Expanded April 2014

Hero of the Rebellion
If one had to pick the most valiant person in our planet's history it would have to be Van. Even today if you look at a map of present day Turkey you will see Lake Van. Its ancient name immortalizes Van the steadfast. The kingdom of Urartu translates as “the kingdom of Van." It is one of the possible locations where the Tree of Life was guarded for millenniums waiting for the arrival of Adam and Eve. At the outbreak of the rebellion Van and his followers removed the Tree of Life from southern Mesopotamia and transplanted it to somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan. Later the Tree of Life would be transplanted in an area of the western part of the Kopet Dagh. This location would become the eastern most boundary for the later appearing Kingdom of Van. It was Van who enlisted and organized the local inhabitants to help with the creation of the Garden of Eden. He stood up against Lucifer, Satan and Caligastia - huge celestial personalities - and defended the divine plan that was to advance the culture of earth. He and his human associate, Amadon, are the genii depicted with the Tree of Life so familiar across Mesopotamia. There are a number of symbols associated with Van who as the Sumerian god Enki can be seen in Mesopotamian art, cosmology and literature. These symbols have been discussed elsewhere on this site and are presented here again to give the fullest account that I can on this subject. You may have missed some of it.

A Comparison of Van to the Historical Enki from the Sumerian tablets with my remarks based on the Urantia Book:

Van as Enki the Serpent
Van may be found in ancient Sumerian texts as the god Enki as represented as the serpent of Akkadian and Babylonian Ea:
"Professor Kramer on Enki's fruit tree garden at Eridu, note that Enki (Ea) is described as a WALKING, TALKING, GREAT USHUMGAL "_SERPENT/DRAGON_," WHO IS _CUNNING AND WISE_ AND ASSOCIATED WITH PLANTING A GARDEN OF FRUIT-TREES AT ERIDU WHERE LIVES ADAPA. Eden's serpent could walk and talk and was associated with a garden full of fruit trees planted on the earth by _a_ god (Yahweh) and the serpent (the New Testament's "serpent/dragon") famed for his "cunning" and "wisdom" (cf. Matthew 10:16 "...be ye therefore WISE AS A SERPENT..."). Perhaps the mes-tree planted by the CUNNING and WISE GREAT USHUMGAL has been transformed by the Hebrews into the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil"?
"Lord who walks nobly on heaven and earth, self-reliant,
father Enki, engendered by a bull,
begotten by a wild bull...king, who turned out the mes-tree in the Abzu,
raised it up over all the lands,
GREAT USHUMGAL,
who planted it in Eridu-
its shade spreading over heaven and earth-
A GROVE OF FRUIT TREES stretching over the land...
Enki...lord of wisdom...you have given the people a place to live...you have looked after them...
Enki, king of the Abzu, celebrates his own magnificence
as is right...
I AM CUNNING AND WISE IN THE LANDS...
I am lord, I am the one whose word endures.
I am eternal..."
(pp. 39-41. "Enki and Inanna: The Organization of the Earth and Its Cultural Processes." Samuel Noah Kramer and John Maier. Myths of Enki, the Crafty God. New York & Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1989)
Note: Another hymn speaks of the mes-tree as being "the flesh of the gods." Perhaps what is meant is that at times statues of the gods were carved from its wood ? If so, then to the degree that gods were understood to be "immortal" the mes-tree would be associated with "immortality"? That is to say the mes-tree might be what is behind Eden's "Tree of Life" which confers immortality on human flesh ? The above hymn's mention of a "grove of fruit trees" planted by Ea the Ushumgal at Eridu, may be the source of Genesis' notion that Adam and Eve have access to fruits from trees planted by God in his garden before their creation."
(http://www.homestead.com/bibleorigins*net/AdapaAdam.html)

