- Argishtis I of Urartu
Infobox Monarch
name =Argishtis I
title =King
caption =Monument of Argishti inYerevan ,Armenia
reign =Urartu :785 BC to763 BC
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predecessor =Menuas
successor =Sarduris II
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father =Menuas
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place of burial =|Argishtis I (Urartian: "Argištiše", Lang-hy|Արգիշտի, Argishti) was the sixth known king of the ancient country of
Urartu (in easternAnatolia ) from785 BC to763 BC . He founded the citadel of Erebouni in782 BC , which is the present capital ofArmenia ,Yerevan .A son and successor of Menuas, he continued the series of conquests initiated by his predecessors. Victorious against
Assyria , he conquered the northern part ofSyria and madeUrartu the most powerful state in the post-HittiteNear East . He also expanded his kingdom north to theLake Sevan conquering much ofDiauehi and theArarat Valley. Argishtis built theErebuni Fortress in782 BC , and the fortress ofArgishtikhinili , in776 BC .Some linguists believe that the name "Argištiše" has Indo-European etymology (Armenian, Phrygian or Luwian). Compare Greek Άργέστης – “bright” and Armenian արեգ (translit. "areg") – “sun deity”, “sun”.
References
*N. Adontz, "Historie d'Arménie, les origines", Paris, 1946
External links
* [http://www.armenica.org/cgi-bin/armenica.cgi?=2=bc=1=bcz0002 Erebouni at Armenica.org]
* [http://loosavor.org/2006/10/erebuni_1.html Erebuni - Cuneiform Foundations]
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