©lamite (rĆ©sumĆ©)", PO 11, pp. 49ā€“54, 1985
  3. ā†‘ Horowitz, Wayne, "ā€œThe Ship of the Desert, the Donkey of the Seaā€: The Camel in Early Mesopotamia Revisited", Birkat Shalom: Studies in the Bible, Ancient Near Eastern Literature, and Postbiblical Judaism Presented to Shalom M. Paul on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday, edited by Chaim Cohen, Victor Avigdor Hurowitz, Avi M. Hurvitz, Yochanan Muffs, Baruch J. Schwartz and Jeffrey H. Tigay, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 597-612, 2008
  4. ā†‘ Feingold, Rony, "Raw Materials and their Origins", Engraved on Stone: Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals and Seal Inscriptions in the Old Babylonian Period, Piscataway, NJ, USA: Gorgias Press, pp. 7-22, 2014
  5. ā†‘ "CDLI-Found Texts". https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/search_results.php?SearchMode=Text&ObjectID=P220618. 
  6. ā†‘ "CDLI-Archival View". https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P461954. 
  7. ā†‘ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Douglas R. Frayne, The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334ā€“2113), University of Toronto Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8020-0593-4
  8. ā†‘ Marchesi, Gianni, "Object, Images, and Text: Remarks on Two ā€œIntercultural Styleā€ Vessels from Nippur", Materiality of Writing in Early Mesopotamia, edited by Thomas E. Balke and Christina Tsouparopoulou, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 95-10, 2016
  9. ā†‘ 9.0 9.1 Ebeling, E. and Meissner, B., "Reallexikon der Assyriologie (RIA-2), Berlin, 1938
  10. ā†‘ Steinkeller, Piotr, "CorvĆ©e Labor in Ur III Times", From the 21st Century B.C. to the 21st Century A.D.: Proceedings of the International Conference on Neo-Sumerian Studies Held in Madrid, 22ā€“24 July 2010, edited by Steven J. Garfinkle and Manuel Molina, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 347-424, 2013
  11. ā†‘ Frayne, Douglas, "Ibbi-SĆ®n E3/2.1.5", in Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 361-392, 1997
  12. ā†‘ 12.0 12.1 Dahl, Jacob L., "Receipts: The Primary Documents", Ur III Texts in the SchĆøyen Collection, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 95-161, 2020
  13. ā†‘ Potts, Daniel T., "Exit Aratta: Southeastern Iran and the Land of Marhashi", Nāme-ye Irān-e Bāstān 4.1, pp. 1-11, 2004
  14. ā†‘ Roaf, Michael, "Kassite and Elamite Kings", Volume 1 KarduniaÅ”. Babylonia under the Kassites 1, edited by Alexa Bartelmus and Katja Sternitzke, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 166-195, 2017
  15. ā†‘ Lambert, W. G., "Nebuchadnezzar King of Justice", Iraq, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 1ā€“11, 1965
  16. ā†‘ PitkƤnen, Pekka, "Divine Presence and Centralization", Central Sanctuary and Centralization of Worship in Ancient Israel: From the Settlement to the Building of Solomon's Temple, Piscataway, NJ, USA: Gorgias Press, pp. 25-68, 2014
  17. ā†‘ Westenholz, Joan Goodnick, "The Great Revolt against Naram-Sin", Legends of the Kings of Akkade: The Texts, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 221-262, 1997
  18. ā†‘ Stolper, Matthew W., "On the Dynasty of Å imaÅ”ki and the Early Sukkalmahs", Zeitschrift fĆ¼r Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische ArchƤologie , vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 42-67, 1982
  19. ā†‘ "CDLI-Found Texts". https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/search_results.php?SearchMode=Text&ObjectID=P450160. 
  20. ā†‘ Chen, Yanli; Wu, Yuhong (25 September 2017). "CDLJ 2017:1". Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2017 (1). https://cdli.ucla.edu/pubs/cdlj/2017/cdlj2017_001.html. 
  21. ā†‘ Douglas Frayne, "Adab", Presargonic Period: Early Periods, Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC), RIM The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia Volume 1, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 17-34, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4426-9047-9
  22. ā†‘ Cooper, Jerrold S., "Enki and the World Order: A Sumerian Myth", Enki and the World Order. De Gruyter, 2024 ISBN 978-1501522536
  23. ā†‘ Enki and the World Order - ETSCL
  24. ā†‘ Albright, W. F., "A Babylonian Geographical Treatise on Sargon of Akkad's Empire", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 45, 1925, pp. 193ā€“245, 1925
  25. ā†‘ Goetze, Albrecht, "Hulibar of Duddul", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 114ā€“23, 1953
  26. ā†‘ [1]D. O. Edzard, "Konigsinscriften Des Iraq Museums. II", Sumer 15, pp. 19-26, 1959
  27. ā†‘ 27.0 27.1 Steinkeller, Piotr, "The Question of Marįø«aÅ”i: A Contribution to the Historical Geography of Iran in the Third Millennium B.C." Zeitschrift fĆ¼r Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische ArchƤologie, vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 237-265, 1982
  28. ā†‘ "Louvre Museum Official Website". http://cartelen.louvre.fr/cartelen/visite?srv=car_not&idNotice=12137. 
  29. ā†‘ Ɓlvarez-Mon, Javier; Basello, Gian Pietro; Wicks, Yasmina (2018) (in en). The Elamite World. Routledge. p. 372. ISBN 978-1-317-32983-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=yClKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT372. 

Further reading

  • [2]Bertrand Lafont, "The Toponym Ligriki", Cuneiform Digital Library Bulletin, 2002
  • [3]Olmstead, A. T., "The Babylonian Empire", The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 35.2, pp. 65-100,1919
  • Potts, D. T., "Total prestation in Marhashi-Ur relations", Iranica Antiqua 37, pp. 343-357, 2002
  • Steinkeller, Piotr, "Marįø«aÅ”i", RLA 7, pp. 381ā€“382, 1989
  • Steinkeller, Piotr, "New Light on MarhaÅ”i and Its Contacts with Makkan and Babylonia", Journal of Magan Studies 1, pp. 1ā€“17, 2006
  • Steinkeller, Piotr, "New Light on MarhaÅ”i and Its Contacts with Makkan and Babylonia", in Aux marges de lā€™archĆ©ologie : Hommage Ć  Serge Cleuziou. Travaux de la Maison RenĆ©-GinouvĆØs 16, edited by J. Giraud, and G. Gernez, Paris: ƈd De Boccard, pp. 261ā€“74, 2012
  • Steinkeller, P., "MarhaÅ”i and Beyond: The Jiroft Civilization in a Historical Perspective", in B. Cerasetti, C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky and B. Genito (eds), ā€˜My Life is Like a Summer Roseā€™. Marizio Tosi e lā€™archaeologia come modo di vivere. Papers in Honour of Maurizio Tosi for His 70th Birthday (BAR International Series 2690), pp. 691ā€“707, 2014
  • [4] Chen, Yanli, and Yuhong Wu., "The Names of the Leaders and Diplomats of Marįø«aÅ”i and Related Men in the Ur III Dynasty", Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2017 (1), 2017
  • Zadok, Ran, "Issues in the Historical Geography and the Ethno-Linguistic Character of the Zagros and Adjacent Regions", A Question of Identity: Social, Political, and Historical Aspects of Identity Dynamics in Jewish and Other Contexts, edited by Dikla Rivlin Katz, Noah Hacham, Geoffrey Herman and Lilach Sagiv, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, pp. 71-110, 2019



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