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Journals / Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi / 2026 / Sayı: Van Gölü Havzası Özel Sayısı Özel Sayı

Unearthing Urartian Ušma Šin “Blue Heaven” and Associated Meanings

Urartuca Uşma Şin ‘Mavi Cennet’ ve İlişkili Anlamları Çözümleme

Orhan Varol(YÜZÜNCÜ YIL ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-8662-484X
Pages
419–430
Publication Date
2025-10-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Urartian cuneiform texts and corpuses should be re-evaluated based on these findings.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Urartian inscriptions, which have a history of nearly three thousand years, have been attempted to be read for approximately two hundred years.
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Key Findings & Data:Cross-linguistic and contextual evidence indicate that some basic statements frequently repeated in royal inscriptions were misinterpreted.
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Conclusion & Impact:Urartian cuneiform texts and corpuses should be re-evaluated based on these findings.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Urartu dili · Urartu yazıtları · Dil etkileşimi

Abstract

Urartian inscriptions, which have a history of nearly three thousand years, have been attempted to be read for approximately two hundred years. Cross-linguistic and contextual evidence indicate that some basic statements frequently repeated in royal inscriptions were misinterpreted. Regional languages and language contacts in the Urartian territory throughout history provide decisive explanations for determining the linearity and coherence of the word meanings in the texts. In this context, the study focuses on the basic vocabulary in Urartian royal discourses, unearthing Urartian ušma šin ‘blue heaven’ and associated meanings. In different Urartian corpuses, ušmašini and its synonymous forms were translated as ‘might’, ‘glory’, and ‘protection’; alsuišini and its synonymous forms were translated as ‘greatness’ although the meaning of ‘all blue seas’ is more obvious . It is understood that the examined parts in the texts do not contain abstract qualifiers attributed to god(s) and king(s) as the basic meaning, as stated in previous studies, but compound nouns associated with the spheres of residence and authority of the respective god(s) and ruler(s). Urartian cuneiform texts and corpuses should be re-evaluated based on these findings.

Özet

Yaklaşık üç bin yıllık geçmişe sahip olan Urartu yazıtlarının okunma uğraşları, iki yüz yıla yakın bir süredir devam etmektedir. Diller arası ve bağlamsal kanıtlar, krali yazıtlarda sıklıkla tekrarlanan bazı temel ifadelerin yanlış yorumlandıklarını göstermektedir. Urartu coğrafyasında tarih boyunca yaşamış bölgesel diller ve dil etkileşimleri, metinlerdeki çizgisellik ve sözcüklerin anlamsal tutarlılıkları bakımından belirleyici açıklamalar sunmaktadırlar. Bu bakış açısıyla, Urartu krali söylemlerindeki temel sözcüklere yapısal ve anlambilimsel açılardan odaklanılmaktadır. Urartuca ušma šin ‘mavi cennet’ ve ilişkili anlamlar ortaya çıkarılmaktadır. Urartuca bütüncelerde (korpuslarda) uš-ma-ši-ni sözcük öbeği ve benzer yapılar ‘güç, kudret, koruyuculuk’; al-su-i-ši-ni ve benzer yapılar da 'tüm mavi denizler' anlamı daha belirgin olmasına rağmen ‘yücelik’ anlamları ile tercüme edilmekteydi. Metinlerin incelenenen bölümlerinden anlaşılmaktadır ki önceki çalışmalarda tanrı(lar) ve kral(lar) için atfedilen soyut niteleyiciler aslında temel anlam olarak ilgili tanrı(lar) ve kral(lar)ın yaşam ve hakimiyet alanlarını belirten bileşik adlardır. Bu yeni bulgulara bağlı olarak Urartu yazıtları ve korpus çalışmaları değerlendirilmelidir.

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Cite This Article

Varol, O. (2025). Unearthing Urartian Ušma Šin “Blue Heaven” and Associated Meanings. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, Sayı: Van Gölü Havzası Özel Sayısı Özel Sayı, 419–430. https://doi.org/10.53568/yyusbed.1678714

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