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{{Short description|Ancient city of Urartu}}
'''Muṣaṣir''' Assyrian {{lang|akk-Latn|<sup>KUR</sup>Mu-ṣa-ṣir}} and variants, including Mutsatsir, [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] for ''Exit of the Serpent/Snake'' ), in [[Urartian language|Urartian]] '''Ardini''' was an ancient city of [[Urartu]], attested in Assyrian sources of the 9th and 8th centuries BC.
'''Muṣaṣir''' (Assyrian cuneiform: {{lang|akk-Latn|<sup>KUR</sup>Mu-ṣa-ṣir}} and variants, including Mutsatsir, [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] for ''Exit of the Serpent/Snake''), in [[Urartian language|Urartian]] '''Ardini''' was an ancient city of [[Urartu]], attested in Assyrian sources of the 9th and 8th centuries BC.


[[File:Sandstone statue of a man or deity. The statue belonged to the Musasir Kingdom. Urartian period, 1st millennium BCE. Precise provenance of excavation is unknown. Erbil Civilization Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg|thumb|Sandstone statue of a man or deity. The statue belonged to the Musasir Kingdom. Urartian period, 1st millennium BCE. Precise provenance of excavation is unknown. Erbil Civilization Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.]]
[[File:Sandstone statue of a man or deity. The statue belonged to the Musasir Kingdom. Urartian period, 1st millennium BCE. Precise provenance of excavation is unknown. Erbil Civilization Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg|thumb|Sandstone statue of a man or deity. The statue belonged to the Musasir Kingdom. Urartian period, 1st millennium BC. Precise provenance of excavation is unknown. Erbil Civilization Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.]]


It was acquired by the Urartian King [[Ishpuinis of Urartu|Ishpuini]] ca. 800 BC (see the [[Kelashin Stele]]). The city's tutelary deity was [[Khaldi (god)|<sup>d</sup>Ḫaldi]].
It was acquired by the Urartian King [[Ishpuini of Urartu|Ishpuini]] ca. 800 BC (see the [[Kelashin Stele]]). The city's tutelary deity was [[Ḫaldi|<sup>d</sup>Ḫaldi]].
The name Musasir in Akkadian means ''exit of the serpent''.


The city's location is not known with certainty, although there are a number of hypotheses, all in the general area of {{Coord|36|N|46|E|}}, in the [[Zagros]] south of [[Lake Urmia]]. [[François Thureau-Dangin]] tentatively located it at [[Mudjesir]], 10&nbsp;km west of [[Topzawa]]. Reza Heidari, an archaeologist of the "Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization" of Iran's [[West Azarbaijan Province]] claims [[Rabat Tepe]] near [[Sardasht, West Azerbaijan|Sardasht]], [[Iran]] as the location of Muṣaṣir.<ref>[http://www.archaeologynews.org/link.asp?ID=46900 Archaeologynews.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716104247/http://www.archaeologynews.org/link.asp?ID=46900 |date=2011-07-16 }}</ref>
The city's location is not known with certainty, although there are a number of hypotheses, all in the general area of {{Coord|36|N|46|E|}}, in the [[Zagros]] south of [[Lake Urmia]]. [[François Thureau-Dangin]] tentatively located it at [[Mudjesir]], 10&nbsp;km west of [[Topzawa]]. Reza Heidari, an archaeologist of the "Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization" of Iran's [[West Azarbaijan Province]] claims [[Rabat, Iran |Rabat city]] near [[Sardasht, West Azerbaijan|Sardasht]], [[Iran]] as the location of Muṣaṣir.<ref>[http://www.archaeologynews.org/link.asp?ID=46900 Archaeologynews.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716104247/http://www.archaeologynews.org/link.asp?ID=46900 |date=2011-07-16 }}</ref> H. F. B. Lynch claimed that it was close to the modern town of [[Rawandiz]] in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]].<ref>{{cite web
Lynch claimed that it was close to the modern town of [[Rowanduz]] in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]]
<ref>{{cite web
|title= Armenia: travels and studies
|title= Armenia: travels and studies
|year=1901
|year=1901
Line 16: Line 14:
|accessdate=2009-09-08}}</ref>
|accessdate=2009-09-08}}</ref>


