State
Urartu
Iron Age kingdom located in a large region around Lake Van
- This boundary
- 860–590 BCE
- Founded
- 860 BCE
- Ended
- 590 BCE
- Capital
- Tushpa, Arzashkun
- Succeeded by
- Satrapy of Armenia
Overview
Urartu was an ancient civilization and Iron Age kingdom centered on the Armenian highlands between Lake Van, Lake Urmia, and Lake Sevan. The territory of the ancient kingdom of Urartu extended over the modern frontiers of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Armenia. Its kings left behind cuneiform inscriptions in the Urartian language, a member of the Hurro-Urartian language family.
The kingdom emerged in the mid-9th century BC and dominated the Armenian highlands in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Urartu frequently warred with Assyria and became, for a time, the most powerful state in the Near East. Weakened by constant conflict, it was eventually conquered, either by the Iranian Medes in the early 6th century BC or by Cyrus the Great in the middle of the 6th century BC. Archaeologically, it is noted for its large fortresses and sophisticated metalwork.
All rulers (13)
- Arame of Urartu858–844 BCE
- Lutipri844–834 BCE
- Sarduri I834–828 BCE
- Ishpuini of Urartu828–810 BCE
- Menua810–785 BCE
- Argishti I of Urartu785–763 BCE
- Sarduri II763–735 BCE
- Rusa I735–714 BCE
- Argishti II714–680 BCE
- Rusa II680–639 BCE
- Sarduri III639–635 BCE
- Rusa IV629–615 BCE
- Sarduri IV615–595 BCE
Records (3)
- 743–735 BCE — Urartu–Assyria War of 743–735 BCEWar
- 701 BCE — Cimmerian invasion of PhrygiaInvasion
- 609–590 BCE — Median invasion of UrartuInvasion
Facts from Wikidata (CC0), HCED (CC0) and Cliopatria (CC BY 4.0); overview excerpted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).