This was the first definite connection I had seen between Van and Enki. Although I have long suspected that it was so. One reason is that Enki favored mankind, Enlil did not. Enki and Enlil in the Sumerian pantheon are half brothers. The UB does not state whether or not Van and Nod were brothers. Almost certainly not. One meaning of their "sibling" animosity could be that they represent the split at the time of the rebellion. It was the time of choosing which side you were on. So important was the value of choice - free will - that only after the very last person declared their choice did the rebellion officially begin. That debate between the loyalists and those seeking independence lasted seven years. After that is when those who remained loyal and chose to leave were transported back by the seraphim. The system circuits went silent earlier when the declaration was first made, so there was no outside counsel or help during this time of debate. The planet was in isolation and still is. It was abrupt. Even visitors marooned here due to that loss of communication had to choose which side they supported. Van and Nod at this point probably did not particularly like one another. That's understandable being on opposite sides of the rebellion. Another reference to this "family split" may be found in the different mother's theme. Enlil was the elder son with Enki his junior. In Sumerian mythology (according to one myth) Ki was Enlil's mother and Antu was Enki's mother. Both mothers were the sisters/wives of An. However, Antu was the senior sister mother of Enki and there's the rub. Does higher authority flow through the differing status of the sisters or through the first born? Very clever, for stories written five thousand years ago. It went to the first born, Enlil. The top three gods of the Sumerian pantheon are An with his sons Enlil and Enki. So, Enlil is considered above Enki in rank. 

The above excerpt by Kramer has to do with two things. The first is the planting of the Tree of Life but known as the Tree of Knowledge - the mes-tree - by Enki. And second, in reference to that tree, he is the walking, talking serpent who is all wise and "one whose word endures." He is not the serpent who tricks Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree that became known as the Tree of Life. What is confusing to scholars is that the mes-tree is actually the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life. It is Enki's association which has to do with knowledge (as keeper of the mes) and that he did plant the Tree of Life in the Garden that causes confusion.

Van as Enki the god
• Enki possessed the secrets of the me, the divine laws, leading humanity towards knowledge.
It was Van who was the keeper of the divine law. Only Van had that authority as he was the titular head of the planet. The me (pronounced may) were the evidence of art, culture and learning. Through these decrees is civilization imparted to the world. At the onset of the rebellion it was Van who rose to leadership defending the divine plan and remaining loyal to the universe government while Lucifer and his closest followers riled against those "foreign potentates," the Ancient of Days, as interfering in the affairs of the planet. Fortunately Van did not have to do all of this alone. He was ably assisted by a small group of human and divine personalities including twelve Melchizedeks. It is important to note here that the Amadonities, named after Amadon, are very crucial to understanding the origins of the legends pertaining to the Tree of Life, the person of Van, the Anunnaki and the events surrounding the rebellion. They are the indigenous human carriers of this Andite legend who were in the service of Van at that time. The other half of the carriers of the legend are the Nodites, the Nephilim, those "mighty men and heroes of old." At ten thousand years after the rebellion these two groups, between which there was much animosity, lived in separate areas. According to the UB the Vanites lived north of Mesopotamia while the Nodites lived in a region south of the Caspian sea (the present day location of Tehran capital of Iran) and on to the Lake Van area. Just something to think about: this area today is where many of the Kurds live. Although their traditional range of occupation has been diminished, particularly by those from Iran, they are still considered living where the UB says the Nodites lived. One group within the Kurds cling to a very ancient religion called Yezidism where they worship the chief angel Malak Tâwus better known as Lucifer. (See page Lucifer for more details)

• Enki was associated with plants and trees, in particular the mes-tree (he planted a mes-tree in Inanna's garden).
Van was the only one allowed possession of the Tree of Life with and under the protection of the midwayers. At the time of the Lucifer Rebellion he and his followers took a cutting from the Tree with them to the temporary location in the mountains of Afghanistan. Van eventually replanted it in the vicinity of the Kopet Dagh. The location given by the UB is east of the southern end of the Caspian Sea and a short way up into the foothills. Immortality was granted to Van and Amadon by being able to process the energy from the fruit of the Tree of Life (and with the help it seems of the Melchizedeks). This is the main reason the iconography of the Tree of Life was so strong throughout this region and later influencing the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians. Another point to consider is that this area is adjacent to the later appearing trade route the Silk Road. The legend of the Tree of Life was never forgotten. 

From the myth of Inanna and the Huluppu Tree:
"...
At that time, it was planted, a tree, a single tree, by the banks of the Great River,
Enki, the Father, did plant the Huluppu-tree,
The God of Wisdom, he planted it by the banks of the Euphrates,
Before he set sail, before the Father departed for the underworld.

...The whirling South Wind arose and blew upon the tree,
Pulling at its roots and ripping at its branches,
Until the waters of the Euphrates carried it away.
A young woman who walked in fear of no man,
and would not be owned,
Plucked the tree from the river and spoke:
'I shall bring this tree to Uruk.
I shall plant this tree in my holy garden.'"

