The beginnings of Urartu were humble. The mountains and valleys of eastern Anatolia harboured many small kingdoms that were periodically raided by Assyrian expeditions. In the late twelfth century BC, Tiglath-Pileser I bragged of defeating no less than 23 kings in this area. Possibly banding together to defend themselves, a kingdom emerged, probably in the tenth century BC, whose rulers referred to themselves as “Kings of Nairi”. The Assyrians called the land Urartu. Its first recorded king is Arramu (r. 858-844).
The King List (see text box) shows that all kings had relatively long reigns, implying stability although there were probably crises and civil wars or feuds within the royal family. On a statue of Rusa I (r. 735-713) from Musasir an inscription states “With two horses and one charioteer of mine he [Rusa] took in his hands the kingship of Urartu.” This could be a formulaic statement or evidence of the illegitimacy of Rusa’s rule.
Despite a harsh climate and the confined spaces of mountainous terrain, the Urartians built many cities. The geography and climate had defensive advantages, creating natural citadels which the Urartan kings transformed into fortresses. Cold winters enforced short campaigning seasons and ensured Assyrian armies would break off a siege when the season turned. The Urartians made their land prosperous by (mostly subterranean) irrigation canals. Viniculture thrived, and the valleys were well suited to breeding cattle
