Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Downloaded from
YTS.MX
2
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
3
00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:16,520
It is said in the Bible, Noah’s Ark
came to rest on the mountains of Ararat…
4
00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:25,080
While this divine salvation, Noah and his descendants
turned a new page in the history of mankind.
5
00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:30,080
For thousands of years this place of refuge,
called the land of Ararat
6
00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,760
by the ancient Hebrew people,
remained closed to exploration.
7
00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:40,200
Centuries later, people realized that there
was indeed a powerful country
8
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:45,560
with a rich culture in the north of Mesopotamia,
in the times of ancient Egypt and Babylon
9
00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,440
– a country called Urartu by the Assyrians.
10
00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:57,360
Urartu was ruled by great kings, who rose
and fell while the country lived on.
11
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:07,040
Numerous cuneiform writings tell us about
the construction of fortresses and temples,
12
00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:11,760
cultivation of vineyards and gardens,
and about highly efficient irrigation canals
13
00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,360
that have no analogues in world history.
14
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:22,680
The Assyrian king Sargon II was stunned
by the objects of art, discovered in Urartu.
15
00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:30,120
The Urartians waged wars
with the powerful Assyrian empire,
16
00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,000
conquering new lands and expanding their territory.
17
00:01:36,759 --> 00:01:42,240
In the first millennium BC, Urartu was among
the greatest empires of the ancient world.
18
00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,840
URARTU
The Forgotten Kingdom
19
00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:09,400
The Kingdom of Urartu was consigned to oblivion
for over 2,500 years.
20
00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,480
The land it used to occupy is now surrounded
by mystery...
21
00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:27,800
According to the Old Testament, Paradise
on Earth, the scene of Adam and Eve’s origin
22
00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,680
sits somewhere in the Armenian Highland.
23
00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:36,600
The Bible also says that the Armenian Highland
was the place that granted salvation to Noah
24
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:38,400
and his family during the Flood.
25
00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:50,520
Since ancient times, this land was mostly
populated by the so-called proto-Armenian tribes,
26
00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:53,079
who founded an array of states.
27
00:02:54,079 --> 00:02:59,040
The largest of which - Mitanni -
was formed in the 17th century BC
28
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:05,720
It had existed for about four centuries,
before suffering a fatal blow from Assyria.
29
00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:12,160
The fall of Mitanni led to a political split
in the entire Armenian Highland.
30
00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,680
By that time, Assyria had already conquered
the whole of Mesopotamia,
31
00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:25,480
and turned its eyes to the north, towards the land
that was cradling the heart of its future arch-rival,
32
00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,680
a kingdom set to be remembered in history as Urartu.
33
00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:38,040
The first known mention of Urartu comes from
the Assyrian cuneiform writings of the 13th century BC.
34
00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,840
They indicate that a large tribal union
in the Armenian Highland
35
00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:47,440
was already in a fierce military confrontation
with Assyria.
36
00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:52,320
The Assyrians were stronger by far, and winning.
37
00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:58,200
Their simple goals were those of plunder:
the seizure of valuables, and cattle raiding.
38
00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:06,000
In the 19th century, when in assyriology, people translated the inscription
39
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,920
and discovered the name Urartu for the first time,
40
00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:13,760
it was very exciting, because they realized
that it was the same name as “Ararat” in the Bible.
41
00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,240
So it's a very important moment.
42
00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:23,120
The generally accepted scientific opinion
is that the words Urartu and Ararat refer to the same country.
43
00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,840
In the Bible, Ararat is Urartu.
44
00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:31,480
When it says “the mountains of Ararat”,
it means exactly the Kingdom of Urartu.
45
00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:37,320
In fact, you could have encountered the Kingdom
of Urartu frequently while reading the Holy book,
46
00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,400
and not even realize it.
47
00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:43,720
As with all historical names,
“Ararat” has a sacred meaning.
48
00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,760
In the Jewish view of the world,
49
00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:55,360
“Ararat” means “the repeal of the curse”
in regard to Noah’s Flood.
50
00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:01,760
“Urartu” was the name the Assyrians
and the Babylonians used to identify their neighbour.
51
00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:09,080
The kings of Urartu left chronicles
that don’t contain the name “Urartu”.
52
00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:14,000
They called their country “Biainili”, or “Van”,
53
00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:20,720
which is why the academician Piotrovsky
later called Urartu the Kingdom of Van.
54
00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:25,640
More concrete studies of Urartu would not
begin before the early 19th century.
55
00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,840
They were motivated by the translation
of the book by Movses Khorenatsi,
56
00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:32,320
an Armenian historian from the 5th century.
57
00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:38,400
In his “History of Armenia”, Khorenatsi
mentions that the famous Assyrian queen Semiramis
58
00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,560
took part in the construction
of a city on the shores of Lake Van.
