| Aramu | |
|---|---|
|
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| Reign | 858–844 BC |
| Predecessor | Kingdom established |
| Successor | Lutipri |
Aramu or Arame (Armenian: Արամ) (ruled 858–844 BC) was the first known king of Urartu.[1]
Living at the time of Shalmaneser III (ruled 859–824 BC), Aram united the Nairi tribe against the threat of the Assyrian Empire. His capital at Arzashkun was captured by Shalmaneser.[2]
Arame has been suggested as the prototype of both Aram (and, correspondingly the popular given name Aram[3]) and Ara the Beautiful, two of the legendary forefathers of the Armenian people.[4] Khorenatsi's History (1.5) puts them six and seven generations after Haik, in the chronology of Mikayel Chamchian dated to the 19th to 18th century BC.