Colchians

KURQulḫa ( KURQu -ul -ha-ha -li -ei, KURQul -ha -i, KURQu - ulḫa -i - di ), Kulcha, or Kulicha or even incorrect Kolcha was a kingdom in the north Urartus, the only two inscriptions of the Urartian king Sarduri II ( 760-733 BC) is known, both from Castle Hill of Van. It was near Husa / Hušaḫli whose localization is also not safe. Sarduri II led two campaigns against Qulḫa.

Spelling

Lordkipanidze assumes that the Urartian Qulḫa was pronounced as Kolcha, as the cuneiform According to " O " does not know the. Accordingly, also found in several review works, for example, Heinz ensign the term " Kolcha ".

Inscription 241 C is located on the front of the stele, which was secondary installed in the church of Surb Poros in Van. The beginning of the inscription is missing. In the first readable line Sarduri reported on his expedition to Qulḫa:

" Sarduri speaks: I had placed myself by KUR Qulḫa. [ By the will ] Haldis the Great. I captured (?) Hahani, the king of the land Hušalḫi, his people I abducted from there and brought it to my country. "

1 md [ SAR5 -du -ri - še a- li -e -ta- di U.S. ] 2 KURQu -ul -ha -i - di -di- Dhal ni -ni al -su -i Si ni 3 [m ] ha -ha -a -ni Lugal KURHu šá -a - al - LÚÙKUmeš hi -ra- [ ni ] 4 e - di -ni ta -as- mu- ú - pa -ru bi -bi e - ErSi du- [ bi ] 5 Kure -ba -ni - ú -ki -e

The next line begins with the formulaischen Introduction " Sarduri speaks " and reported that he brought in the same year the army to Abilianii, which he captured by the will of Haldi in one day. Since it is obvious these are two different campaigns, and missing the beginning of the inscription, there is no itinerary can be reconstructed, which could give an indication of the location Qulḫas, except that it was near Husa.

The second inscription, 241 D in the count king and Arutjunojans, located on the right narrow side of the stele. Again, missing the beginning. Sarduri, son of Argišti reported that he had gone to Qulḫa.

" 22 cities I devastated. The city Ildamuša, the royal city of Meša, the ruler of the country Qulḫa was fixed, and I conquered in battle. The settlement I burned, the Garrison of the country Qulḫa, which was there, I killed her. An iron object, I prepared (or, I made ), an inscription I had erected in the city Ildamuša. I burned the forts and cities, I destroyed the country, I killed men and women. "

The following line begins with " Sarduri speaks " and tells how he " in the same year " went for the third time in the country Uitirruhi.

End of Qulha

There are no known other Urartian sources Qulha. It is thus likely, but not certain that it was finally conquered. Melik'išvili makes for the end Qulḫas the Cimmerians responsible, but archaeological evidence is lacking.

Localization

Qulḫa is often equated because of the name similarity to Colchis in present-day Georgia. Kapancian wants Ildamuša may identify with Adakale / Ardanuç in the lower Çoruh Valley, however, what Diakonov rejects. Edwards wants Qulḫa contrast, equate with the valley of Kola (Georgian K'ola, Armenian Koła ) in the area of Göle ( Merdenik ) at Sarıkamış. He sits Qulha, very unusual, with a group of like- Scythian.

The Georgian Assyriologist Gregory A. Melik'išvili 've read the hi - Yoncalı the inscription of Tiglath- pileser I. as quil -hi ( Kilchi ) and put it with Qulḫa and the Colchis of the Greeks the same. Next he set the upper sea of ​​Nairi in the inscriptions of Tiglath- pileser I. with the Black Sea the same place, as usual, with the Lake Van. Thus, the history Qulhas could trace back to the 11th century, in reading him but no one is in modern times followed. And the king of Qulḫa not engaged in the fight, Otar Lordkipanidse considers it possible that the royal residence of " Colchis " very far from Ildamuša was and the king of the besieged city therefore can not come to help and want this residence therefore in Rionital localize to substantiate without this assumption with further arguments. He points to a more detailed discussion in the Georgian work " Argonavtika because jveli kolxet'I (Tbilisi, 1986, 70-73 ).

Ruler

• Meša

Cities

• Ildamuša (Capital)