59
00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:48,600
It was the Ottoman Empire,
in the region of the mysterious Lake Van
60
00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:55,920
where the French Royal Asiatic Society sent
young scholar Friedrich Schulz in 1827.
61
00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:08,240
Schulz made the first description of the so-called
“Wall of Van”, a long-time object of scientific interest.
62
00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:12,480
He found out that it was the main element
of the royal residence of Urartu –
63
00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:15,480
the city of Tushpa, modern Van.
64
00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:26,160
The research team discovered vast rooms in the rock, presumed to be the royal burial spots.
65
00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:32,200
Friedrich Schulz sketched the cuneiform inscriptions
he found on the walls of the fortress city,
66
00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,920
which he sent back to the Royal Asiatic Society.
67
00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:48,040
The cuneiform writings were not yet deciphered
in that time,
68
00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:53,960
so Schulz had no idea
what they said and which kingdom they described.
69
00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,320
Schulz was tasked with studying the city of Van.
70
00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:04,320
He spent a couple of years there and busied
himself with discovering various artifacts
71
00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,840
and trying to figure out
which culture produced them.
72
00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:14,400
Unfortunately, he was killed by Kurdish bandits in 1829.
73
00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:25,320
The studies were halted after the murder of Schulz.
74
00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,320
However, the road to studying Urartu was finally open
75
00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:37,200
after British orientalist Archibald Sayce deciphered
the cuneiform inscriptions in 1882.
76
00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,640
What they revealed was essentially
an absolute sensation for science,
77
00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:48,360
as the Kingdom of Urartu was not known to exist
in Armenian Highland before that.
78
00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:58,080
The main sources of our knowledge of Urartu
are the cuneiform chronicles from Urartu itself,
79
00:07:58,080 --> 00:07:59,720
and neighbouring Assyria.
80
00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:05,160
For the most part, these are royal chronicles
depicting campaigns and conquests.
81
00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:12,320
The first known king of Urartu is Arame,
who ruled for about 15 years starting from 859 BC.
82
00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:17,640
It was in King Arame’s time that Urartu
became a state: he united scattered tribes,
83
00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:24,160
founded the capital city, Arzashkun, and formed
an army to resist the permanent Assyrian threat.
84
00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:32,360
Shalmaneser III ascended the throne in Assyria
at that time.
85
00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:38,320
He conducted a campaign against Arame in the
very first year of his rule,
86
00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,440
heading to the lands adjacent to Lake Urmia.
87
00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:47,040
The merciless conqueror thus described those events:
88
00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:53,680
“I approached the fortified city of Arame of Urartu,
laid a siege to it and seized it,
89
00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:58,120
killed many warriors, built a tower from their heads
in front of the city,
90
00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,560
and burned 14 surrounding settlements.”
91
00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:09,000
In the third year of his rule,
Shalmaneser III invades Urartu again,
92
00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:14,520
and this time the capital itself, Arzashkun, becomes
the key battleground.
93
00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:33,520
"While I was in Arzashkun, Arame of Urartu
placed his hopes on the might of his army,
94
00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:38,040
indeed raised his entire army,
and marched to meet me.
95
00:09:54,680 --> 00:10:01,040
I defeated him, killed 3,000 of his warriors
and filled a vast steppe with their blood.
96
00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:12,240
I seized and destroyed, and burned Arzashkun,
the royal city of Arame of Urartu".
97
00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:23,600
The dynasty of Arame was no longer dominant
in the territory of historical Armenia
98
00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,000
after the campaigns of Shalmaneser III.
99
00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:34,800
A new dynasty emerged, and a new core of statehood
came with it - Van, or Biainili.
100
00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:42,520
Sarduri I became king in approximately 843 BC.
101
00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:48,440
He founded the new capital of Urartu,
the walled town of Tushpa.
102
00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:54,920
The main task of this ruler was to confront Assyria.
103
00:10:54,920 --> 00:11:00,920
He turned the whole country into a unified
front and started preparing for a new war.
104
00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:10,920
The cuneiform writings about Sarduri I indicate
that he succeeded in cutting short the Assyrian campaign
105
00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:13,480
in the west of the Armenian Highlands.
106
00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:19,120
In other words, king Sarduri essentially stopped
the Assyrian army
107
00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,520
at the borders of the Armenian Highland,
108
00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:26,520
stripping it from the ability to strike a powerful,
lethal blow to the Kingdom of Van.
109
00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:32,240
So, we can say that the rule of Sarduri I
was the beginning of an era of prosperity
110
00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:34,640
for the Kingdom of Urartu.
111
00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:39,520
Tushpa eventually became the economic
and political centre of the country.
112
00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:46,040
You can still see the fortification wall
in the western bottom part of the Van Fortress.
113
00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:50,880
It is built from large stones,
some 6 meters long and 1 meter high.
