 | This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (March 2024) |
Abarakkum is translated in Akkadian as "steward, house-keeper or administrator" of a temple, palace, or private household. The term was a loan word from the Sumerian lexicon. Sumerian literature described this position as an official entrusted with state secrets (ad-hal). In documents from the royal archives of Mari, Syria, the title designated the male administrator of the palace kitchens.
The position was cited in several administrative documents under the reign of Zimri-Lim, who maintained an extensive correspondence with his governors. The Mari archives recorded a noted abarakkum identified as Asqudum, who served during the first three years of Lim's reign. 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. 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. A letter written by a major Saggarâtum official called Iskur-Saga also identified an abarakkum called Yawi-la in an account of his administrative duties.
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.
References
- ^ Heimpel, Wolfgang (2003). Letters to the King of Mari: A New Translation, with Historical Introduction, Notes, and Commentary. Eisenbrauns. p. 529. ISBN 9781575060804.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sasson, Jack (2004). "The King's Table: Food and Fealty in Old Babylonian Mari". History of the Ancient Near East/Studies. IX: 179–215.
 | This ancient Near East–related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |