The Assyrian Eponym Chronicles represent an important source for the
chronology of the Ancient Near East. They are chronicles or annals, which list at least one notable event per year under the name of a ruling official.
The oldest eponym chronicle is the one compiled at
Mari in the 18th century BC, covering the years before and during the reign of
Shamshi-Adad I
Shamshi-Adad ( akk, Šamši-Adad; Amorite: ''Shamshi-Addu''), ruled 1808–1776 BC, was an Amorite warlord and conqueror who had conquered lands across much of Syria, Anatolia, and Upper Mesopotamia.Some of the Mari letters addressed to Shamsi-Ad ...
.
It is extant in eleven fragments excavated at the
Royal Palace of Mari
The Royal Palace of Mari was the royal residence of the rulers of the ancient kingdom of Mari in eastern Syria. Situated centrally amidst Palestine, Syria, Babylon, Levant, and other Mesopotamian city-states, Mari acted as the “middle-man†...
and first edited by M. Birot in 1985.
Michel (2002) proposed the identification of a solar eclipse mentioned in the Mari Eponym Chronicle (in the year eponymous of Puzur-Ishtar) as occurring on 24 June 1833 BC.
[C. Michel, "Nouvelles données pour la chronologie du IIe millénaire", ''Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires (NABU)'', 2002, issue 1, note 20, pages 17-18]
According to
Werner Nahm (2014) this would date the beginning of the reign of
Hammurabi
Hammurabi (Akkadian: ; ) was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from to BC. He was preceded by his father, Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to failing health. During his reign, he conquered Elam and the city-states ...
to 1784 BC (close to the date of 1792 BC according to the
Middle Chronology
The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
).
See also
*
Chronology of the ancient Near East
References
*M Birot, "Les chroniques 'Assyriennes' de Mari", ''MARI'' 4 (1985), 219–242.
*Rafal Kolinski, "The Mari Eponym Chronicle: Reconstruction of the Lay-Out of the Text and the Placement of Fragment C", '' Anatolica'' 41 (2015), 61–86.
*A. Millard
"The Eponyms of the Assyrian Empire 910-612 BC" Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project (1994)
18th-century BC literature
1985 archaeological discoveries
Archaeological discoveries in Mari, Syria
Middle Eastern chronicles
Chronology
Assyriology
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