114
00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:56,120
The wall bears inscriptions in Assyrian,
which tell about the construction of the fortress.
115
00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:02,640
In fact, they are the first written documents
we have from the Kingdom of Urartu.
116
00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,000
Having reached certain military, political
and economic progress,
117
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:14,840
Sarduri I started calling himself “the king of kings”
and “the king of the universe”,
118
00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,040
as did the Assyrian leaders.
119
00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:33,880
During the rule of Sarduri I,
a new royal dynasty originated in Urartu.
120
00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,480
The kings of Urartu were living and working
in very troubled times,
121
00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,000
and you can see it from the city plans.
122
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,840
These towns were essentially fortresses.
123
00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:53,080
The fortresses of Urartu could not be taken
without siege weapons.
124
00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:58,440
The Assyrian army had no way to carry them around
during the harsh winters of the Armenian Highland,
125
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:05,760
so Assyria was forced to reserve
military campaigns solely for summertime.
126
00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:14,880
Urartu was considered Assyria’s main rival.
127
00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:21,120
That antagonistic relationship is similar
to what the Soviet Union and the United States had
128
00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,400
during the Cold War.
129
00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,920
All political processes in the Middle East
were related to and went through the rivalry
130
00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:33,080
between Urartu and Assyria.
131
00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:42,240
By the end of the 9th century BC, the Assyrian
influence on the region faded for a long time.
132
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:47,200
The era of a different power was dawning –
the era of Urartu.
133
00:13:54,000 --> 00:14:02,000
The new kingdom squared its shoulders properly
by around 810 BC, during the rule of king Menua.
134
00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,640
Menua was the grandson of Sarduri I.
135
00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:08,800
He ruled alongside his father Ishpuini
since the young age,
136
00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:13,680
and learned a lot from successful military campaigns
in which he was involved.
137
00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:19,000
Menua’s father, king Ishpuini implemented
a religious reform in Urartu,
138
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,720
recognizing Haldi as the supreme god.
139
00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:28,200
In the eyes of the Urartians, Haldi,
who is also worshipped in Assyria,
140
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:33,680
could take on Assur himself –
the supreme god of the Assyrians.
141
00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:39,240
As the God of Sun,
Haldi was also the god of everything.
142
00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:43,480
People prayed to Haldi for luck,
happiness, success.
143
00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,160
Pilgrimage is also associated with Haldi,
144
00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,960
so there is no coincidence
that most temples were dedicated to him.
145
00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,400
Once the faith in Haldi consolidated
in the minds of the Urartians,
146
00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,920
Menua organized several successful campaigns
to the northern borders,
147
00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:02,960
and expanded the territory of the kingdom.
148
00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:05,880
Assyria was gathering significant forces
at this time.
149
00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:10,520
The Assyrians conquered Manna, and that country
became the apple of discord,
150
00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:15,640
and a permanent battleground between Assyria
and Urartu for many years.
151
00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:20,400
Menua was able to take a stand against Assyria.
152
00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:25,400
He took back Manna and other lost lands,
and even reached the Assyrian borders.
153
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,680
Striving to raise the combat readiness
and power of his army,
154
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:35,480
Menua covered Urartu with fortresses.
155
00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:43,560
The fortresses were built to thwart enemy attacks
in the central regions
156
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:48,840
as well as in the lands from Malatia
to the southern shores of Lake Urmia.
157
00:15:53,680 --> 00:16:00,320
Town building was a priority in the period of prosperity,
because it directly concerned national security.
158
00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:16,040
On the slopes of Mount Ararat, in the South Caucasus,
rose Menuakhinili - the city of Menua.
159
00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:22,000
One of the wonder structures of that period
is the 70 kilometres long channel
160
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,240
that supplied water to the capital and adjacent villages.
161
00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,040
Surprisingly, it still stands,
and serves its original purpose.
162
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,440
It is a huge construction.
163
00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,840
Some walls above the gorges
reached 15 meters in height,
164
00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:45,400
so that the aqueduct could deliver water to Van.
165
00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:54,200
From the technical viewpoint, that construction
had no analogue in the ancient world.
166
00:16:55,800 --> 00:17:01,280
It must be noted that the engineers of Biainili
had one major task:
167
00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,960
secure one meter of pipeline pitch per kilometre.
168
00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:11,640
They had to cut through rocks, round the gorges,
and go above them in all cases.
169
00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:19,839
Construction of the channel drastically increased
the agricultural potential of central Urartu.
170
00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:28,400
Later on, Menua used similar channels to actively
develop farming in order to feed his huge army.
171
00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,280
Apart from the cuneiform writings
from the period of Menua’s rule,
172
00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:41,520
the only other documents to mention this channel
are the works of the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi.
