Argishti I in the Arax valley: consequences of the conquest

Abstract

The conquest of the fertile Arax valley by Argishti I in the mid 8th century BC was a major point in Urartian imperial policy, the valley having been a target of Urartian expansion from the start. The article outlines Argishti’s actions, including the evidence of violence discovered during recent excavation at Metsamor in Armenia, thus highlighting the dynamics and significance of Urartian expansionism. A contribution is also made to a study of the emergence and development of urban settlement in the Arax valley through an examination of surviving Urartian inscriptions.

Metsamor: the Early Iron Age/Urartian settlement in the Aras Valley, Armenia

“…There are no traces of any destruction dated to the turn of the ninth and eighth centuries, and the presence of Urartians in the Arras Valley from the eighth century onwards is beyond doubt. Even if Argishti I—the king of Urartu who ruled 785–764 BC—reached the region of Metsamor during his campaign, the hypothesis of the ‘brutal attack’ seems to be hardly possible (Jakubiak 2017). The events of that period can better be described as a well-planned political and economic expansion, probably taking place gradually over some time.…”

“…The archaeological evidence suggests that the lower town had been almost completely destroyed at least twice in burning events, demonstrated by two subsequent conflagration horizons. The most significant destruction event took place in the late eighth century BC and can be associated with attacks by nomadic tribes on the north-eastern part of the Urartian Kingdom, which occurred in 715 BC (Jakubiak 2017). In Metsamor, these dramatic events are manifested as traces of a large fire and the destruction of a number of dwellings.…”