Ricordare le vittorie militari nell'antica Siro-Mesopotamia. Il caso studio della lettera di Enna-Dagan al re di Ebla

The memory of the past is central to the construction of collective identities. Its interpretation is inherently selective, shaped by processes that construct collective perceptions. A significant example of this dynamic is provided by the Letter of Enna-Dagan to the king of Ebla (24th century BCE), in which the ruler of Mari asserts the political and military supremacy of his city through an account of victorious campaigns conducted in Upper Syria and the Middle Euphrates region. The text functions as an instrument of legitimation, presenting accounts of military events with both intimidating and propagandistic intent. This strategy highlights the instrumental use of the past to consolidate and reinforce Enna-Dagan’s authority. From this perspective, an analysis of the document shows how, already in the earliest Mesopotamian state formations, the past was employed as a tool of political propaganda.