173
00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:45,040
He ascribes construction of the channel
to the famous queen Semiramis,
174
00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:50,160
who ruled in Assyria in the same period
as Menua in Urartu.
175
00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,280
Undoubtedly, she surpassed him by fame.
176
00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:57,120
Literally everyone knows about her famous
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
177
00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:03,120
As time went by, people started calling Menua’s
channel “the channel from the times of Semiramis”,
178
00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,920
and later simply “the channel of Semiramis”.
179
00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:16,200
Menua was reformer-king.
180
00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:22,160
Menua strengthened both the army and economy
over the course of his rule.
181
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:27,280
As years went by, he expanded his kingdom,
kept the score with rival Assyria balanced
182
00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:32,360
in his favour and consolidated the power
of Urartu in Western Asia.
183
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:39,120
Menua made Urartu a powerful kingdom,
an empire even.
184
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,680
Menua ascended to the throne
when his country was relatively weak,
185
00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:51,800
and he left it a strong kingdom with an army capable
of fighting any enemy on equal terms.
186
00:18:54,480 --> 00:19:00,200
After Menua died in 786 BC,
he was succeeded by his son Argishti I,
187
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:05,320
who would proceed to become the greatest commander
in the history of Urartu.
188
00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:10,600
The kingdom found itself in a dangerous situation
into the very first weeks of his rule:
189
00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:15,440
Assyria moved its armies against Urartu.
190
00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:23,760
Simultaneously with these worrying news from the south,
Argishti I was troubled by reports from the north.
191
00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:28,640
Northern tribes and states formed
a rather strong coalition over a short period of time,
192
00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,600
and started raiding Urartian settlements.
193
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,160
A major war was underway.
194
00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:41,640
Argishti was well-aware that Urartu could
not fight on two fronts for very long.
195
00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,480
Most likely, that is why the king decided
to crush his enemies in the north first,
196
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:52,960
as the northern coalition was weaker than Assyria.
197
00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,880
His troops covered the northern lands
like a swarm.
198
00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:04,000
That campaign destroyed the northern coalition
for good.
199
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:10,000
The strategic task was fulfilled,
and peace reigned at the northern borders of Urartu.
200
00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:20,400
Military actions carried on in the south.
201
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,720
Argishti I threw Assyrians away from the borders,
202
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:30,200
invaded the country as far as the mountains of Assyria,
and defeated the rival army.
203
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:39,680
After these events the Assyrians described Argishti,
the king of Urartu, as “frightening as a heavy storm”.
204
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:49,160
It was during the rule of Argishti I that the Urartian army
switched from bronze to iron weapons.
205
00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:55,160
Most likely, it was the first army
in the world to make that transition.
206
00:20:55,160 --> 00:21:01,560
Later, Assyria reformed its army
by the Urartian example.
207
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:09,440
Argishti continued his father’s policies,
actively building new settlements and fortresses.
208
00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:17,800
He constructed the walled town of Erebuni
in 782 BC as a stronghold in Ararat Valley.
209
00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,840
The fortress standing on a high mountain
was of strategic significance:
210
00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,880
it secured the valley within view for many kilometres.
211
00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:33,080
The guards would notice any movement of groups
of people or armed units at once.
212
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:39,240
On October 25, 1950 Armenian scientist
Konstantin Hovhannisyan
213
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,480
was in the middle of a research on Urartu.
214
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:52,200
He discovered two basalt stones covered
with cuneiform writings, which read:
215
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:57,280
“By the greatness of the God Haldi,
Argishti, son of Menua,
216
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:04,960
built this mighty stronghold, and proclaimed it
Erebuni, for the glory of Biainili,
217
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:08,560
and to instill fear among the king's enemies”.
218
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:13,240
Over time, Erebuni would grow
into the modern capital of Armenia, Yerevan,
219
00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:21,400
and the discovery of Konstantin Hovhannisyan
finally revealed the date of its foundation – 782 BC.
220
00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:27,440
Yerevan turned out to be 29 years older
than the Eternal City, Rome.
221
00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:33,920
In 2018, Yerevan celebrated its 2,800th anniversary.
222
00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:45,400
For instance, in Armenia, most important is Argishti I,
who extended the Kingdom of Urartu
223
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,640
in Ararat plain, so it's very important.
224
00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,480
Argishti I was firmly settled in Ararat Valley.
225
00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,760
The channels he built secured irrigation
for fertile lands,
226
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:59,080
and his efforts in agriculture
were crowned by rich harvests.
227
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,760
Argishti could sit back for a while and enjoy
the fruit of his labour.
228
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:09,120
The king no longer had to invest so much
of his energy and work to develop farming.
229
00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:23,120
Argishti was a business person.
230
00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:25,880
The economy of Urartu thrived during his rule.
231
00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:31,200
He had to feed a huge army,
and he dealt with it very well.
