Mari Tablets

Overview

Excavated at the site of Mari in eastern Syria beginning in 1933 by French archaeologist André Parrot, the Mari Tablets comprise over 20,000 clay documents that provide a comprehensive view of 18th century BCE Near Eastern administration, trade, and diplomacy. The tablets, written in Akkadian cuneiform, reveal a sophisticated kingdom engaged in extensive international relations, including correspondence with distant city-states that mentions peoples and events with potential biblical connections. Notably, the archives reference individuals bearing names identical to those in Genesis, such as Laban and Nahor, and describe social structures involving inheritance and marriage that parallel patriarchal traditions. The tablets also document the presence of 'Habiru', a class of semi-nomadic people who may correspond to early Hebrews or early Israelites. These texts illuminate the political landscape of the region during the time of the patriarchs, showing a world where city-states like Mari maintained complex diplomatic networks that included interactions with nomadic groups from the west. The discovery has been instrumental in confirming that the cultural and administrative context described in Genesis reflects historical realities of the Bronze Age Near East.

Inscription