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Marad (Sumerian: Marda, modern Tell Wannat es-Sadum or Tell as-Sadoum (also Wana-Sedoum), Iraq) was an ancient Near Eastern city. Marad was situated on the west bank of the then western branch of the Upper Euphrates River west of Nippur in modern-day Iraq and roughly 50 km southeast of Kish, on the Arahtu River. The site was identified in 1912 based on a Neo-Babylonian inscription on a truncated cylinder of Nebuchadrezzar noting the restoration of the temple. The cylinder was not excavated but rather found by locals so its provenance was not certain, as to some extent was the site's identification as Marad.Thureau-dangin, f., Bibliographie., RA 9, pp. 84, 1912Banks, Edgar J., "Nebuchadnezzar as a Builder", Scientific American, vol. 110, no. 15, pp. 314–20, 1914 In ancient times it was on the canal, Abgal, running between Babylon and Isin.
The city's main temple, a ziggurat, is E-igi-kalama (House which is the eye of the Land).Stephanie Dalley (1998) Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the flood, Gilgamesh, and others. Oxford University Press p324 It was dedicated to Lugal-Marada (thought by some to be a manifestation of Ninurta), the tutelary deity of Marad and the god of earth and the plow, built by one of Naram-Sin's sons.Clay, Albert T., "The Site of Marad", Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, vol. 17, no. 1-6, pp. 55-57, 1914
After the fall of that empire Marad fell under the sway of the Ur III empire, again via a governor. The city was briefly under the control of Elam under until Elam fell to Ur with the first Ur III ruler, Ur-Nammu writing "Then: Umma, Marda, Šubur, Kazallu, and their settlements, and whatsoever was oppressed by Anšan, verily, I established their freedom".Sharlach, Tonia. "Princely Employments in the Reign of Shulgi" Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-68, 2022 In 1920 a researcher purchased a small tablet "from a little Arab boy in the ruins of Babylon" dated to 3rd year of Amar-Sin, 3rd ruler of the Ur III empire. Lishanum was also mentioned in a Drehem tablet as a governor of an unknown city in the 5th year of Amar-Sin.
A notable known ruler of Marad, roughly from the same time as Babylonian ruler Sumu-la-El was Alumbiumu.Yoffee, Norman, "Aspects of Mesopotamian Land Sales", American Anthropologist, vol. 90, no. 1, pp. 119–30, 1988 Two year names are known, "Year Alumbiumu became king" and "Year Alumbiumu seized Dilbat". Also the 4th year name of Sumu-la-el and a matching year name of an unknown ruler of Kisurra reads "Year Alumbiumu was smitten by weapons".Leemans, W. F., "King Alumbiumu", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 48–49, 1966S. G. Koshurnikov, and N. Yoffee, "Old Babylonian Tablets from Dilbat in the Ashmolean Museum", Iraq, vol. 48, pp. 117–30, 1986 A royal daughter of Alumbiumu was made nadītu at Sippar, during the reign of Sumu-la-el.Seth Richardson, "Goodbye, Princess: Iltani and the DUMU.MUNUS LUGAL", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 69, pp. 67–108, 2017
Marad was excavated by a team from the Iraqi General Directorate of Antiquities and the Qādissiyyah University in 1990 led by Na'el Hannoon, and in 2005 and 2007 led by Abbas Al-Hussainy. On the main mound a hall, thought to be a temple, was excavated on the main mound. To the west of the mound residences from the Old Babylonian period were found.Al-Hussayny, A., "Some Cylinder Seals from the Iraqi Excavations at Marad, Mesopotamia", vol. 45, pp. 65-70, 2010Hannun, N., "The Ancient City of Marad and the Results of the Exploration at Wanna-wa-Sadoum, Sumer", vol. 49, pp. 63-86, 1997-1998 (in arabic) During the latter excavation a number of cuneiform tablets were discovered, mainly from the Isin-Larsa and Old Babylonian periods but a few from Neo-Babylonian times.[2] Fahad, Saad S., and Abbas A. AL-hussainy. "Two old Babylonian Texts from MARAD (Wana wa AL_Sodum)", Adab AL Rafidayn 42.63 (2012) Most recently excavation occurred in Autumn 2019. A few more cuneiform tablets were found (5 complete, 3 almost complete, 8 small pieces), clay tags, and envelope fragments. The epigraphics, economic/legal in nature, included dates of Marad ruler Sumu-numhim and Babylon ruler Sumu-la-EL (years 27 and 28). After a survey, a trench was excavated in a small tell on the western end of the site which showed three occupation layers ranging from Early Dynastic III through Akkadian, Isin-Larsa and Old-Babylonian. A number of Parthian era graves were found across the site.Abbas, al-Hussainy, et al. "Excavations at Tell as-Sadoum, ancient Marad (Iraq). Summary report on the 2019 archaeological season." (2021), Rivista, pp. 189-218
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