Urartologist Paul Zimansky speculated that the Urartians (or at least the ruling family) may have emigrated northwest into the Lake Van region from their religious capital [[Musasir|Musasir (Ardini)]].<ref>Zimansky, Paul ''Urartu and the Urartians'', pp. 557 [https://www.academia.edu/10023756/Urartian_and_the_Urartians]</ref>
Urartologist Paul Zimansky speculated that the Urartians (or at least the ruling family) may have emigrated northwest into the [[Van, Turkey|Lake Van]] region from Musasir.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/10023756|title=Urartian and the Urartians|access-date=2021-04-26|website=academia.edu|last=Zimansky|first=Paul|year=2011|series=The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia|language=en|page=557}}</ref>


==Temple==
==Temple==
The '''Musasir temple''', built in 825 BC, was an important temple in Musasir, the holy city of [[Urartu]]. The Temple at Musasir appears in an [[Assyria]]n bas-relief which adorned the palace of [[Sargon II|King Sargon II]] at [[Dur-Sharrukin|Khorsabad]], to commemorate his victory over "the seven kings of Urartu" in 714 BC.<ref>{{Garbis Armen 1992|page=16-19}}</ref>
The '''Musasir temple''', built in 825 BC, was an important temple in Musasir, the holy city of [[Urartu]]. The Temple at Musasir appears in an [[Assyria]]n bas-relief which adorned the palace of [[Sargon II|King Sargon II]] at [[Dur-Sharrukin|Khorsabad]], to commemorate his victory over "the seven kings of Urartu" in 714 BC.<ref>
{{Citation
| first = Garbis
| last = Armen
| author-link=Garbis Armen
| title = An Architecture of Survival
| year = 1992
| isbn = 0-9695988-0-7
| pages=16–19
| publisher = G. Armen
| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9L4lAQAAMAAJ&q=%22seven+kings+of+Urartu%22
|accessdate=2021-04-26
}}</ref>


(1802 - 1870) During the early 1850s, the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] [[Assyria]]n Excavation Fund entered the field under [[William Kennett Loftus]] and many antiquities and accurate drawings of wall sculptures were apportioned between the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] Museum and the Louvre. However, a convoy of antiquities was attacked by [[Arab]] robbers while being shipped down the [[Tigris River]], and today lies buried somewhere in the bed of that river. That particular bas-relief was copied at its original location in the palace onto a drawing by Eugene Flandin(2) as Botta's chief artist.<ref name="ByMark">Paul-Emile Botta's Excavations of 1843 By Mark A. Kalustian</ref>
(1802 - 1870) During the early 1850s, the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] [[Assyria]]n Excavation Fund entered the field under [[William Kennett Loftus]] and many antiquities and accurate drawings of wall sculptures were apportioned between the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] Museum and the Louvre. However, a convoy of antiquities was attacked by [[Arab]] robbers while being shipped down the [[Tigris River]], and today lies buried somewhere in the bed of that river. That particular bas-relief was copied at its original location in the palace onto a drawing by Eugene Flandin(2) as Botta's chief artist.<ref name="ByMark">
{{citation
|title=THE GREAT MUSASIR TEMPLE OF ARMENIA
|chapter=Paul-Emile Botta's Excavations of 1843
|first=Mark A.
|last=Kalustian
|chapter-url=https://cupdf.com/document/the-great-musasir-temple-of-armenia.html
|accessdate=2021-04-26
}}</ref>


During this period of Assyrian campaigns, the northern Araratian regions were governed by [[Sarduri II|Sarduri]]-and later by his son [[Rusa I|Rusa]] ([[Armenian language|Armenian]]: Հրաչյա ''Hrachya'', according to [[Moses of Chorene|Movses Khorenatsi]]) with the capital at [[Tushpa]] ([[Classical Armenian]]: Տոսպ ''Tosp'') located near the great city and the capital of the mighty Kingdom of Urartu, [[Van, Turkey|Van]] (Biaina) on the eastern shore of [[Lake Van]]. Sarduri placed [[Urzana]] as the governor of the spiritual center of Urartu, the Temple of [[Khaldi (god)|Khaldi]] -- Musasir Ardini.<ref name="ByMark" />
During these Assyrian campaigns, Bianili (Urartu) was ruled by [[Sarduri II|Sarduri]] and later by his son [[Rusa I|Rusa]] ([[Armenian language|Armenian]]: Հրաչյա ''Hrachya'', according to [[Moses of Chorene|Movses Khorenatsi]]){{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} with the capital at [[Tushpa]] ([[Classical Armenian]]: Տոսպ ''Tosp'') on the eastern shore of [[Lake Van]].

