Urartu Empire: History imprimir
 
The structure of the state was strongly related to the religion. The form of government of the Urartu kingdom was an aristocratic theocracy, in which the king was the representative of the supreme god Haldi in earth and the maximum authority. From year 880 to year 590 (before this era) we have a dynastic chronology of 12 kings.
Reign of Arame (880 – 844 before this era)
The founder of the Urartu kingdom is king “Arame”, also called “Aramu” or “Aramun”.
This monarch gathers the principality of the Nairi under his domination. It is considered the unifier of the principality that give born to Urartu Kingdom, and that’s the reason why the monarch appears for the first time mentioned as “King of Kings” (Enili/Erilame)
Arame marked such a strong impression in the country destiny that his name was remembered in the historic Armenia. The historian Movses de Joren (first armenian historian recognized in occident) considers him as the Patriarch of the armenian people.
Among his works can found the city of “Arzashkun”, first capital of the kingdom, known today as “Manazkert”.
Arame was contemporary of the Assyrian conquer “Asurnasirpal II” (883 – 859 before this era). The unification of the ancient Nairi under the Urartu kingdom inspire enough respect to the king of Assyria, avoiding any decision about a direct attack to the nascent kingdom. Asurnasirpal conformed to submit some border regions like Kirrouri, near to the current Rawanduz in the upper region of Great Zab river, and Kachari, around Masios mount of the greek geographers (current Dermandin mounts).
Arame conquered, among others, “the country of Matiati” and the “country of Tushan” (the current Kourkh) near to Amida (Diyarbekir); in 866 (before this era) it was the turn of the “country of Kippani”, Hicn-Kaifa region, and later the “country of Alkania”, the current Argana.
At that time, most of Diyarbekir and Comagena was under the rule of Assyria. During the last years of his reign, Arame has the son of Asurnasirpal II, the King of Assyria Salmanasar III, as his neighbor. In 857 (before this era), Salmanasar II attacks Urartu. According to the inscriptions he wins. But this assyrian expedition was not a definitive conquest, for he could not annex any province and Urartu quickly recover its domains. The final unifying began by Arame almost three millenniums ago, was not concluded yet.
Reign of Sarduri I (844 – 829 before this era)
Arame, the patriarch of the warrior caste, had Sarduri I as the successor of the Urartu throne. The family relationships between both sovereigns are unknown. Actually, according to his own inscriptions, Sarduri I does not appear as son of Arame, but as son of Lutipri, about whom it is unknown if he was king.
What it is unfailingly correct is that he appears mentioned as the patriarch of the sacerdotal class, which successor line ruled the destiny of the Empire until its final days.
In the same inscriptions (specifically in those of Iskele Kapoussi in Van) Sarduri is denominated as “great king, powerful king, king of kings and king of everyone”, which testifies a perfectly settled power.
Sarduri I had the same adversary than his predecessor, the enemy king of Assyria Salmanasar III. In 831 (before this era) this last one sent, against Urartu, an army that crossed the Mourat-Su (north arm of the Euphrates) and advanced to the mountains. The assyrian texts vaguely mentions a war, about which they avoids to indicate the result, for the assyrian army had to face a defeat.
Sarduri I judges convenient to transfer his capital from Arzashkun, a city plundered by the assyrian in year 857 (before this era) to a more protected site. The place chosen is Tushpa, the Tosp of the classic Armenia, the Tospitis of the greek geographers, current Van. Sarduri I fortified the city with a wall that had his name. Tushpa remain as the capital until the end of the empire and resisted all posterior attacks from the assyrian.
Reign of Ishpuini (828 – 810) and reign of Menua (810 – 785 before this Era)
The king of Urartu, Sarduri I, had his son Ishpuini as his successor. This last associates to the throne to his own son Menua, with whom he co-governs until his death.
The epoch of Ishpuini and Menua corresponds to the beginning of an important expansion of the Urartu Kingdom, to the south against Assyria and to the north on the current Northern Armenia. The monarchs’ seals found show them making their campaigns in different regions. Besides, the pictures consecrated to the great god of Urartu, “Haldi”, describe him battling against various peoples and cities.
The king Ishpuini is recognized for the great work to adapt the Urartian language to the cuneiform, creating the Urartian cuneiform, also called neo-Hurrian due to its strong kinship with the original Hurrian cuneiform.
During the reign of Menua, Urartu expanded geographically in the entire region and it became into an Empire. Many of its inscriptions celebrate the construction of the famous canal that directs the waters of the Hoshap river to the suburbs of Van. This is mentioned in the Urartian inscriptions under the name of canal of Menua. It has a course of 70 kilometers approximately and it feeds vast regions of cultivable land.
The importance of such work is not only related to the power but also to the benefactor character of the Urartian dynasty towards its people. Menua decided the construction of many works, specifically the canal of Berkri, meant to irrigate the plain of this city, and other three canals in the region of Manazkert. In summary, he is pointed out as the builder of many cities, like Alia over the place of current Artchovaverd and Vostan, in the southeast angle of lake Van, cities also irrigated by the mentioned canals.
Reign of Argishti I (785 – 760 before this Era)
Menua had his son Argishti I as his successor. The reign of this monarch is well known due to his memories, engraved by his mandate in the city of Van, in the front of the rooms caved in the rock. These memories tell the history of his military campaigns during more than 13 years, for Argishti I was a conqueror with whom Urartu reached its warrior apogees. As his predecessors, he doesn’t take the credit for his conquest, giving the merit to his celestial protectors: Haldi in the first place as main god of Urartu, and in second place to god Teisheba and god Artini.