232
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,920
However, the period of peaceful creation,
and labour did not last long:
233
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:43,800
Assyria breached the borders of Urartu once again,
and launched another military campaign.
234
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,960
The power of Urartu was a mortal threat to Assyria,
235
00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:56,160
so its rulers had to invade the Kingdom of Van,
and crush it at any cost.
236
00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:02,880
At the time when Urartu was at its height,
237
00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:07,240
Argishti I threw his forces
to meet the enemy in a counterattack.
238
00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,880
He expanded the borders of the kingdom
to the upstream of Euphrates,
239
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:16,640
outflanked the Assyrian army,
and cut its connection with crucial resources.
240
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:21,760
King Argishti was certain he would prevail
in the war against Assyria.
241
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:26,840
He began implementing an ambitious plan
he had on his mind.
242
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,320
Meeting next to no resistance on his way,
243
00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:34,240
Argishti marched on the lands under the Assyrian rule,
and conquered several cities.
244
00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:39,840
He went as far as the land of Babilu,
which certain experts consider to be Babylon.
245
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:49,160
We can see that Urartu closed in on Assyria
in Argishti’s term.
246
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:54,360
The Urartian military command was able
to organize a combined attack on Assyria
247
00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:57,760
from the north, and from the southeast.
248
00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:01,760
Argishti put Assyria on the brink
of military catastrophe.
249
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,160
The Assyrians had to assess their situation
with all seriousness.
250
00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,000
They gathered what forces they had left,
251
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:14,920
and counterattacked the Urartian army
to drive it out of their territory.
252
00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:20,160
Assyria won back the lands Argishti had seized,
and avoided the impending disaster.
253
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:25,480
It appears that the two neighbours soon signed
an agreement defining their borders.
254
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:31,240
Argishti I retained the rest of the areas
conquered by him and his father.
255
00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:37,760
The outcome was that Argishti made Urartu
the most powerful state of Western Asia.
256
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:47,240
His son Sarduri II inherited a strong, prosperous
kingdom with a large and formidable army.
257
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:55,200
The next Assyrian king was Tiglath Pileser III.
258
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,800
He reorganized and reinforced the Assyrian army,
259
00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:03,160
returned the lands his predecessor
had lost to Argishti and invaded Urartu.
260
00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:07,720
Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria marched
on the Kingdom of Van,
261
00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:15,120
and laid siege to its capital Tushpa,
although he failed to seize the unassailable citadel.
262
00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:18,080
The Assyrian army and king had to return home,
263
00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:21,920
but their campaign created
a complicated political situation in Urartu.
264
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:28,560
In these trying times, Rusa I ascended
to the throne in 735 BC.
265
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:34,000
Several regions of Urartu tried at once
to use the transition of power to gain independence.
266
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,240
Rusa I acted decisively.
267
00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:43,480
He repressed the revolts in key regions of Urartu,
preserved the integrity of the state,
268
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,640
restored order,
and set about to strengthen the borders.
269
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:48,600
He would tell about these events:
270
00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,320
“It is with my two horses and charioteer,
271
00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:56,320
with my own two hands
that I conquered the Kingdom of Urartu.”
272
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,760
In addition to this arduous task,
273
00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:03,520
Rusa I had to build anew the relations
with the religious centre of Urartu, Musasir.
274
00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:08,720
The religious centre of Urartu was located
beyond the boundaries of the kingdom,
275
00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:12,080
in the area bordering Assyria.
276
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:19,880
It was a frontier between several countries
who were using the rivalry of Assyria and Urartu
277
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,000
to maintain their independence.
278
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:33,040
Musasir was different, as it was home
to the main temple of the supreme deity of Urartu.
279
00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:37,880
Many Urartians undertook pilgrimage,
280
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:42,640
and covered a long, dangerous road
to the hardly accessible mountainous region
281
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:47,520
in order to reach the main temple
of the god Haldi in Musasir.
282
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:56,640
Farmers and soldiers alike linked their achievements
to the power of their supreme god.
283
00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:55,800
It should be noted that people were more religious
in ancient times.
284
00:28:55,800 --> 00:29:03,160
The main difference between now and then is
that religion was not separate from the state,
285
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:05,920
art or science.
286
00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,360
It was all one complete whole.
287
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:17,160
Rusa I restored the relations with Musasir
and, having secured the support of Haldi,
288
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:22,360
resumed the development of Urartu,
consolidating its military and economic power.
289
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:27,120
Everything changed when Assyria welcomed
a new king in 722 BC
290
00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:34,160
Resolute and hawkish, Sargon II was the younger son
of Tiglath Pileser III.
291
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:47,040
He dethroned his elder brother Shalmaneser V.
292
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:56,800
And was quick to demonstrate an aggressive attitude
towards Assyria’s northern neighbour.
