Hurro-Urartian languages in the context of "Hurrian language"

Urartu was an Iron Age kingdom centered around the Armenian highlands between Lake Van, Lake Urmia, and Lake Sevan. The territory of the ancient kingdom of Urartu extended over the modern frontiers of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Armenia. Its kings left behind cuneiform inscriptions in the Urartian language, a member of the Hurro-Urartian language family.

Urartu extended from the Euphrates in the west 850 km to the region west of Ardabil in Iran, and 500 km from Lake Çıldır near Ardahan in Turkey to the region of Rawandiz in Iraqi Kurdistan. The kingdom emerged in the mid-9th century BC and dominated the Armenian highlands in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Urartu frequently warred with Assyria and became, for a time, the most powerful state in the Near East. Weakened by constant conflict, it was eventually conquered, either by the Iranian Medes in the early 6th century BC or by Cyrus the Great in the middle of the 6th century BC. Archaeologically, it is noted for its large fortresses and sophisticated metalwork.

Urartian or Vannic is an extinct Hurro-Urartian language which was spoken by the inhabitants of the ancient kingdom of Urartu (Biaini or Biainili in Urartian), which was centered on the region around Lake Van and had its capital, Tushpa, near the site of the modern town of Van in the Armenian highlands, now in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Its past prevalence is unknown. While some believe it was probably dominant around Lake Van and in the areas along the upper Zab valley, others believe it was spoken by a relatively small population who comprised a ruling class.

First attested in the 9th century BCE, Urartian ceased to be written after the fall of the Urartian state in 585 BCE and presumably became extinct due to the fall of Urartu. It must have had long contact with, and been gradually totally replaced by, an early form of Armenian.

Mannaea (/məˈniːə/, sometimes written as Mannea; Akkadian: Mannai, Biblical Hebrew: Minni (מנּי)) was an ancient kingdom that flourished in northwestern Iran, primarily south and southeast of Lake Urmia, during the early first millennium BCE, roughly from the 10th to the 7th century BCE. It developed into a prominent regional power along the northeastern frontier of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, situated between major neighbors like Urartu and a constellation of smaller buffer states, such as Zikirta and Musasir. The capital of Mannaea was likely at Izirtu, near modern-day Saqqez.

Mannaea played a key role in the shifting alliances between the Assyrian and Urartian empires, acting alternately as ally and adversary. Archaeological and textual evidence points to a complex society with fortified cities, regional governors, and a tributary economy. Although its exact ethno-linguistic identity remains uncertain, Assyrian sources suggest the Mannaeans spoke an unidentified language. Some scholars link it to the Hurro-Urartian family, while others, based on recent genetic evidence from Hasanlu Tepe, propose ties to Armenian or a distinct non-Indo-Iranian language.

Urarteans were an ancient people who spoke the Urartian language. The territory of the ancient kingdom of Urartu extended over the modern frontiers of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Armenia. Its kings left behind cuneiform inscriptions in the Urartian language, a member of the Hurro-Urartian language family. A related people to the Urarteans are the Hurrians.