On the north side, Argishti submitted the current region of Sarikamish. He dethrone Utururshi, king of Diaveh (current Georgia), submitted the country of Akuriani in the region of the river Akurian, conquered Etioni (north to Armavir) and definitively defeated its king Uduri, who had resisted Menua attacks.
Argishti founded the city of Argishtihinili in year 775 (before this Era), the medieval Armavir, and he annexed important regions of the north of classic Armenia. He also founded the city of Erebuni I year 782 (before this Era). Currently the old city is in the capital of the Armenian Republic, and its anniversary is still commemorated these days.
On the south side, Argishti I fights against Assyria for the sovereignty of the submitted border countries, notably defeating to the assyrian in his campaigns. The rivalry between both empires increased under the assyrian reign of Salmanasar IV (782 –772 before this Era), for whom the inscriptions mentioned his campaigns from year 781 to year 774 (before this Era), all of them directed against Argishti I of Urartu. On the hand, the inscriptions of Argishti I mention continuous expeditions during six years to the country of Mana (submitted by Assyria).
The result was favorable to the Urartians. Argishti I expulsed the assyrian armies from Mana and took prisoner its king, Aza. The Urartian inscriptions enumerate the booty got from the defeated, the lines of prisoners, the cattle captured and the tribute paid by the princes in mines of pure gold, mines of silver, mines of bronze, etc. In fact, an Urartian inscription discovered in Deluk, north to Nineveh, testifies that around year 766 an incursion of the armies of Argishti penetrated as far as outside the assyrian capital.
Reign of Sarduri II (760 – 730 before this Era)
Sarduri II took the throne of Urartu after his father Argishti I. He is the founder of the Sardurikurda fortress, mentioned in his inscriptions.
Under his reign the Urartian expansion directed to the north. On the northeast, Sarduri II submitted the small states of the lake Sevan. The Urartian conquest contributed with civilization to its submitted.
The kings looked for the welfare of the people, as Sarduri II shows. He was the first king to plant grapevine, to create gardens and to build irrigation canals in the region of river Arax.
It was the apogees of the kingdom of Urartu, and its geographic extension coincides with what was later called the Historic Armenia under the reign of the powerful armenian king “Tigran the great”.
Meanwhile, Tiglat-Pileser III of Assyria returned to an expansionist policy. In year 735 (before this Era) he invaded Urartu and came to the doors of its capital Tushpa, but he failed in the attempt to take it. He could not even take the Urartian sovereignty out of the border regions of lake Urmia.
Reign of Rusa I (730 – 714 before this Era)
Sarduri II had Rusa I (or Ursa) as his successor. This one contributed to the tradition of his antecessor sovereigns. To the north of lake Sevan, he consolidated the conquest of Sarduri II. Under the reign of Rusa I the first incursions of the Cimmerian occurred in the northern confines of Urartu. The Assyrian would take advantage of this situation later, attacking the Urartu kingdom at the end of the reign, infringing a serious defeat to Rusa I, who had to fight a war in two fronts simultaneously
Reign of Argishti II (714 – 685 before this Era)
Rusa I had his son Argishti II as his successor. Great constructor as his ancestors, the new king founded a new city Argishtihinili, over the place of Tchelebibagui, near to Ardjech. He surrounded it with grapevine, gardens, fields, wheat, and he created a canal.
The kingdom of Urartu seems to recuperate quite fast after its defeat. In fact, the assyrian inscriptions tell us that the Urartians returned to extend their influences over the territories, and the assyrian king Sargon conformed himself by sending diplomatic representations of an unusual moderate tone. However, the influence extended again up to countries of Kharda (that identify Kharpert) in the province of Alzy, and the prefect of the assyrian province received, in front of this penetration, strictly defensive instructions. Argishti also had the chiefs of the country of Oukki as his opponents. Assyria also had a defensive policy there.
Reign of Rusa II (685 – 662 before this Era)
Rusa II, son of Argishti II, is considered as the “constructor king”, due to the enormous quantity of cities he founded. He built the city of Rusahinili in the current Toprakkale, where he ordered to build a big pond called “Rusai-Sue” (the lake of Rusa) 15 miles from Van. The inscriptions of Zvartnotz near to Etchmiadzin (christian religious center of the current Armenia) describe him planting vines, creating gardens and building canals derived from the river Adaruniani (current Abaran or river of Etchmiadzin).
As a consequence of recent excavations, we can say that Rusa II consolidated the empire taking it to an architectonic level so magnificent as never of his antecessors did. Some of the proofs of his importance have been known for decades, other are still coming up.
Reign of Sarduri III (645 – 625 before this Era)
Son of Rusa II. Under his reign Urartu becomes an assyrian satellite state. From this period no inscriptions detailing information about his reign have been found so far.
Reign of Erimena (625 – 605 before this Era)
Son of Sarduri III, he is only known through the inscriptions of his son Rusa III
Reign of Rusa III (605 – 590 before this Era)
Based on the archeological founds, he is considered the last king of Urartu, which is testified by fragments of inscriptions in paints and shields in Van, and by an inscription in Armavir. With him stop all information transmitted by Urartian sources. Since year 612 (before this Era) Assyria, historic enemy of Urartu Kingdom, disappeared of the map, divided between Medo and Babylon, where the Chaldean dynasty ruled.
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