Royal Archives of Mari — Patriarchal Parallels
ארכיון מארי
Author: Scribes royaux du royaume de Mari (c. 1800–1750 av. J.-C.)
Date: c. 1900–1750 av. J.-C.
Preservation: Musée du Louvre (Paris), Musée national d'Alep (Syrie)
deposited on April 16, 2026 · History register · custodian, not owner
❧ Description
The royal archives of Mari, over 25,000 cuneiform tablets discovered in Syria, document a world of semi-nomadic pastoral tribes whose lifestyle, migrations, and clan structures strikingly illuminate the patriarchal milieu described in Genesis. Personal names attested at Mari (Abram, Jacob, Ishmael, Laban) overlap with biblical anthroponyms.
In history
Critical research
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English
The royal archives of Mari, over 25,000 cuneiform tablets discovered in Syria, document a world of semi-nomadic pastoral tribes whose lifestyle, migrations, and clan structures strikingly illuminate the patriarchal milieu described in Genesis. Personal names attested at Mari (Abram, Jacob, Ishmael, Laban) overlap with biblical anthroponyms.