From the quotes above Enki plants a tree on the banks of the Euphrates river. The tree is uprooted and transplanted in Inanna's "holy garden." When the Caligastia 100 first arrived in the land that was to become Mesopotamia, the Tree of Life was planted to provide the energy of immortality for the 100. It did grow for a very long span of time. At the outbreak of the rebellion Van "uprooted" the tree and carried it eventually to the northern mountains were it would be much later transplanted into the Garden of Eden. Here Enki is noted as planting the Huluppu tree the Tree of Life as a single tree. The sequence is correct: first planted by a Great River, then uprooted and finally replanted in Inanna's holy garden. So the ancients did account for the time between the onset of the rebellion and the Garden of Eden. Also, in this epic is the all important connection of the Huluppu tree to Enki. 

• Enki was tricked by Inanna into giving her the me.
Van when he met with Adam and Eve did in fact hand over the "me". He relinquished his titular authority to the new world rulers. Technically, it was the Melchizedeks who formally installed Adam and Eve. This event was recorded in the Sumerian myth of Inanna and the God of Wisdom:

"...
Enki and Inanna drank beer together.
They drank more beer together.
They drank more and more beer together.
With their bronze vessels filled to overflowing,
With the vessels of Urash, Mother of the Earth,
They toasted each other; they challenged each other.

Enki, swaying with drink, toasted Inanna:

"In the name of my power! In the name of my holy shrine!
To my daughter Inanna I shall give
The high priesthood! Godship!
The noble, enduring crown! The throne of kingship!"

Inanna replied:

"I take them!"

This continues until a drunken Enki gives all the mes to Inanna. Then Inanna takes the mes to Uruk in her Boat of Heaven. After Enki realizes what has happened he tries in vain to recall the mes. The last lines has Enki graciously giving Inanna the mes:

"Then Enki spoke to Inanna, saying:

"In the name of my power! In the name of my holy shrine!
Let the me you have take with you remain in the holy shrine of your city.
Let the high priest spend his days at the holy shrine in song.
Let the citizens of your city prosper.
Let the children of Uruk rejoice.
The people of Uruk are allies of the people of Eridu.
Let the city of Uruk be restored to its great place.""

• Enki was considered a benevolent god.
It is quite evident that Van was a benevolent leader. The Nodites were known for their belligerent behavior. After all they split further into three smaller groups after falling into quarrellings with one another. So fierce was the in-fighting that they almost decimated one another. It is for this reason that one group, the more moderates, left the "Land of Nod," ventured up northward following the Euphrates to become the western Syrian Nodites.

• Enki saved humanity from the flood.
Although Van had nothing to do with saving humanity from a flood the sentiment is appropriate. Van was long gone at the time of the flood.

• Enki in one of the myths is involved with the creation of the first humans.
I think this myth of Enki creating the first humans may be because of the relationship he had with the Tree of Life. The oldest account from the Eridu Genesis found at Nippur has Enki telling Ninmah (aka Ninhursag and sister of Enlil and therefore sister to Enki) to pinch off a piece of clay from the top of the Abzu. According to Sumerian accounts the Abzu is home to Enki which metaphorically is located beneath the world tree, the axis mundi - the Tree of Life. This is not the only god to create humans. Marduk the Babylonian god and Enlil have this human creation story attributed to them as well.

• Enki's holy number is 40 (as Ea - Babylonian).
This is truly odd. The number of the faithful was forty, the number of the rebels is sixty which is Anu's holy number. Anu is of course the head god of the Anunnaki - the Watchers - the fallen. Enlil's was 50. These numbers are a numeric value of rank within the Great Circle of Gods of Heaven and Earth, which is the Supreme Pantheon of the twelve great deities. (http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/planeta12/12planeteng_04.htm)

• Enki was associated with the written word.
Fad under Van was the teacher of the written word. And as it becomes more apparent it is in this region about Lake Van that the first glimmer of writing is found. There are other locations that also claim having the first writings. True writing came into existence long after the departure of Van. There was writing at the time of the Garden of Eden but was lost to paleolithic antiquity only to surface again with the Sumerians.

