Urartian inscriptions from ca. 900 to 700 BC have been discovered in Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Iraq,... more Urartian inscriptions from ca. 900 to 700 BC have been discovered in Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Iraq, and Nakhchivan. ḫi was used in the Urartian language in several cases, but as a suffix, it is challenging for translation as it forms patronymic, genitive, dative, adjective of appurtenance, and locative cases. There are several possibilities for its translation as "of, " "in, " and "from. " But ḫi could also be used to form the names of the cities or a noun or adjective. This suffix is usually used with the names of persons and geographical places or the root and is comparable to the suffix in Hurrian. A very rare example has been detected in a tablet from Bastam, which contains a list of sheep presenters or owners. The above list includes UDU 1-ḫi mX in four damaged lines, and the rest of the inscription is lost. The aim of the author is to detect the suffix function and translation. It seems that the persons were the owners of the sheep or the presenters who were not the owners. In this case, it can be translated as "of" or "from. " It is also possible that this list was a ration or blessing from the bone room to these people.
There are several discovered Urartian artifacts and among them are the bullae. They are sometimes... more There are several discovered Urartian artifacts and among them are the bullae. They are sometimes inscribed and sealed with cylinder and/or stamp seals. The impressions sometimes contain an inscription along with a royal, mythical or ritual scene. Royal impressions include the figure and the inscription of King Rusa II. There is an Urartian bulla from Ziwiye with a stamp seal impression representing Rusa's figure, a parasol over his head and an inscription which resembles the impressions of Ayanis bullae. Additionally, cylinder seal impressions with similar iconography and inscription are discovered in Bastam and Toprakkale. There are previous contributions on the bulla of Ziwiye but none are about its inscription or the detail of the impression in comparison with other bullae. The inscription on the bulla from Ziwiye as Dḫal-di URU (the city of God Ḫaldi). There were several cities of Ḫaldi in the Urartian kingdom but as the impression of Ziwiye bulla resembles to bullae of Ayanis, it is possible that the city this bulla came from was close to or under the control of Ayanis.
To ensure protection from harm and adversaries, the endings of various Urartian royal inscription... more To ensure protection from harm and adversaries, the endings of various Urartian royal inscriptions incorporated the cursing formulae. These formulae had similarities and differences in a king's reign or in comparison with the other kings'. This paper aims to discover the diversity of these formulae and to compare them in the reigns of different Urartian kings. The formulae have changed and sometimes developed through the reign of new kings, and the details of the formulae changed through time. Additionally, the role of the three supreme gods of Urartu in these formulae is significant; however, they were not the only gods mentioned. Furthermore, cursing towards the decedents of the enemy was expressed. Cursing the enemy "under the sun" is a challenging expression in the formulae. It may be related to the function of the Urartian Sun God as the "Judge" who punishes the destroyer. Recording D UTU instead of Šiwini, Sun God, and D IM instead of Teišeba, Weather God, could be due to the significance of Ḫaldi. This could also be due to the fact that the Sumerian variants of sun and weather gods' names were commonly used, or possibly those names ended up being taboos.
واپسین روزهاي حکومت اورارتو: آگاهی هاي تاریخی و شواهد باستان شناختی فروپاشی آن, 2023
The last years of Urartu's rule were due to the unrest in the middle of the 7th century BC. Despi... more The last years of Urartu's rule were due to the unrest in the middle of the 7th century BC. Despite the existence of many works and deposits from that period, it has some ambiguities and in some cases, it has caused disagreements between researchers in this field. Cimmerians due to lack of resources or other social problems, in the late 8th and early 7th century BC. From the Caucasus and the north of the Black Sea to the south, followed by the Scythians, who ruled the Caucasus, entered the Anatolian plateau. Culturally and linguistically, they are the same race as Iranians. The arrival of these tribes changed the balance of power in the seventh century BC., and finally in this century the collapse of great governments such as Urartu and Assyria and the emergence of the Medes as a new power in Western Asia occurred. Due to the existence of writing and access to the Urartu and Assyrian inscriptions, we have valuable information until the middle of this century, but this information in the Urartu area from 640 BC. is interrupted, the only contemporary source is the Assyrian inscriptions, which were also written for a short time, around 612 BC. It disappears. The Babylonian government is the only one that owns script, language, and inscriptions close to that era, so part of the information of the period in the dark is illuminated by the Babylonian inscriptions. In this research, by examining the sources of this period using the historical, analytical and descriptive method, the final years of Urartu were carefully examined and by stating the documents and signs in the texts, this hypothesis has been proposed that it seems that ethnic groups The Medes ended the rule of Urartu as well as Assyria.
