The Role of the Urartian Epigraphy: Argišti I’s Newly Found Disc in Varzaqan

Abstract

Urartians ruled over the regions mainly around three lakes of Van, Sevan and Urmia from about 9th to 7th centuries BC and several metal artefacts are discovered less in situ in the Urartian sites. Among them are bronze discs which are slightly convex or convex in the middle. There is a newly found convex in the middle disc of Argišti I from Qala Dağı, Kiqal Varzaqan, Iran which is similar to the disc in Tabriz Museum also from Varzaqan in the inscription and to the disc in Van Museum in the form. There also is a hieroglyphic sign over the disc which was common on the other discs. The epigraphy of the cuneiform inscription on the mentioned disc was used widely in the Urartian kingdom since Minua’s reign until Sarduri II’s. It is the aim of this paper to introduce this newly discovered artifact and to review the function and forms of the discs which could be used as horse harness or buttons of the armors or clothing. Additionally, the authors try to compare the discs of Argišti I in the epigraphy and form. The authors recognized that the epigraphy of Minua’s reign to Sarduri II’s were also used on the discs inscribed with the name of King Išpuini, Minua’s father, and Inušpua, Minua’s son who never ruled. Therefore, it is possible that the newly found disc is not inscribed during Argišti I’s reign but his son Sarduri’s but as most of the discovered discs bear the name of Argišti it is possible that there was a mass production of the discs during his reign and was brought to Eastern Azerbaijan Province after his reign.