293
00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:05,760
Sargon II was an experienced military leader
with typical views of an Assyrian king.
294
00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:09,560
Upon seizing power, he defined a clear goal:
295
00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:14,400
prevent the strengthening of Urartu,
and defeat the arch-rival of his country.
296
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:22,720
Sargon II waged wars in the west in the first
years of his rule, against Syria and Palestine.
297
00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,240
Afterwards, he turned towards the north.
298
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,560
Sargon always prepared for campaigns meticulously.
299
00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:34,120
It was especially true when it came
to his worst enemy, Urartu.
300
00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:39,640
His spies provided intelligence reports
that have been preserved until nowadays.
301
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,960
Sargon II was only waiting
for a good moment to attack.
302
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:52,200
Assyrian scouts and spies of all sorts gathered everything
Sargon needed to know about Urartu,
303
00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:56,280
and the kingdom’s economic and political state.
304
00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:03,080
Both Sargon II and Rusa I did not dare
to go for a direct confrontation.
305
00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:09,360
Their rivalry unfolded in Manna,
the buffer zone.
306
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:15,680
For several times in this period, Sargon conquered
Manna and enthroned a puppet king…
307
00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:36,000
Rusa responded by organizing rebellions
in favour of the candidate loyal to Urartu.
308
00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:40,760
The situation took a dramatic turn in 715 BC,
309
00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:45,640
when Sargon II heard the report
about Rusa’s failed campaign against Cimmerians.
310
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:55,760
Written artefacts indicate that Rusa I lost a significant
portion of his army in the battles against Cimmerians,
311
00:31:55,760 --> 00:32:00,080
which was beneficial to the Assyrian king.
312
00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:08,480
Sargon II considered it to be a good moment
to act and moved his troops against Urartu.
313
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:13,160
He started with punitive expeditions
against Rusa’s allies,
314
00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:17,280
and drove the Urartians
out of the region near Lake Urmia.
315
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:22,440
The first country he attacked was Manna,
and it could not ward off the Assyrian assault.
316
00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:28,000
Sargon punished the rebellious kings viciously:
he skinned them alive and put their corpses
317
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,880
on display for the people of Manna.
318
00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:36,120
Sargon II was essentially annihilating
the elites of the society
319
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:39,000
in multiple regions west of Euphrates.
320
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,160
It was genocide.
321
00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:47,680
Rusa I gathered his forces,
and hurried to the rescue.
322
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,800
Sargon II did not halt his march,
and was still destroying Urartian settlements,
323
00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,240
when a sudden report came in
324
00:32:56,240 --> 00:33:01,640
that Rusa I stopped to camp with a large army
in a gorge east of Lake Urmia
325
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:05,960
with the intention
to take the Assyrian forces from behind.
326
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:11,800
Sargon changed his plans at once,
and marched towards Rusa.
327
00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:21,600
The unsuspecting Urartian soldiers
were resting, peaceful,
328
00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:31,080
when Sargon’s troops broke into the camp
in an unexpected attack.
329
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:41,280
Rusa’s warriors fought back desperately,
trying to save their king to their last ounce of strength.
330
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:57,040
But the battle ended
in a bitter defeat on their side.
331
00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:59,280
It was a hard blow for Rusa I.
332
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:04,800
He had to leave his soldiers to their fate,
and flee to keep his own life.
333
00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:09,639
For Sargon, it was a chance to move further north.
334
00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:14,840
He destroyed the large Urartian city of Ulkhu,
sweeping everything in front of him,
335
00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:17,440
and burning even the sown fields.
336
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:27,360
Soon Sargon reached the region
where Rusa’s brothers and other relatives lived.
337
00:34:29,159 --> 00:34:32,320
This is how Sargon II described what happened:
338
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:37,679
“In passing I marched on Arba,
the residence of the house of Rusa.
339
00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:42,199
The seven adjacent settlements, the dwellings
of his brothers and family,
340
00:34:42,199 --> 00:34:47,679
where the guard was strong,
these towns I destroyed and laid to waste,
341
00:34:47,679 --> 00:34:50,480
burying his sanctuary.”
342
00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:56,679
These blows were even harder for Rusa I to take.
343
00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:07,160
In a culmination of this destructive campaign,
Sargon approached the boundaries of Tushpa,
344
00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:11,240
dreaming of the seizure of the capital of Urartu.
345
00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:24,120
However, upon thinking over his possibilities,
and the intelligence reports,
346
00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:28,040
he turned his army around,
and moved back to Assyria.
347
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:36,960
He was merciless, laying waste to Urartian towns
and settlements on the way.
348
00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:43,720
With a part of his army,
Sargon II undertook a difficult march
349
00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:46,080
through the wooded, mountainous area,
350
00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:49,720
and attacked Musasir,
a sacred place for any Urartian.
