Abarakkum is translated in Akkadian as "steward,[1] house-keeper or administrator"[2] of a temple, palace, or private household.[3] The term was a loan word from the Sumerian lexicon.[4] Sumerian literature described this position as an official entrusted with state secrets (ad-hal).[5] In documents from the royal archives of Mari, Syria, the title designated the male administrator of the palace kitchens.[citation needed]
The position was cited in several administrative documents under the reign of Zimri-Lim, who maintained an extensive correspondence with his governors.[6] The Mari archives recorded a noted abarakkum identified as Asqudum, who served during the first three years of Lim's reign.[1] He was an important figure not only in the government's administration but also in other areas, having been sent to diplomatic, military, and administrative missions.[7] Another historical figure who occupied this position was Bulatatum. He was tasked with the distribution of agrarian tools during the reign of the Babylonian king Ammi-saduqa.[2] A letter written by a major Saggaratum official called Iskur-Saga also identified an abarakkum called Yawi-la in an account of his administrative duties.[8]
Other sources identified a palace position in Mari called abarakkatum, which was occupied by women doing auxiliary tasks, and abarakku, a position who received garments or was associated with food services.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Heimpel, Wolfgang (2003). Letters to the King of Mari: A New Translation, with Historical Introduction, Notes, and Commentary. Eisenbrauns. p. 529. ISBN 9781575060804.
- ^ a b Pecha, Lukáš (15 October 2018). The Material and Ideological Base of the Old Babylonian State: History, Economy, and Politics. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 102. ISBN 9781498559881.
- ^ Seri, Andrea (31 July 2013). The House of Prisoners: Slavery and State in Uruk during the Revolt against Samsu-iluna. Walter de Gruyter. p. 172. ISBN 9781614510970.
- ^ Orientalia: Vol. 15. Gregorian Biblical BookShop.
- ^ Ehrlich, Carl S. (16 January 2009). Beckman, Gary; Foster, Benjamin R.; Hollis, Susan Tower; Kottsieper, Ingo; Pitard, Wayne T.; Rubio, Gonzalo (eds.). From an Antique Land: An Introduction to Ancient Near Eastern Literature. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 34. ISBN 9780742563476.
- ^ Postgate, Nicholas (2015). Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History. Oxon: Taylor & Francis. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-138-17076-6.
- ^ Heimpel, Wolfgang (2003). Letters to the King of Mari: A New Translation, with Historical Introduction, Notes, and Commentary. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. pp. 529, 597. ISBN 1-57506-080-9.
- ^ a b Sasson, Jack (2004). "The King's Table: Food and Fealty in Old Babylonian Mari". History of the Ancient Near East/Studies. IX: 179–215.
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