Bastam (A 12-5)
A small fragment of a reddish inscribed stone was found during the early years of excavations at Bastam. The fragment preserves only a small section of six lines, recognized as a duplicate of part of the third column of the Ayanis temple inscription. The fragment is in the Museum of Ancient Iran in Tehran.
Transliteration:
1ʹ […] x […]
2ʹ [zi-el-di-e MAN-e ar-du-li-ni a-li a-šú-li] ⸢dhal-di-ni⸣ [É ku-i-zi]
3ʹ [zi-el-di ši-la-ni-ni i-šá-ni ši-i-ni Ési-ir-ha]-⸢ni⸣-ni ma-ni-[ni na-hi-zi]
4ʹ [ši-al-a-di-e kam-ni su-ri ku-i-zi ši-la-ni]-ni d⸢hal⸣-[di-ni É]
5ʹ [mì-i a-i-ni-i zu-ma-gi-e áš-du-ú-ni a-li]-⸢e áš-du⸣-[li 2-am-di-ni]
6ʹ [mu-ú-ri a-ši-i-ni a-še ši-i-ú-li-e zu-ma]-⸢ṭi5⸣-[i-ni Ési-ir-ha-ni-ni]
No translation has been offered.
References:
Salvini, M. 2005. “Der Turmtempel (susi) von Bastam”, AMIT 37, 371–375.
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 p. 577, v. 3 p. 357, v. 5 pp. 329–330.
Dara, M. 2022. “The newly-donated Urartian inscription from Bastam by Rusa II,” Journal of Archaeological Studies 14.2, 1-18 (Fig. 2).
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q007104).
Image Sources:
M. Dara, 2022
Bastam (A 12-7)
The rectangular slab with a foundation inscription of the “Small City of Rusa” (Rusai URU.TUR), originating from the ruins of Bastam, was found in the 19th century in the house of the “khan” (governor?) of the city of Maku and later transferred to the Museum of Ancient Iran in Tehran. The slab measures 54 cm high and 70 cm wide. Although the settlement is named “Small City of Rusa,” the ruins at Bastam are the third largest known Urartian fortress-city after Van Kalesi and Toprakkale.
Transliteration:
1 dhal-di-e EN i-ni É.BÁRA mru-sa-še
2 mar-giš-te-hi-ni-še ši-di-iš-tú-ni dhal-di-ni-ni
3 uš-ma-ši-ni mru-sa-še mar-giš-te-hi-ni-še
4 a-li qar-bi sal-zi ma-nu ú-i gi-e-i
5 iš-ti-ni ši-da-ú-ri šú-ki dhal-di-še
6 ú-bar-du-du-ni i-e-še ši-di-iš-tú-bi
7 te-ru-bi ti-ni mru-sa-a-i URUTUR
8 mru-sa-a-še mar-giš-te-hi-ni-še a-li
9 a-lu-še i-ni DUB-te tú-li-e a-lu-še
10 pi-tú-li-e a-lu-še ip-hu-li-e tú-ri-ni-ni
11 dhal-di-še dIM-še dUTU-ni-še DINGIRMEŠ-še
12 mì-ku-u-i ti-ni ma-nu-ni dUTU-ni-ka-i
13 mru-sa-a-ni mar-giš-te-hi
14 MAN DAN-NU MAN KUR.KURMEŠ-a-u-e
15 MAN KURbi-a-i-na-u-e MAN MAN-ú-e
16 [a]-lu-si URUṭu-uš-pa-a-e URU
Translation:
“(1) For the god Haldi, the Lord, Rusa, son of Argišti, built this temple. (2b) Through the protection of the god Haldi, Rusa, son of Argišti, says: (4b) the rock was bare(?), nothing had (ever) been built there. As soon as the god Haldi ordered, I built it (and) named it ʹSmall City of Rusaʹ. (8) Rusa, son of Argišti, says: (as for the one) who destroys this inscription, (as for the one) who damages it, (as for the one) who destroys it, may the god Haldi, the Weather-God, the Sun-God (and all) the gods annihilate him, (and) may (his) name not remain under the sun. (13) (I am) Rusa, son of Argišti, strong king, king of the lands, king of the Bia lands, king of kings, lord of Ṭušpa-City.”
References:
Ceylan N. & M. Çiftçi. 2021. “Kuzeybatı İran’daki Urartu Yazıtlarındaki Savaş ve Propaganda İfadeleri,” MANAS 10.2, 1369–1388 (Foto 6).
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 578–579, v. 3 p. 359, v. 5 p. 332.
Dara, M. 2022. “The newly-donated Urartian inscription from Bastam by Rusa II,” Journal of Archaeological Studies 14.2, 1-18 (Fig. 1).
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q007106).
CTU A 12-7 = CICh 153A = HchI 129 = UKN 280 = KUKN 419
Image Sources:
N. Ceylan & M. Çiftçi, 2021
M. Dara, 2022
Bastam (A 12-11?)