During Rusa I's reign (735-714 BC), Musasir was governed by a king named Urzana.<ref>Karen Radner. "Between A Rock And Hard Place: Musasir, Kumme, Ukku And Subria – The Bufferstates Between Assyria and Urartu." ''Peeters.'' p. 246. 2012. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sargon/downloads/radner_acta_iranica_51_2012.pdf</ref><ref>Michael Roaf. "Did Rusa commit suicide?" Eisenbrauns. 2017. p. 771. https://www.academia.edu/30995295/Did_Rusa_commit_suicide</ref>


== Potential locations ==
== Potential locations ==
*[[Altintepe]]: Since 1959, the Historical Society and the Department of Antiquities have conducted excavations in the Yerznka area, west of Karin. Here at Altintepe was revealed an [[Urartu|Urartian]] temple and other monuments. Only the foundations of the temple are in view. Obviously this is not the temple of Musasir as it is located far away from the concerned area.<ref>The Armenian Review. June 1980, pp. 214-215 with illustration. An Armenian Cylinder, by Mark A. Kalustian.</ref>
*[[Altintepe]]: Since 1959, the Historical Society and the Department of Antiquities have conducted excavations in the Yerznka area, west of Karin. Here at Altintepe was revealed an [[Urartu|Urartian]] temple and other monuments. Only the foundations of the temple are in view. Obviously this is not the temple of Musasir as it is located far away from the concerned area.<ref>The Armenian Review. June 1980, pp. 214-215 with illustration. An Armenian Cylinder, by Mark A. Kalustian.</ref>

*[[Rabat Tepe]]: Recently a site excavated in Iran, which is called Rabat Tepe and located at the southwestern side of Lake Urmia, was identified as Musasir.
*[[Rabat Tepe]]: Recently a site excavated in Iran, which is called Rabat Tepe and located at the southwestern side of Lake Urmia, was identified as Musasir.

*At a site called Gund-i Topzawa north of [[Erbil]] in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jarus|first1=Owen|title=Remains of Long-Lost Temple Discovered in Iraq|url=https://www.livescience.com/46674-remains-of-long-lost-temple-discovered-in-iraq.html|accessdate=24 September 2017|work=Live Science|date=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Lydia|title=Iraqi Villagers Accidentally Find Iron Age 'Long-Lost Temple of Musasir' Dedicated to Urartian God|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraqi-villagers-accidentally-find-iron-age-long-lost-temple-musasir-dedicated-urartian-god-1455807|accessdate=24 September 2017|work=International Business Times UK|date=8 July 2014|language=en}}</ref>
*At a site called Gund-i Topzawa north of [[Erbil]] in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jarus|first1=Owen|title=Remains of Long-Lost Temple Discovered in Iraq|url=https://www.livescience.com/46674-remains-of-long-lost-temple-discovered-in-iraq.html|accessdate=24 September 2017|work=Live Science|date=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Lydia|title=Iraqi Villagers Accidentally Find Iron Age 'Long-Lost Temple of Musasir' Dedicated to Urartian God|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraqi-villagers-accidentally-find-iron-age-long-lost-temple-musasir-dedicated-urartian-god-1455807|accessdate=24 September 2017|work=International Business Times UK|date=8 July 2014|language=en}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7195&context=edissertations]Schurtz, Marshall Wheeler, "Like a Snake in Difficult Mountains: A Historical and Archaeological Analysis of the Character and Origin of the Iron Age Kingdom of Muṣaṣir", Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 2022


==External links==
==External links==
*[https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/searching-for-the-kingdom-of-musasir/ Searching for the Kingdom of Musasir - Penn Museum]
*[https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/searching-for-the-kingdom-of-musasir/ Searching for the Kingdom of Musasir - Penn Museum]


{{Portal|Ancient Near East}}
{{Portal|Asia}}
{{Urartian cities}}
{{Urartian cities}}


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[[Category:Former populated places in Iran]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Iran]]
[[Category:1st millennium BC in Assyria]]
[[Category:1st millennium BC in Assyria]]

{{AncientNearEast-stub}}
{{NEast-archaeology-stub}}
{{Armenia-hist-stub}}

Revision as of 14:39, 5 July 2024

Muṣaṣir (Assyrian cuneiform: KURMu-ṣa-ṣir and variants, including Mutsatsir, Akkadian for Exit of the Serpent/Snake), in Urartian Ardini was an ancient city of Urartu, attested in Assyrian sources of the 9th and 8th centuries BC.