351
00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:58,280
The town itself and the temple of the supreme
god Haldi were destroyed in the most barbaric manner.
352
00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:09,960
By the standards of those times, it was sacrilege,
353
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:15,160
but Sargon’s hatred for Urartu was so great
that he dared to take that step,
354
00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:17,680
and even felt so proud of what he had done
355
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:24,520
that he ordered a detailed story of the pillage of Musasir
to be carved on the wall in one of his palaces.
356
00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:33,240
The Assyrians took out huge amounts of gold,
silver, other precious metals and stones from Musasir,
357
00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:36,880
as well as figurines of Urartian kings and gods,
358
00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:42,320
a golden statuette of supreme god Haldi
before everything else.
359
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:47,360
Sargon II wrote in his chronicles:
360
00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:54,560
“I brought misery upon the whole of Urartu and its land,
and I made the people who live there wail and cry.”
361
00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:59,160
His chronicles also tell that when
362
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:03,400
“Rusa I heard that Musasir is destroyed,
and his god Haldi is seized,
363
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:07,680
he took his own life with his own hands,
his own iron dagger.”
364
00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:23,960
The next king of Urartu was the son of Rusa I,
Argishti II.
365
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:27,400
He inherited the throne in 714 BC,
366
00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:32,840
facing the worst possible consequences
of the recent war with Assyria.
367
00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:38,800
The Urartians lost 430 large settlements
in 7 regions of their kingdom.
368
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,560
The treasury was empty.
369
00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:42,960
The country – devastated.
370
00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:47,360
The state power in Urartu was shaken
for the first time.
371
00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:53,200
Argishti II longed for vengeance for his father
and country, and did not fear a new war.
372
00:37:56,200 --> 00:38:02,000
The retribution for the grief Sargon II caused
Urartu caught up with him a few years later.
373
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:37,560
Cuneiform sources describe construction works
that Argishti conducted from the central part of Urartu,
374
00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:42,000
and in the regions Sargon II burned
through during his campaign.
375
00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:48,960
This difficult state of affairs
along with new threats from neighbouring countries,
376
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:53,560
forced Assyria to take an unexpected diplomatic step.
377
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:57,760
Assyria and Urartu agreed to change the nature
of their relationship.
378
00:38:57,760 --> 00:39:00,520
Weary of new severe conflicts,
379
00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:06,440
the perpetual enemies began resolving disputes
through negotiation more often.
380
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:12,800
There is an assumption that Argishti II negotiated
a buy-back of the “chief” bronze statue
381
00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:18,080
of god Haldi, seized in Musasir,
and returned it to Urartu.
382
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,960
Argishti II thus spoke of himself:
383
00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:25,520
“I am the servant of god Haldi,
the loyal shepherd of the people.”
384
00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:36,440
Gradually, Argishti II returned the regions that broke off
385
00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:40,640
from the Urartian kingdom
in the south, north and east.
386
00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:46,200
He managed to knit back together
the Kingdom of Van for the most part.
387
00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:55,200
Quite possibly, Argishti II reached the regions
closely touching the Caspian Sea,
388
00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:59,800
and moved in that direction further
than any other Urartian king.
389
00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:08,000
Argishti II essentially restored the state
and passed it to his heir reinforced.
390
00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:14,680
It is known that Argishti’s son Rusa II
also carried out intense town building
391
00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:18,360
to consolidate the power of Urartu.
392
00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:22,000
Some Urartian inscriptions tell about
the large-scale construction
393
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:27,080
Rusa II organized to create a new administrative centre
in Ararat Valley.
394
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:31,720
It was called Teishebani,
“the city of god of war Teisheba”,
395
00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:36,600
built to replace the deteriorating old centre,
Argishtikhinili.
396
00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:43,200
The ruins of Teishebani still stand on Karmir
Blur (“the Red Hill”), in Yerevan.
397
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:49,760
In the first half of the 20th century, renowned
Orientalist scholar Boris Piotrovsky
398
00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,120
launched a full-scale excavation in the area,
399
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:56,800
the results of which shook the entire scientific world.
400
00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:04,080
When we started digging,
and got out that many discoveries,
401
00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:08,360
monuments to the daily life,
and the festive life of the Urartians,
402
00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:10,160
the Urartian art,
403
00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:14,960
it became instantly clear that it was
uniquely Urartian style and spirit.
404
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:18,760
Due to this excavation and these studies,
the science was pushed towards
405
00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:22,320
recognizing Urartu as something tangible,
and comprehensible.
406
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:26,160
So to say, this is an example of serious science,
407
00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:32,160
which makes things comprehensible and tangible,
and creates an image of the culture.
408
00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:37,520
The history of human activity in the Armenian
Highland amounts to tens of thousands of years,
409
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:41,880
which, undoubtedly, affected the culture of Urartu.