The fragmentary reddish limestone slab was uncovered in 1996 during the construction of the Agh Chay Dam behind the Bastam fortification, east of the present-day village of Bastam. The slab measures 64 cm high, 56.5 cm wide, and 19 cm thick and is currently in the Maku Office of Cultural Heritage. Similar to another inscription from Bastam (A 12-7), this is a foundation inscription of the “Small City of Rusa” by Rusa II.
Transliteration:
1. [dhal-di-i-ni-ni uš-ma-ši]-ni m⸢ru⸣-sa-[a-še]
2. [mar-giš-te-hi-ni-še i-ni] ⸢É⸣.GAL ba-du-˹si˺-[i-e]
3. [ši-di-iš-tú-ni mru-sa-a-]⸢še⸣ mar-giš-te-⸢hi-ni⸣-še
4. [a-li x x x x x ú]-⸢i⸣ gi-e-i iš-ti-ni
5. [x x x x x x x]⸢-še⸣ i-zi-di-tú i-e-še
6. [DAN-NUMEŠ] ar-ni-ú-ši-ni-li iš-ti-⸢ni⸣
7. [za-du-bi x x x]-hi ⸢É⸣.GAL-ka-i šá-tú-ú-⸢bi⸣
8. [x x x x x x x]-e ⸢šú⸣-hi-e te-ru-ú-⸢bi⸣
9. [ši-di-iš-tú-bi] ⸢ti⸣-ni mru-⸢sa⸣-a-i URU.⸢TUR⸣
10. [mru-sa-a-ni m]⸢ar⸣-giš-te-hi ⸢MAN⸣ DAN-NU a-lu-⸢si⸣
11. [URUṭu-ú-uš-pa]-a-e URU ⸢m⸣ru-sa-a-[še]
12. [mar-giš-te-hi-ni-še] ⸢a-li⸣ a-lu-še i-⸢ni⸣ DUB-[te]
13. [tú-li-e a-lu-še pi]-tú-li-e a-lu-[še]
14. [ip-hu-li-e a-lu-še a-i-ni]-e i-ni-li du-li12-⸢e⸣
15. [ti-ú-li-e ú-li]-i tú-ri-⸢e⸣
16. [tú-ri-ni-ni dhal-di-še d]⸢IM⸣-še dUTU-še DINGIR⸢MEŠ⸣-[še]
Translation:
“(1) [By the favor of Haldi], Rusa, (2) [son of Argišti, built this] fortification perfectly. [Rusa, son of] Argišti,
(4) says: … … Nothing had (ever) been built here (before). (5) They […] …-ed. I (6) [accomplished] here [great] deeds. (7) […] I received in front of the fort. (8) I built (or put/install) the new […]. (9) [I built]. (Its) name (is) “The small city of Rusa” (10) [I am Rusa], Son of Argišti, mighty king, lord (11) of [the Ṭušpa]-City. Rusa, (12) [son of Argišti], says whoever [destroys] this inscription, [whoever] erases (it), whoever (14) [ruins (it), whoever else] causes these things to be done [and says: “go,] destroy, (16) [may Haldi], Storm Deity, Sun Deity, other deities [annihilate him] …”
References:
Dara, M., G. Shirzadeh, R. Heydari & A. Khorablou. 2018. “A newly discovered Urartian inscription by Rusa II from Bastam,” International Journal of the Society of Iranian Archaeologists 4, 37–40.
Image Sources:
M. Dara et al., 2018
Bastam (A 12-12?)
The inscribed stone fragment was found in 2018 in secondary context in the village of Bagh Daraq, about 10 km north of the city of Khoy in northwest Iran. The inscribed face of the rectangular block measures 24 cm in height and 49 cm in length. It is very likely that it originates from a susi temple in the Urartian fortress located about 50 km north at Bastam. The similarities of the six-line text to phrases of Rusa II known from elsewhere suggest a date in the reign of this king.
Transliteration (Trémouille & Dan, 2019):
1ʹ ⸢UDU⸣ dIM-a
2ʹ ⸢at⸣-qa-na-na-ú-e
3ʹ ⸢É⸣ i-za-na-ni-ni Ì
4ʹ iš-ti-i
5ʹ ha-a-lu-ú-li
6ʹ ⸢x-la-ni-ni⸣
Translation
References
Trémouille, M.-C., R. Dan, K. H. Mohammadi & E. Bodaghi. 2019. “A New Fragment of an Inscription of Rusa, Son of Argišti, from the susi Temple of Bastam, Iran,” in Over the Mountains and Far Away (Fs Salvini), eds. P. V. Avetisyan, R. Dan & Y. H. Grekyan, Oxford, pp. 501–510.
Image Sources:
M.-C. Trémouille, 2019