Studies on the Urartu Civilization took a serious form from the beginning of the 19th century whe... more Studies on the Urartu Civilization took a serious form from the beginning of the 19th century when Schulz was sent by the Asian Society around Lake Van. As a result of Schulz’s discoveries and other studies, Urartu rose from silence for centuries. Decoding cuneiform lines helped researchers in other fields read Urartu inscriptions. Urartu research in Northwest Iran, with the discovery of an inscription related to the second rulers (680-646 BC) near the village of Bastam, located in the north of Lake Urmia, drew the attention of the Urartu research community to Iran. Archaeological excavations by Wolfram Kleiss started in 1967 and continued until 1978. The study of the post-Urartian deposits in the Bastam area and its comparison with the Urartian deposits in other Urartian sites, including eastern Anatolia, indicate the Urartian collapse from the time of the collapse of Assyria by the Medes, and even before that. The Urartian lands in Northwest Iran were occupied by the Medes at that time. The impact of the post-Urartian deposits found in the investigated sites is one of the objectives of this research. Historical, analytical, and descriptive methods were used for this research, and the information collection method was the library. Finally, based on the investigation of the post-Urartian deposits and historical analysis, it was concluded that the collapse of Urartu started in about 635 BC, and according to the cultural and architectural works found from Bastam and Sansem Along with other sites in eastern Anatolia, the eastern lands of Urartu were occupied by Medes and Iranian tribes.
Urartian inscriptions from ca. 900 to 700 BC have been discovered in Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Iraq,... more Urartian inscriptions from ca. 900 to 700 BC have been discovered in Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Iraq, and Nakhchivan. ḫi was used in the Urartian language in several cases, but as a suffix, it is challenging for translation as it forms patronymic, genitive, dative, adjective of appurtenance, and locative cases. There are several possibilities for its translation as "of, " "in, " and "from. " But ḫi could also be used to form the names of the cities or a noun or adjective. This suffix is usually used with the names of persons and geographical places or the root and is comparable to the suffix in Hurrian. A very rare example has been detected in a tablet from Bastam, which contains a list of sheep presenters or owners. The above list includes UDU 1-ḫi mX in four damaged lines, and the rest of the inscription is lost. The aim of the author is to detect the suffix function and translation. It seems that the persons were the owners of the sheep or the presenters who were not the owners. In this case, it can be translated as "of" or "from. " It is also possible that this list was a ration or blessing from the bone room to these people.
There are several discovered Urartian artifacts and among them are the bullae. They are sometimes... more There are several discovered Urartian artifacts and among them are the bullae. They are sometimes inscribed and sealed with cylinder and/or stamp seals. The impressions sometimes contain an inscription along with a royal, mythical or ritual scene. Royal impressions include the figure and the inscription of King Rusa II. There is an Urartian bulla from Ziwiye with a stamp seal impression representing Rusa's figure, a parasol over his head and an inscription which resembles the impressions of Ayanis bullae. Additionally, cylinder seal impressions with similar iconography and inscription are discovered in Bastam and Toprakkale. There are previous contributions on the bulla of Ziwiye but none are about its inscription or the detail of the impression in comparison with other bullae. The inscription on the bulla from Ziwiye as Dḫal-di URU (the city of God Ḫaldi). There were several cities of Ḫaldi in the Urartian kingdom but as the impression of Ziwiye bulla resembles to bullae of Ayanis, it is possible that the city this bulla came from was close to or under the control of Ayanis.
