c. BCE . W RITING AND C ITY L IFE M AP : The Location of Mari T HEMES IN W ORLD H ISTORY The Palace at Mari of King Zimrilim ( - BCE ) Scribes’ office with benches and clay bins for storing tablets Courtyard Audience hall ( ) Outer court ( ) Inner court ( ) Throne room Entrance gate Well W RITING AND C ITY L IFE Kitchen Lavatory and Bath Painting on wall of Workshops and kitchen Royal suite The Palace at Mari of King Zimrilim ( - BCE ) The great palace of Mari was the residence of the royal family, the hub of administration, and a place of production, especially of precious metal ornaments. It was so famous in its time that a minor king came from north Syria just to see it, carrying with him a letter of introduction from a royal friend of the king of Mari, Zimrilim.
Daily lists reveal that huge quantities of food were presented each day for the king’s table: flour, bread, meat, fish, fruit, beer and wine. He probably ate in the company of many others, in or around courtyard , paved white. You will notice from the plan that the palace had only one entrance, on the north. The large, open courtyards such as were beautifully paved.
The king would have received foreign dignitaries and his own people in , a room with wall paintings that would have awed the visitors. The palace was a sprawling structure, with rooms and covered an area of . hectares. ACTIVITY Trace the route from the entrance to the inner court.
What do you think would have been kept in the storerooms? How has the kitchen been identified? T HEMES IN W ORLD H ISTORY The kings of Mari, however, had to be vigilant; herders of various tribes were allowed to move in the kingdom, but they were watched. The camps of herders are mentioned frequently in letters between kings and officials.
In one letter, an officer writes to the king that he has been