This article lists the kings of

Urartu Urartu (; Assyrian: ',Eberhard Schrader, ''The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament'' (1885), p. 65. Babylonian: ''Urashtu'', he, אֲרָרָט ''Ararat'') is a geographical region and Iron Age kingdom also known as the Kingdom of V ...

(Ararat or Kingdom of Van), an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

kingdom centered on

Lake Van Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...

in eastern Asia Minor.

Early kings

Arame , sea oak is a species of kelp, of the brown algae, best known for its use in Japanese cuisine. Description ''Eisenia bicyclis'' is indigenous to temperate Pacific Ocean waters centered near Japan, although it is deliberately cultured elsewh ...

(also Aramu, Arama) 858 BC–844 BC *

Lutipri Lutipri was the father of the Urartian king Sarduri I. Lutipri may have ruled Urartu between 844 and 834 BCE, in a period of obscurity after the destruction of the former capital Arzashkun by Shalmaneser III, and before Sarduri's foundation of ...

844 BC–834 BC (?)

Rise to power

Sarduri I Sarduri I ( hy, Սարդուրի Ա, ruled: 834 BC – 828 BC), also known as Sarduris, Sedur, and Asiduri, was a king of Urartu in Armenian Highlands. He was known as Ishtarduri to the Assyrians. It is unclear whether Sarduri's father, Lutipr ...

(also Sarduris I, Sedur I, Asiduri I) 834 BC–828 BC; known in Assyrian sources as Ishtarduri, moved the capital to

Tushpa Tushpa ( hy, Տոսպ ''Tosp'', Akkadian: ''Turuspa'', tr, Tuşpa; from Urartianbr>tur-, ''to destroy''i.e. victorious) was the 9th-century BC capital of Urartu, later becoming known as Van which is derived from ''Biainili'', the native name ...

, expanded the fortress of Van, possibly established new dynasty. * Ishpuini (also Ishpuinis, Ispuini) the Establisher 828 BC–810 BC; expanded the empire and conquered

Musasir Muṣaṣir (Assyrian cuneiform: and variants, including Mutsatsir, Akkadian for ''Exit of the Serpent/Snake''), in Urartian Ardini was an ancient city of Urartu, attested in Assyrian sources of the 9th and 8th centuries BC. It was acquired by ...

. *

Menua Menua ( ariations exist hy, Մենուա), also rendered Meinua or Minua, was the fifth known king of Urartu from c. 810 BC to approximately 786 BC. In Armenian, Menua is rendered as ''Menua''. The name Menua may be connected etymologically to t ...

(also Menuas, Minua) the Conqueror 810 BC–785 BC; initially ruled jointly with his father Ishpuini and later jointly ruled with his son, Inushpua, greatly expanded the kingdom, organized the centralized administrative structure, fortified a number of cities and founded fortresses, developed a national canal and irrigation system. *Inushpua 788–786 BC (?); co-ruled with his father, Menua. Possibly killed in battle. *

Argishti I Argishti I (), was the sixth known king of Urartu, reigning from 786 BC to 764 BC. He founded the citadel of Erebuni in 782 BC, which is the present capital of Armenia, Yerevan. Alternate transliterations of the name include ''Argishtis'', ''Argis ...

(also Argishtis I, Argishtish I, Argisti I) 785–763 BC; fortified the empire's frontier, founded Erebuni (modern-day

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

). *

Sarduri II Sarduri II (ruled: 764–735 BC) was a King of Urartu, succeeding his father Argishti I to the throne. The Urartian Kingdom was at its peak during his reign, campaigning successfully against several neighbouring powers, including Assyria. Th ...

763 BC–735 BC; maximum expansion; zenith of Urartian power. *

Rusa I Rusa I (ruled: 735–714 BC) was a King of Urartu. He succeeded his father, king Sarduri II. His name is sometimes transliterated as ''Rusas'' or ''Rusha''. He was known to Assyrians as ''Ursa'' (which scholars have speculated is likely a more ac ...

(also Rusas, Ursa) 735 BC–714 BC;

Assyria Assyria ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the ...

n and

Cimmerian The Cimmerians (Akkadian: , romanized: ; Hebrew: , romanized: ; Ancient Greek: , romanized: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people originating in the Caspian steppe, part of whom subsequently migrated into Wes ...

attacks. *Melartua (714) briefly served as king after his father's defeat, subsequently killed by Urartian nobles *

Argishti II Argishti may refer to: *Argishtis I of Urartu Argishti I (), was the sixth known king of Urartu, reigning from 786 BC to 764 BC. He founded the citadel of Erebuni in 782 BC, which is the present capital of Armenia, Yerevan. Alternate translite ...

714–680 BC *

Rusa II Rusa II was king of Urartu between around 680 BC and 639 BC. It was during his reign that the massive fortress complex, Karmir-Blur, was constructed.Ian Lindsay and Adam T. Smith, ''A History of Archaeology in the Republic of Armenia'', Journal ...

(known to Assyrian king as Yaya or Iaya) 680 BC–639 BC *

Sarduri III Sarduri III was a king of Urartu between 639 BC and 635 BC. Urartian King Argishti II left a record of fourteen years of his reign on the walls of chambers hewn in the Rock of Van, while Sarduri III's victories are inscribed on a monument erected ...

639 BC–635 BC

Decline

* Erimena 635–629 BC (?) *

Rusa III Rusa III was king of Urartu. He was called "Rusa Erimenahi" ("the son of Erimena"). He may have been the nephew or cousin of Rusa II. Little is known about his reign; his name was inscribed on a massive granary at Armavir and on a series of bron ...

629 BC–590 BC or 629 BC–615 BC

Defeat and destruction

Sarduri IV Sarduri IV ( hy, Սարդուր IV, unknown–595 BC) was one of the last kings of Urartu, reigning from 615 to 595 BC. Sarduri IV was the son and successor of Rusa III. Little is known about his reign, except that his kingdom was being invaded ...

615 BC–595 BC *

Rusa IV Rusa IV (died 585 BC) was king of Urartu from 590 BC to 585 BC. Rusa IV was the son and a successor of Rusa III, and the successor of Sarduri IV. His name is mentioned on a number of clay tablets found at Karmir Blur (near Yerevan, Armenia), inc ...

595 BC–585 BC; raids of

Medes The Medes ( Old Persian: ; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, ...

and

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Centra ...

. Assyrians King Tiglath-Pileser III destroyed castle of Rusa, which has been recently discovered under Lake Van, Turkey. Archaeologists also discovered jars that once contained wheat, oil and wine, in the ruins of a castle the Turks call "Chavez Tepe", built by Uzira Sardouri II (ruled: 764–735 BC). Each buried jar with orifice covered with wedge engraved ceramic lids can hold 300 kg.

References

Boris Piotrovskii Boris Borisovich Piotrovsky (russian: Бори́с Бори́сович Пиотро́вский; also written Piotrovskii; – October 15, 1990) was a Soviet Russian academician, historian- orientalist and archaeologist who studied the ancient c ...

, ''The Ancient Civilization of Urartu'', London, 1969. *

Igor Diakonoff Igor Mikhailovich Diakonoff (occasionally spelled Diakonov, russian: link=no, И́горь Миха́йлович Дья́конов; 12 January 1915 – 2 May 1999) was a Russian historian, linguist, and translator and a renowned expert on th ...

, ''The Pre-History of the Armenian People'', Caravan Books, New York, 1988. *M. Chahin, ''The Kingdom of Armenia'', Curzon, London, 2001.

External links