22 June,
2014
MessageToEagle.com - The lost kingdom of Urartu
is shrouded in mystery. Many of the artifacts created in this ancient region
are puzzling, like for example the winged faceless sphinx or plate of the gods
holding an unknown object in their hands.
Very little
is known about this ancient place and the origins of its people.
Who were
they? Where did they come from?
This time
our journey takes us to ancient Armenia where we look for traces of the
mysterious lost kingdom of Urartu as it was called by the Assyrians. The
Hebrews referred to it as Ararat and in more modern times it has been named
Kingdom of Van.
The
kingdom's beginnings are lost in the mists of pre-history, but before it was
destroyed, Urartu was situated in Eastern Turkey, Iran and the modern Armenian
Republic.
The
earliest documentary mention of the land of Urartu can be found in Assyrian
sources.
Based on
what we know, the people of Urartu were famous metalworkers, spoke a language
that was related to Hurrian (a language that has no other known connections),
and they adapted the Assyrian cuneiform script for their own purposes.
Although it
cannot be said with certainty, it appears that from the ninth century on,
Urartu was ruled by a single dynasty, which expanded three kingdom to the south
in a period when Assyria was weak.
The
location of Urartu.
The true origin of the people of Urartu is unknown. Some historians think these
people people migrated from somewhere to the west into the Armenian plateau,
then for the most part known as Nairi. They called themselves Khaldians or
children of the god Khaldis, just as the name of the Assyrians reflects the
name of their god Assur.
The
remains of Tushpa, the capital of Urartu.
The rock
fortress Tushpa.
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