Urartu
/ʊˈrɑːr.tuː/noun
An ancient kingdom in the Armenian Highlands, centered around Lake Van, that flourished in the 9th to 6th centuries BCE.
Did you know?The name Urartu is the Assyrian form of a land known in the Bible as Ararat, later linked to the mountain of Noah’s landing place.
Etymological Timeline
2nd Millennium BCE
Hurro-Urartian
*ur(a)rṭu / *biainili
“A regional name or self-designation for the highland polity in and around Lake Van”
9th Century BCE
Akkadian
Urarṭu
“Assyrian designation for the kingdom north of Assyria”
8th–7th Century BCE
Urartian
Biainili
“Native royal name for the kingdom, used in inscriptions”
Biblical Era
Hebrew
ʾĂrārāṭ
“Ararat, the mountainous region associated with the highlands”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
Ourartou / Ararat
“Greek forms referring to the same highland region”
Modern English
English
Urartu
“The standard modern historical name for the ancient kingdom”