410
00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:49,160
Archeological findings draw an exhaustive
picture of top-level handicraft trades in Urartu:
411
00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:55,840
bronze, iron, gold and silver working,
wood and wool processing, leather working,
412
00:41:55,840 --> 00:42:01,480
as well as the manufacture of decorations,
and war needs from these materials.
413
00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:12,200
Religion ran through all areas of life in Urartu.
414
00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:17,680
The discoveries of religious items include
bronze figurines of Urartian gods.
415
00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:23,680
There is a statuette of god Teisheba
discovered by my mother.
416
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:29,080
It is a figure holding an axe, and it can
be identified easily as Teisheba, god of war.
417
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:33,920
The Teishebani fortress – Karmir Blur –
was named after him.
418
00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:40,240
So, my mother discovered that figurine
of the god of war on June 21, 1941.
419
00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:44,600
On the following day, Germany attacked
the Soviet Union.
420
00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:51,400
Additionally, the excavation in Karmir Blur
421
00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:55,560
unearthed unique storages
for preservation of agricultural products:
422
00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,440
the karases, some several meters long.
423
00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:02,960
A "karas" is a large earthen jug for food and drinks.
424
00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:10,000
People could keep oil, beer, wine and other
products in karases for a long time
425
00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:13,320
without risking spoilage, all due to a secret:
426
00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:19,240
the larger part of karas was buried in the ground,
which kept it cold.
427
00:43:19,240 --> 00:43:21,960
You could call it a prototype
of the modern refrigerator.
428
00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:29,240
Urartian artefacts have been discovered
in various parts of Armenia.
429
00:43:29,240 --> 00:43:36,080
For instance, the multicolour frescos on palace and temple
walls were carefully recreated in Erebuni fortress,
430
00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:39,160
which is within city limits of Yerevan.
431
00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:44,600
These frescoes depict gods, sacred animals,
and ceremonial and hunting scenes,
432
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:48,120
all decorated with vegetative
and geometric ornaments.
433
00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:55,240
The cultural heritage of Urartu did not simply
pass down to the next Armenian states.
434
00:43:55,240 --> 00:43:58,960
It possibly influenced others,
Persia and Greece for example.
435
00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:07,200
Urartu outlived Assyria,
436
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:11,160
which began to lose its territories
in the second half of the 7th century BC
437
00:44:11,160 --> 00:44:16,480
in a fierce confrontation
with the separated Babylonia and the rising Media.
438
00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:24,520
In 612 BC, the Assyrian capital of Nineveh
fell after a long siege laid by the Babylonians,
439
00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,320
Medes, Scythians and Armenians.
440
00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:31,680
The Assyrian state ceased to exist in 605 BC.
441
00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:39,400
Despite more than a century of research
about the mysterious kingdom of Urartu,
442
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:43,720
we still do not know enough about the beginning,
and the end of its history.
443
00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:51,160
It's relatively unknown now, we have a lot of problems
to understand exactly what happened.
444
00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:54,280
Especially, when it collapsed, and why.
445
00:44:54,360 --> 00:44:57,480
Argishti I to Rusa II – quite clear.
446
00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:03,000
After is unclear. There's change...
The least is not very clear.
447
00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:05,280
Which one was the last one?
448
00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:07,360
Which one was not the king?
449
00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:09,480
In which sense, it's very difficult to understand that.
450
00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:13,240
But especially I think that in Armenia
one of the keys to understand
451
00:45:13,240 --> 00:45:17,480
what happened at the end of Kingdom of Urartu –
we have one of the keys here in Armenia.
452
00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:23,200
It is believed that Urartu ceased to exist
in early 6th century BC,
453
00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:29,840
but there is no solid data to support the theory
that Urartu met its end exactly in that period of time.
454
00:45:30,240 --> 00:45:33,280
This most important issue is still pending.
455
00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:44,680
Obviously, the kingdom of Urartu did not fall
in a strict sense.
456
00:45:46,080 --> 00:45:51,600
Most likely, what happened was a change
of dynasty in about 648 BC.
457
00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:01,480
It is an indisputable fact
that the Kingdom of Ayrarat, or Armenia,
458
00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:06,000
existed after Urartu in the same area
of the Armenian Highland.
459
00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:13,120
It was ruled by the Yervanduni dynasty,
and governed from the same capital city – Van.
460
00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:19,280
This was the end of the cradle of civilization
called Urartu,
461
00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:23,680
which shone in the mountain heights of Armenia
for three centuries,
462
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:26,960
from the 9th to the 6th century BC.
463
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:35,400
Urartu was the first state in the history
to unite numerous tribes of the vast Armenian Highland
464
00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:37,280
into a common kingdom,
465
00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:43,120
thus growing into one of the largest civilizations
of this grand and mysterious ancient world.
47195
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.