Sarduri I ( hy, Սարդուրի Ա, ruled: 834 BC – 828 BC), also known as Sarduris, Sedur, and Asiduri, was a king 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 ...

in Armenian Highlands. He was known as Ishtarduri to the Assyrians. It is unclear whether Sarduri's father, Lutipri, was a king of Urartu. It is possible that Lutipri was not a king and that Sarduri established a new dynasty. Sarduri I is most known for moving the capital of the

kingdom to Tushpa (Van). This proved to be significant as Tushpa became the focal point of politics in the

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

. He was succeeded by his son,

Ishpuini of Urartu Ishpuini (also Ishpuinis) () was king of Urartu. He succeeded his father, Sarduri I, who moved the capital to Tushpa (Van). Ishpuini conquered the Mannaean city of Musasir, which was then made the religious center of the empire. The main temple ...

, who then expanded the kingdom. The title Sarduri used was '

King of the Four Quarters King of the Four Corners of the World ( Sumerian: ''lugal-an-ub-da-limmu-ba'', Akkadian: ''šarru kibrat 'arbaim'', ''šar kibrāti arba'i'', or ''šar kibrāt erbetti''), alternatively translated as King of the Four Quarters of the World, King ...

'. It has been suggested that the name Sarduri comes from ''Sardi dur'', meaning "given by Sardi." Sardi was the Urartian equivalent of

Ishtar Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in Su ...

, and the name Sarduri was written as "Ishtarduri" in Assyrian sources. The ''duri'' suffix would be a form of Armenian ''tur'' (տուր), meaning "given by," comparable to Greek ''dôron'' (δῶρον), meaning "gift."Armen Petrosyan. "On the ethnic origin of the ruling elite of Urartu." ''Archaeopress Archaeology''. 2019. p. 406. The name Sarduri has also been connected to the Armenian name ''Zardur'' ("star-given").

References

Urartian kings 9th-century BC rulers Kings of the Universe {{ANE-bio-stub

See also

References