Mythical Descriptions of Aratta
In Sumerian mythology, Aratta is often portrayed as an exotic and distant land, associated with wealth, abundance, and advanced civilization. It is described as a place rich in precious metals, stones, and other resources.
In Sumerian literature, Aratta is described as follows:
"Wisdom and art 'descend' from the country of Aratta. This is a fabulously rich place, rich in gold, silver, lapis lazuli and other precious materials, worked by many craftsmen."
The city is also mentioned in several Sumerian literary works such as the epic poem "Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta" and the poem "Lugalbanda in the mountain cave". The descriptions of Aratta provided in these texts, however, provide few clues about its possible location. It is said to be situated on the banks of a river and surrounded by mountains. The river mentioned in the texts is often identified as the Tigris or the Euphrates, which are the two main rivers of Mesopotamia. Yet, this identification is speculative and lacks concrete evidence.
Hypotheses on the Location of Aratta
The lack of archaeological evidence directly linking a specific location to Aratta makes it difficult to determine its exact location. Additionally, the mythical nature of Aratta adds another level of complexity to its identification.
Recently, scholars have suggested that Aratta might have been an epithet for the Sumerian city of Shuruppak, linked to the local name of the god Enlil; this hypothesis was later abandoned. Even though Aratta is only known in Sumerian myth, some Assyriologists have speculated about some places where Aratta could have been located, using certain criteria derived from Sumerian myths:
- Land travellers must cross Susa and the mountainous region of Anshan to reach it.
- It is a source or has access to precious gems and minerals, particularly lapis lazuli, made locally.
- It is accessible to Uruk by a watercourse, but it is far from Uruk.
- It is close enough for a Sumerian army of the 27th century B.C. to march there.
In 1963, Samuel Noah Kramer thought that the "Mount Hurum" mentioned in the myth of Lugalbanda, at that time titled "Lugalbanda on Mount Hurrum", could refer to the Hurrians, and therefore hypothesized that Aratta was near Lake Urmia. However, "Mount Hurum", "hur-ru-um kur-ra-ka", in what is now called Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, is now read "mountain cave", and Kramer later introduced the title for this story "Lugalbanda, the wandering hero".
Other speculations refer to the ancient gem trade route, the "Great Khorasan Road" from the Himalayas to Mesopotamia, which crossed northern Iran. It was presumed that Anshan, which had not yet been located, was in the central Zagros mountain range.
However, in 1973, when Anshan was identified as Tall-i Malyan, it was found to be 600 km southeast of Uruk, far from Uruk, from any northern route or watercourse. Therefore, it was very unlikely that a Sumerian army of the 27th century B.C. would cross 550 km of Elamite territory to declare war on Aratta. There were also speculations concerning eastern Iran. Dr. Yousef Majidzadeh believes that the Jiroft culture could be Aratta.
In 1973, archaeologists noted that there was no archaeological documentation of the existence of Aratta other than the myth, and in 1978 Hansman warned against excessive speculation. Many writers also create their own speculations, hypothesizing potential locations for Aratta. Alternatively, the name is compared with the place name Ararat or Urartu. And nothing else is known.
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