To ensure protection from harm and adversaries, the endings of various Urartian royal inscription... more To ensure protection from harm and adversaries, the endings of various Urartian royal inscriptions incorporated the cursing formulae. These formulae had similarities and differences in a king's reign or in comparison with the other kings'. This paper aims to discover the diversity of these formulae and to compare them in the reigns of different Urartian kings. The formulae have changed and sometimes developed through the reign of new kings, and the details of the formulae changed through time. Additionally, the role of the three supreme gods of Urartu in these formulae is significant; however, they were not the only gods mentioned. Furthermore, cursing towards the decedents of the enemy was expressed. Cursing the enemy "under the sun" is a challenging expression in the formulae. It may be related to the function of the Urartian Sun God as the "Judge" who punishes the destroyer. Recording D UTU instead of Šiwini, Sun God, and D IM instead of Teišeba, Weather God, could be due to the significance of Ḫaldi. This could also be due to the fact that the Sumerian variants of sun and weather gods' names were commonly used, or possibly those names ended up being taboos.
واپسین روزهاي حکومت اورارتو: آگاهی هاي تاریخی و شواهد باستان شناختی فروپاشی آن, 2023
The last years of Urartu's rule were due to the unrest in the middle of the 7th century BC. Despi... more The last years of Urartu's rule were due to the unrest in the middle of the 7th century BC. Despite the existence of many works and deposits from that period, it has some ambiguities and in some cases, it has caused disagreements between researchers in this field. Cimmerians due to lack of resources or other social problems, in the late 8th and early 7th century BC. From the Caucasus and the north of the Black Sea to the south, followed by the Scythians, who ruled the Caucasus, entered the Anatolian plateau. Culturally and linguistically, they are the same race as Iranians. The arrival of these tribes changed the balance of power in the seventh century BC., and finally in this century the collapse of great governments such as Urartu and Assyria and the emergence of the Medes as a new power in Western Asia occurred. Due to the existence of writing and access to the Urartu and Assyrian inscriptions, we have valuable information until the middle of this century, but this information in the Urartu area from 640 BC. is interrupted, the only contemporary source is the Assyrian inscriptions, which were also written for a short time, around 612 BC. It disappears. The Babylonian government is the only one that owns script, language, and inscriptions close to that era, so part of the information of the period in the dark is illuminated by the Babylonian inscriptions. In this research, by examining the sources of this period using the historical, analytical and descriptive method, the final years of Urartu were carefully examined and by stating the documents and signs in the texts, this hypothesis has been proposed that it seems that ethnic groups The Medes ended the rule of Urartu as well as Assyria.
Studies on the Urartu Civilization took a serious form from the beginning of the 19th century whe... more Studies on the Urartu Civilization took a serious form from the beginning of the 19th century when Schulz was sent by the Asian Society around Lake Van. As a result of Schulz’s discoveries and other studies, Urartu rose from silence for centuries. Decoding cuneiform lines helped researchers in other fields read Urartu inscriptions. Urartu research in Northwest Iran, with the discovery of an inscription related to the second rulers (680-646 BC) near the village of Bastam, located in the north of Lake Urmia, drew the attention of the Urartu research community to Iran. Archaeological excavations by Wolfram Kleiss started in 1967 and continued until 1978. The study of the post-Urartian deposits in the Bastam area and its comparison with the Urartian deposits in other Urartian sites, including eastern Anatolia, indicate the Urartian collapse from the time of the collapse of Assyria by the Medes, and even before that. The Urartian lands in Northwest Iran were occupied by the Medes at that time. The impact of the post-Urartian deposits found in the investigated sites is one of the objectives of this research. Historical, analytical, and descriptive methods were used for this research, and the information collection method was the library. Finally, based on the investigation of the post-Urartian deposits and historical analysis, it was concluded that the collapse of Urartu started in about 635 BC, and according to the cultural and architectural works found from Bastam and Sansem Along with other sites in eastern Anatolia, the eastern lands of Urartu were occupied by Medes and Iranian tribes.
