Sugunia

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Sugunia was the first capital of Arame of Urartu. The city was mentioned in an inscription by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, who destroyed it in 858 BCE. [1]

The Monolith Inscription of Shalmaneser III:

To the city of Sugunia, the stronghold of Aram of the land of Ararat, I advanced the city, I besieged, I took. Many of their warriors I slew. [2]

Although its exact location is unknown, Shalamaneser III's placement of Sugunia near "the sea of Nairi" has led some scholars to place it near Lake Van [3] [4] [5] or near Lake Urmia. [6] [7]

After Sugunia was sacked and burnt by Shalmaneser III, Arame moved his capital to Arzashkun, which was subsequently attacked by the Assyrians in 856 BCE. [8]

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References

  1. The Origins of the Urartians in the Light of the Van/Karagündüz Excavations, by Veli Sevin, p.159
  2. The Monolith Inscription of Salmaneser II, by James A. Craig, p.207
  3. Robert Rollinger. "From Sargon of Agade and the Assyrian Kings to Khusrau I and Beyond". p. 727. 2012. https://www.academia.edu/1817630/Robert_Rollinger_From_Sargon_of_Agade_and_the_Assyrian_Kings_to_Khusrau_I_and_beyond_on_the_persistence_of_Ancient_Near_Eastern_Traditions_In_Giovanni_B_Lanfranchi_Daniele_Morandi_Bonacossi_C_Pappi_Simonetta_Ponchia_Eds_LEGGO_Studies_presented_to_Prof_Frederick_Mario_Fales_on_the_Occasion_of_his_65th_Birthday_Leipziger_Altorientalische_Studien_2_Wiesbaden_Harrassowitz_2012_725_743
  4. John Boardman, ed. The Cambridge Ancient History (3rd Edition). Cambridge University Press. 1982. p. 334. https://archive.org/stream/iB_Ca/03-01_djvu.txt
  5. Mack Chahin. The Kingdom of Armenia: New Edition. Routledge. 2001. https://books.google.com/books?id=uXj_AQAAQBAJ&dq=sugunia+urartu&pg=PT60
  6. Trevor Bryce. The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia. Taylor & Francis. p. 665. 2009.
  7. Kamal-Aldin Niknami, Ali Hozhabri, eds. Archaeology of Iran in the Historical Period. p. 41. 2020.
  8. Trevor Bryce. The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia. Taylor & Francis. p. 58. 2009. https://books.google.com/books?id=E1aF0hq1GR8C&dq=Arzashkun+856+destroyed&pg=PA58