Indo-Aryan
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Jasper Eidem in 2014 reported the earlier study done by Farouk Ismail, in reference to the word marijannu that was found in a letter from Tell Leilan in northern Syria dating to a period slightly before 1761 BC, which is the time when the reign of Zimri-Lim ended in the region of Mari. According to Kroonen et al. (2018) this may be considered as an early Indo-Aryan linguistic presence in Syria two centuries prior to the formation of the Mitanni realm, as mariannu can be seen as a Hurrianized form of the Indo-Aryan *marya, which means man or youth, associated to military affairs and chariots. Jasper Eidem (2014) comments that it's very surprising "the mention of marijannu soldiers to be exchanged between a ruler of Leilan and another king with a Hurrian name" and that "Leilan letter L.87–887, [was] sent from Kirip-seris to Himdija,[...] with reference to a journey to Babylon to visit the 'king'. Presumably the letter dates to the very end of Zimrı-Lîm’s reign, or shortly after the fall of Mari. The soldiers exchanged are described as shab ma-ri-ia-nim /shabı sa ma-ri-a/ia-nim."
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