This article explores the significance of URU.TUR in Urartian epigraphy, indicating a unique royal estate founded by Rusa, suggesting a creative adaptation of Assyrian traditions.
This article examines the Urartian expression URU.TUR, attested only under Rusa, son of Argišti. Traditionally identified with the fortress of Bastam, the formula is shown here to designate a separate royal estate, m Rusa=i URU.TUR, founded opposite the citadel. The decisive evidence comes from the newly discovered Aq Chay Dam inscription, which describes Rusa’s foundation of a settlement with orchards and vineyards “in front of the fortress”. Philological analysis underscores the difference between dynastic toponyms in - ḫinili , which institutionalize kingship, and the simple genitive of m Rusa=i URU.TUR, which emphasizes personal possession and agency. Comparison with the Neo-Assyrian formula URU MEŠ TUR MEŠ , used from Sennacherib onward for dependent settlements, suggests that Urartian scribes creatively adapted an Assyrian model into a singular monumental toponym. This innovation situates Rusa’s reign in close chronological proximity to Sennacherib, and illustrates how Urartu refunctionalized Mesopotamian scribal traditions to articulate its own royal ideology.
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Bonfanti et al. (2026) studied this question.
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