The housesThe houses were planned to accommodate the needs of an urban family. On the
ground floor was a central covered area with rooms opening off it for cooking, washing,
and a stable for a donkey; the reception room and living quarters were on the first floor
and also opened off the central space which provided air and light.
The history of City II and its endCity II lasted about two hundred years. Some echoes of its history are found in the Ebla
texts which give us the names of kings and illustrate some of their problems.
A fire brought City II to an end apparently after the victory of Naram-Sin over
Ishqi-Mari, the last king whose seal impressions were found in the burnt level of P 1.
MARI CITY IIIThe rebirth of MariThe destruction of City II was almost total, but the decision to rebuild it was quickly
taken. In reconstructing the palace (Figure 27. 7 ), Naram-Sin killed two birds with one
stone: he restored political power as well as putting the great sanctuary in the palace
back in working order. Thus the citadel took up its former role and the king could
again exercise his authority, even if it was by proxy. This is why Naram-Sin appointed
a governor or Shakkanakucalled Ididish to represent him.
The rapid dissolution of the Agade empire changed the original situation. The
weakness of the centre allowed the governor of Mari to assert his authority and to give
the city back its role as the pivot between Syria and Babylonia. The title of Shakkanaku
now referred to the supreme authority in Mari which re-established its position as the
capital of northern Mesopotamia. The status quowas established for several centuries
with a polarisation of the Syro-Mesopotamian world which reflected its true nature.
Mari shone brightly for a period of three or four centuries. The rarity of texts
covering this period makes it difficult to write its history and hides the brilliance
indicated by the archaeological evidence.
The stratigraphic problem: the difficulty of distinguishing between the Amorite
city and that of the ShakkanakuWe have seen that the people who rebuilt City II began by lowering the levels across
the site to an average of 4 m above the plain, above which the compartmented founda-
tions were built. This time the reconstruction took place on top of the destruction level
at an absolute height of 179 m; in some areas, the destruction level was smoothed over,
but without touching the burnt debris. Because of this there was not a uniform base
for rebuilding across the site, but the drainage system was respected.
In some places one can see at least two or three thick levels in the stratigraphy
(chantier F), but in others we see only one architectural level with foundations more
than a metre deep. In chantier K, at the base of the foundations an Agade tomb was
found, while below the floor of the house 1 meter above it were bricks with the name
–– J.-C. Margueron, trans H. Crawford ––