The Urartians ruled over the shores of Lakes of Van, Sevan and Urmia from ca. the ninth to sevent... more The Urartians ruled over the shores of Lakes of Van, Sevan and Urmia from ca. the ninth to seventh centuries BCE. While there are only several stone and rock inscriptions remaining in northwestern Iran, a newly-discovered Urartian stone inscription has been donated to the Maku Office of the Cultural Heritage Ministry of the province and is presently stored in the Urmia Museum. It was discovered during a construction project behind the fortification of Bastam. The stone block has been inscribed with a sixteen-line Urartian cuneiform text. As the block is damaged, especially on its right side, it appears that the missing lines are greater in number than the preserved lines, requiring some reconstruction to interpret the text. The inscription dates to the reign of Rusa II, Argišti II's son, who founded the Bastam fortification. The text concerns the perfect construction of "The Small City of Rusa" with the support of Ḫaldi. The inscription also includes a rare curse-formula. But, there are several questions remaining to be answered. What is the context of the inscription? What are the possible reconstructions of the inscription? What other texts have similar terminal curse-formulae? Where was the stone block possibly installed? This article is written with the help of the field and library research and it aims to introduce and reconstruct the inscription text in order to raise the possibility that the stone block may have been installed at the place where the king received tribute. It seems that the original context of the inscription might have been a place or gate of reception by the king.
Urartiand ruled over the shores of Urmia, Van and Sevan Lakes in from about 9 th to 7 th centurie... more Urartiand ruled over the shores of Urmia, Van and Sevan Lakes in from about 9 th to 7 th centuries B.C.E. Bullae are among the smallest but most significant pieces of information they have left. The Urartian bullae of Iran are only discovered in Bastam and Ziwiye. There are about 1416 damaged Urartian bullae discovered in the excavations of Bastam and are in National Museum of Iran. They are mostly sealed with stamp and cylinder seals. The seals sometimes bear an inscription or a number of inscriptions were directly written on the bulla. Some contributions have been fulfilled regarding the bullae from Bastam but less has taken place on their exact number, different seal impressions, some inscriptions and their difference with the bullae from other sites. They have different stamp and cylinder seal impressions but the cylinder impressions were mainly Rusa II's or an official called aṣulis. Rusa's impressions contain his name, his father's name and a scene of a servant with the shade, king, lion and trident. The author has recognized the different details in the inscriptions, the size of the depicted elements and the place of the signs comparing to the elements. Therefore, she proposed two categories and three subgroups of this sort of seal impression. The first and the second group of inscriptions differ only in a in the first line and two subgroups of the first group of bullae differ in the size and detail of the elements of the scenes. There also is a challenging group that the author could not recognize their details due to severe damages. She also compered Rusa II's seal impressions in Bastam with his impressions on the bullae from Ayanais and Ziwiye. Also, a number of possible symbolic interpretations of the elements of the scenes are provided. It is possible that some seal bearers used many similar seals of Rusa for the administrative acts or the seals were even used after Rusa's reign.
There are various Urartian seal impressions discovered on Bastam bullae. Some have been
studied p... more There are various Urartian seal impressions discovered on Bastam bullae. Some have been studied previously. But, the author discovered more stamp and cylinder seal impressions and also categorizes all of them while fulfilling the contribution and research on the collection of Bastam bullae in The National Museum of Iran. It is the aim of the author to introduce and mention the details of seven stamp seal impressions the author has studied. Of course there is still the chance to come to more stamp seal impression on Bastam bullae in the author’s further research.
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studied previously. But, the author discovered more stamp and cylinder seal impressions and also
categorizes all of them while fulfilling the contribution and research on the collection of Bastam bullae
in The National Museum of Iran. It is the aim of the author to introduce and mention the details
of seven stamp seal impressions the author has studied. Of course there is still the chance to come to
more stamp seal impression on Bastam bullae in the author’s further research.