The Reign of Sarduri II: A Golden Era for the Van Kingdom

The Van Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Urartu, continued to maintain its power under the reign of Sarduri II (764-735 BC). A chronology of his deeds, known in modern science as the “Sarduri Chronology,” provides a detailed account of approximately 12 years of his reign.

In the early years of his rule, Sarduri II continued the extensive urban development initiated by his predecessors. His first major military campaign was directed against the state of Melitea, whose king was compelled to submit to Sarduri and pay tribute.

During the initial phase of Sarduri’s reign, Assyria was weakened by external attacks and internal uprisings, limiting its influence in the region. King Ashur-Nirari V of Assyria attempted to exploit this situation by sowing discord within the Van Kingdom and its territories. In response, Sarduri took decisive action. One of his armies defeated the Assyrians near the capital of Arme and quelled an uprising in the country of Urme.

Sarduri II then suppressed a rebellion in the country of Mana and continued his triumphant march southward. He replicated the unique campaign of his father, Argishti I, through eastern Assyria to Babylon. The Armenian army entered Babylon, conquering and destroying three fortresses and about two dozen cities, capturing approximately 40,000 prisoners of war and amassing rich booty.

Following the conquest of Babylon, the southern border of the Armenian state extended to the Persian Gulf. Around 740 BC, Sarduri II conducted two campaigns to the north against the country of Igani (in the basin of the Northern Lake) and then Kulha in the lower reaches of the Chorokh River. This region, known as Colchis in ancient Greek sources, stretched to the shores of the Black Sea.

The following year, Sarduri achieved another significant success by becoming the first king of Van to reach the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. This accomplishment made the plan for the complete destruction of Assyria, developed during the reign of Argishti I, more feasible. Encircling Assyria on three sides—through the Zagros Mountains to the south to Babylon, and along the territory of Asorik and the Euphrates basin to Babylon—would result in a complete blockade of Assyria.

During Sarduri II’s reign, a crucial change in the system of government occurred. He began to dismantle dependent kingdoms (possibly even “allies”), transforming them into administrative units, thereby transitioning from a confederate system of government to a centralized state.

Under Sarduri II, the northeastern border of the state extended along the Kura River. Even during Argishti I’s time, this border included the Aghstev Valley. One of Sarduri II’s records, left in the village of Tsovak south of Lake Sevan, states that Artsakh, the country of Urtekh, also became part of the state, reaching the Kura River and the Caspian Sea. His state stretched to the Black Sea in the north, the Caspian Sea in the east, the central part of Asia Minor in the west, and the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea through Babylon in the south.

Under the reigns of Argishti I and Sarduri II, the Kingdom of Van was the most powerful state in Western Asia, with a sole leader, maintaining its dominance for more than half a century.

Artatsolum