Sandstone statue of a man or deity. The statue belonged to the Musasir Kingdom. Urartian period, 1st millennium BC. Precise provenance of excavation is unknown. Erbil Civilization Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.

It was acquired by the Urartian King Ishpuini ca. 800 BC (see the Kelashin Stele). The city's tutelary deity was dḪaldi.

The city's location is not known with certainty, although there are a number of hypotheses, all in the general area of 36°N 46°E / 36°N 46°E / 36; 46, in the Zagros south of Lake Urmia. François Thureau-Dangin tentatively located it at Mudjesir, 10 km west of Topzawa. Reza Heidari, an archaeologist of the "Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization" of Iran's West Azarbaijan Province claims Rabat city near Sardasht, Iran as the location of Muṣaṣir.[1] H. F. B. Lynch claimed that it was close to the modern town of Rawandiz in Iraqi Kurdistan.[2]

Urartologist Paul Zimansky speculated that the Urartians (or at least the ruling family) may have emigrated northwest into the Lake Van region from Musasir.[3]

Temple

The Musasir temple, built in 825 BC, was an important temple in Musasir, the holy city of Urartu. The Temple at Musasir appears in an Assyrian bas-relief which adorned the palace of King Sargon II at Khorsabad, to commemorate his victory over "the seven kings of Urartu" in 714 BC.[4]

(1802 - 1870) During the early 1850s, the British Assyrian Excavation Fund entered the field under William Kennett Loftus and many antiquities and accurate drawings of wall sculptures were apportioned between the British Museum and the Louvre. However, a convoy of antiquities was attacked by Arab robbers while being shipped down the Tigris River, and today lies buried somewhere in the bed of that river. That particular bas-relief was copied at its original location in the palace onto a drawing by Eugene Flandin(2) as Botta's chief artist.[5]

During these Assyrian campaigns, Bianili (Urartu) was ruled by Sarduri and later by his son Rusa (Armenian: Հրաչյա Hrachya, according to Movses Khorenatsi)[citation needed] with the capital at Tushpa (Classical Armenian: Տոսպ Tosp) on the eastern shore of Lake Van.

During Rusa I's reign (735-714 BC), Musasir was governed by a king named Urzana.[6][7]

Potential locations

  • Altintepe: Since 1959, the Historical Society and the Department of Antiquities have conducted excavations in the Yerznka area, west of Karin. Here at Altintepe was revealed an Urartian temple and other monuments. Only the foundations of the temple are in view. Obviously this is not the temple of Musasir as it is located far away from the concerned area.[8]
  • Rabat Tepe: Recently a site excavated in Iran, which is called Rabat Tepe and located at the southwestern side of Lake Urmia, was identified as Musasir.
  • At a site called Gund-i Topzawa north of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ Archaeologynews.org Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Lynch, H.F.B. (1901). "Armenia: travels and studies". Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  3. ^ Zimansky, Paul (2011). "Urartian and the Urartians". academia.edu. The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia. p. 557. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  4. ^ Armen, Garbis (1992), An Architecture of Survival, G. Armen, pp. 16–19, ISBN 0-9695988-0-7, retrieved 2021-04-26
  5. ^ Kalustian, Mark A., "Paul-Emile Botta's Excavations of 1843", THE GREAT MUSASIR TEMPLE OF ARMENIA, retrieved 2021-04-26
  6. ^ Karen Radner. "Between A Rock And Hard Place: Musasir, Kumme, Ukku And Subria – The Bufferstates Between Assyria and Urartu." Peeters. p. 246. 2012. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sargon/downloads/radner_acta_iranica_51_2012.pdf
  7. ^ Michael Roaf. "Did Rusa commit suicide?" Eisenbrauns. 2017. p. 771. https://www.academia.edu/30995295/Did_Rusa_commit_suicide
  8. ^ The Armenian Review. June 1980, pp. 214-215 with illustration. An Armenian Cylinder, by Mark A. Kalustian.
  9. ^ Jarus, Owen (7 July 2014). "Remains of Long-Lost Temple Discovered in Iraq". Live Science. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ^ Smith, Lydia (8 July 2014). "Iraqi Villagers Accidentally Find Iron Age 'Long-Lost Temple of Musasir' Dedicated to Urartian God". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 24 September 2017.

Further reading

  • [1]Schurtz, Marshall Wheeler, "Like a Snake in Difficult Mountains: A Historical and Archaeological Analysis of the Character and Origin of the Iron Age Kingdom of Muṣaṣir", Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 2022
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