IDRIMI. The son of Ilimilimma who ruled Alalakh (Tell Atchana) in N
Syria in the first half of the 15th century b.c. He is known (1) from documents
found in level IV (ca. 1460–1400) of that site (although most of his reign
should be seen as belonging to level V), and (2) from his 104 line
“autobiography” inscribed on a statue found in a pit in the floor of a temple
of level I (ca 1200 b.c.). Leonard Woolley, the site’s excavator, thought that
this statue, an object of veneration, was originally fitted into a throne
flanked by lions (sphinxes have also been suggested) and that it had been
preserved in a series of temples from the 14th century to the destruction of
the site at the end of the LB Age.
The first section of the
inscription describes the circumstances by which Idrimi, a younger son, came to
power after his family was forced to flee from Aleppo, its original power base,
following an unspecified “evil occurrence.” He ultimately regained the kingdom
with the assistance of his father’s displaced supporters (ḫapiru) with whom he had lived for 7 years. His position as ruler
of Alalakh was confirmed by an alliance making him a vassal to Barrattarna, a
Hurrian king who previously had been his enemy (and who should be equated with
a like-named ruler mentioned in the Nuzi documents). The second section notes
major events in Idrimi’s reign including a campaign through Hittite territory
and the capture of 7 cities, the creation of a royal court, and the promotion
of the welfare of his subjects. A final section presents curses against those
who might efface the monument, and the unusual request of blessings for
Sharruwa, the scribe responsible for the text.
This text has been used to shed
light on Syria in the mid-2d millennium, a period about which little is known.
For example, Barrattarna and his suzerainty over Idrimi have been related to
the rise of the kingdom of Mitanni and its expansion into NW Syria. However,
dangers exist in using the text uncritically as an historical source. The
numerous literary and folkloristic aspects (the questing hero, the use of the
number 7—elements which have led scholars to compare Idrimi’s story to those of
such biblical figures as Joseph and David) suggest a document wherein real
events have been recast along traditional literary lines to glorify Idrimi and
emphasize his legitimacy. Some scholars have also proposed that the text be
seen as fictional or pseudo-historical, possibly based on fact, but created
perhaps as late as the 13th century b.c. (Gary H. Oller, “Idrimi,”
in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary,
ed. David Noel Freedman, 6 vols. [New York: Doubleday, 1992], 3:381-82)
