Abstract
Letters from Mari, particularly those from royal officials stationed in the various districts of the kingdom, contain numerous references to the landscapes of the Euphrates valley, as well as to the plants and animals that were likely to be encountered there - at least those that were perceived as useful to the palatial economy. These textual references are all the more important for reconstructing the environment of the kingdom of Mari in the XVIIIth century BC, as the valley underwent significant changes over the following millennia, as a result of both natural dynamics and human activity. By combining geomorphological and paleo-environmental data with philological and lexicographical studies of often obscure terms, it is now possible to partially reconstruct these ghost landscapes, and with them the living environment of the kingdom's ancient inhabitants.
