The Identity of Martu (dMAR.TU) in the Ur III Period Cover Image

The Identity of Martu (dMAR.TU) in the Ur III Period
The Identity of Martu (dMAR.TU) in the Ur III Period

Author(s): Andreas Johandi
Subject(s): Archaeology, History of Religion, Prehistory
Published by: Editura Universităţii »Alexandru Ioan Cuza« din Iaşi
Keywords: Martu; Amurru; Amorites; Marduk; Mesopotamian religion; Ur III pantheon;

Summary/Abstract: The main purpose of this article is to study the divine figure(s) who hid behind the writing dMAR.TU during the Ur III period. The question is posed whether this writing signified only Martu/Amurru, the Amorite deity, or is there any reason to believe that Martu was not the only divine concept that stood behind this writing. As we know, in some other cases in Mesopotamian religion, the names of several deities were written in the same way (with the same signs). Some earlier studies have assumed that there was a connection between the similarly named gods Martu and Marduk. In the second part of the article, this question is revisited and it is asked whether the "other" dMAR.TU could be identical with Marduk, the later king of the gods in Mesopotamia. Finally, the relationship of dMAR.TU to the divine figure named AN.AN.MAR.TU is also discussed.

  • Issue Year: 27/2021
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 267-278
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: English