| Ishqi-Mari | |
| King of Mari | |
| Reign: | c. 2350-2330 BCE Middle Chronology |
| Succession1: | King of Mari |
Ishqi-Mari or Ishgi-Mari (iš11-gi4-ma-rí),[1] previously read Lamgi-Mari, was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2350-2330 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, Ikun-Shamash probably being the oldest one. The third king is Iku-Shamagan, also known from an inscribed statue.
In their inscriptions, these Mari kings used a dialect of the Akkadian language, whereas their Sumerian contemporaries to the south used the Sumerian language.[2]
It is thought that Ishqi-Mari was the last king of Mari before the conquest and the destruction of Mari by the Akkadian Empire under Sargon circa 2330 BCE.[3]
Ishqi-Mari is known from a statue with inscription.[2] The statue is in the Aleppo National Museum.[4] [5] [6] The inscription on the back of the statue reads:
This inscription was instrumental in identifying Tell Hariri with the Mari of antiquity.[7]
Several cylinder seals with intricate designs in the name of "Ishqi-Mari, King of Mari" are also known.[8]
The statue of Ishqi-Mari was discovered buried in the archaeological remains of the ancient city of Mari, in the Temple of Ishtar, by a French archaeological team led by André Parrot on 23 January 1934.[9]
The statue shows Ishqi-Mari with a long beard and parted and plaited hair. He wears a hairbun similar to the Sumerian royal hairbuns, such as on the headdress of Meskalamdug or reliefs on Eannatum.[4] [10] He wears a fringed coat leaving one shoulder bare, a type of clothing also seen on contemporary Akkadian Empire depictions of rulers.[11]
