Rusa, son of Argišti II
Introduction
Rusa, son of Argišti, is the son of Argišti II. Although there is general agreement that he ruled in the first half of the 7th century BC, there is still a dispute as to his position in the order of royal succession. According to Salvini (2008: 23), he ruled before Rusa, son of Erimena, Sarduri, son of Rusa, and Sarduri, son of Sarduri. Several scholars have questioned this view, arguing that Rusa, son of Erimena, ruled prior to Rusa, son of Argišti (see, particularly, Seidl 2004; Seidl 2007; Fuchs 2012; Kroll 2012, and Roaf 2012). As for the position of the individual rulers of the first half of the 7th century, the proposals made by the various scholars differ (see the portal page "Introduction"). Regardless of this issue, all researchers consider Rusa, son of Argišti, to be a contemporary of the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal.
Map showing the distribution of the stone inscriptions of Rusa, son of Argišti II, in: Mirjo Salvini, CTU I: 564.
Royal titles
(I am) Rusa, son of Argišti, mighty king, king of the lands, king of the Bia lands, king of kings, lord of Ṭušpa-City. (A 12-6, lines 13-16)
Rusa, son of Argišti, is most famous for his work as a builder of fortresses, settlements and temples, as well as for having been a significant organiser and reformer of the Urartian state. As with his predecessors, he combined the building of fortresses with the agricultural development of their hinterland. In his inscriptions, Rusa, son of Argišti, gives accounts of the foundation and building of several settlements, fortresses, temples and official buildings. The inscriptions are often carved into the façades or walls of the respective buildings. A particularly impressive example is the inscription A 12-10, carved into stone blocks in relief, which were apparently part of a banquet hall, which in Urartian is referred to by the term ašiḫusi.
Stone block from Kef Kalesi with relief and an inscription reporting the building of a banquet hall (A 12-10), in: Mirjo Salvini, CTU III: 364.
Administrative achievements
Most of the administrative records written on clay tablets and clay bullae were detected in settlements and fortresses founded by Rusa, son of Argišti. Due to this, Rusa is regarded as a re-organiser of Urartian state administration. Because of their contents and their archaeological context, similar documents on clay found in older settlements are to be connected to the reign of Rusa, son of Argišti (Salvini 2007: 465). Administrative texts and royal seal legends are also preserved in a hieroglyphic script comparable to Neo-Hittite hieroglyphs ("Urartian hieroglyphs" Salvini 1995, 203-206; Salvini, RlA 11: 465 and Salvini 2001, 292-307). So far royal seals are only attested for Rusa, son of Argišti (Salvini 2007: 465), but it might well be that royal seals of other rulers might have existed as there are seals of high officials and for example the seal impression of Erimena (as crown prince?).
Military activities
Neither Urartian nor Assyrian sources contain any hints as to military campaigns led by Rusa, son of Argišti. It is from Assyrian texts that we might think of a peaceful coexistence between the two powers. In a letter to the god Assur, Esarhaddon states that he has returned Urartian fugitives who fled to Šubria, a buffer state of great importance to the Assyrians since it secured Assyria's frontier with the Cimmerians in south-eastern Anatolia (see also SAA 4: 22-23 No. 18). This may even indicate the existence of a treaty between Assyria and Urartu (Salvini 2007: 465). Fuchs points out that, over the course of Esarhaddon's short but contested accession, one of his rivals, Arda-Mulissi, fled to Urartu. He argues that this might have contributed to a mutual relationship between Rusa, son of Argišti, and Esarhaddon, as Arda-Mulissu was an aspirant to the Assyrian throne and therefore a danger to Esarhaddon's reign (Fuchs 2012: 142-144).
Religious activities
The inscription CTU A 12-1 engraved in the façade of Ayanis temple contains a description of ritual offerings to be carried out in the case of the foundation of a new building. CTU A 12-7 and A 12-8 include ritual offerings regarding the water management of the canal "Umešini".
Inscription of the Ayanis temple, in: Mirjo Salvini, CTU III: 339.
Stele from Zvarnoths, in: Mirjo Salvini, CTU III: 360.
Inscriptions on metal objects
Bronze objects were found in Ayanis (B 12-1 to 7 and 9 to 15; B 12A), Karmir-Blur (B 12-15 to 16) and Toprakkale (B 12-8 and 17-18) three of which refer to the ownership of Rusa, son of Arigišti, and of the cities of Teišeba (lock bar; B 12-15) / the "Small city of Rusa respectively" (cup; B 12-16) and B 12-17 (offertory bowl) while the majority being a votive offerings to Haldi such as shields (B 12-1 to 8), lances (B 12-9 to 10), cylinders (B 12-13AB), iron swords with bronze hilts (B 12-14A-E) and candelabra (B 12-18). B 12A – a golden staff – once belonged to Queen Qaquli whose relationship to Rusa, son of Argišti is not proven beyond doubt.
Helmet of Rusa, son of Argišti, with a votive inscription for the god Ḫaldi (B 12-9) (kept in the Museum of Van), in: Mirjo Salvini, CTU IV: 62.
Swords of Rusa, son of Argišti, from Ayanis with a votive inscription for the god Ḫaldi (kept in the Museum of Van), in: Mirjo Salvini, CTU IV: 64.
Further reading
Birgit Christiansen
Birgit Christiansen, 'Rusa, son of Argišti II', Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (eCUT) Project, The eCUT Project, 2019 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/urartianrulersandchronology/rusasonofargitiiia12/]