"Enki is regularly given the epithet "LORD OF WISDOM"...we have chosen to avoid "wisdom" when the Enki stories seem to demand shrewdness and cunning, the arts of the trickster. Enki astonishes even the other gods with shocking solutions to apparently impossible problems...Perhaps "crafty" is the better term to use for the problem-solving Enki...In particular, Enki is the father who imparts knowledge to his son. Enki was, perhaps more than any other ancient deity, essentially identified with the spoken and the written word."
("Introduction."Samuel Noah Kramer and John Maier. Myths of Enki, the Crafty God. New York & Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1989 p. 5)

• Enki had an assistant named Isimud his minister, vizier and friend. Isimud is represented with two faces just as Janus is today.
Van also had an assistant named Amadon who was a modified human. Both Van and Amadon were sustained by the Tree of Life. Amadon was of two natures, the divine (through modification) and human. There is no indication that Enki's vizier is a god or even an Anunnaki, just his messenger. Amadon was neither a god or of the Anunnaki. He was the human assistant to Van.

• Enki was associated with Dilmun the "Sumerian Paradise."
Actually there are two Dilmuns in the Sumerian texts. One contains a paradise-like narrative and the other is a real place of commerce. The paradise of Dilmun is unrelated to the Biblical garden with differences on many issues. Enki has multiple points of contact with this Dilmun including bringing water to make it flourish, giving it to his daughter who becomes its goddess and having sex there with his (supposed) wife Ninhursag which leads to the story of the plants that make Enki ill. The paradise-like Dilmun is the ancient memory of Dalamatia. Van did live there in its earliest days only moving east at the time of the rebellion. In the epic Enki and Ninhursag Enki gives Dilmun to Ninkurra his daughter which is something like when he gave the me to Inanna his daughter in a different epic. Of all the gods it is Enki that has the closest affiliation with Dilmun. Also, Isimud Enki's friend and servant is included in the epic. In Dalamatia the original city of the celestials, the Anunnaki, Amadon did live with Van as his associate and helper just as with Isimud and Enki.

From the epic Enki and Ninhursag:

"Pure are the cities — and you are the ones to
whom they are allotted. Pure is Dilmun land.
Pure is Sumer — and you are the ones to whom it
is allotted. Pure is Dilmun land. Pure is Dilmun
land. Virginal is Dilmun land. Pristine is Dilmun
land. 

After Time had come into being and the holy
seasons for growth and rest were finally known,
holy Dilmun, the land of
the living, the garden of
the great gods and earthly paradise, located
eastward in Eden, was the
place where Ninhursag,
the exalted lady, could be found. "

Van and the Indus Valley

Van with the rest of the loyalists settled originally in the highlands west of India known as Afghanistan and just west of what would become to be known as the Indus Valley. Sometimes this area of India is referred to as the Punjab. Today it is known as Pakistan. Outposts of the Indus Valley civilization reached as far north as the Oxus River in Afghanistan. This civilization is called Harappan (about 3200–2600 BC for pre Harappan, c. 2600-1900 B.C. for Harappan) stands with Sumer and Egypt as one of the oldest. The civilization of the Indus Valley was ruled by commerce and religion - not by military strength. There is no evidence of the ritual fire altars as found with Mesopotamian civilizations neither can any public building yet found be determined as a temple. Religious practices are implied mainly from figurines such as female goddesses and the bull horned male figures. The Harappans did bury their dead with provisions for the afterlife. The Pipal tree was used as a religious symbol (later known as the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment). As of yet the written language of this civilization has not been deciphered. It would be the later appearing Andites that most likely had the greatest effect on those early peoples. This civilization is called Harappan but the political center seems to have been at Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa's sister city to the south. The Aryan invaders disrupted much of the agricultural advancements of the later Harappan culture and may have led to its ultimate decline along with deforestation and with other natural disasters.

There is evidence that it was in the mountains and plateaus north of Sumer where the earliest achievements would have an impact on the Sumerians. The area around Lake Van is rich in volcanic minerals which were converted into metal implements of art and war making them into a very powerful nation. As mentioned before the first of the Sumerian words may have been discovered in this region. Loan words from these highlands did enter into the Sumerian vocabulary. The start of agriculture also had its roots in eastern and central Anatolia. Also the UB states that the Andites emerged from the population on the far edge of the Mesopotamian landscape. Looking at map of the fertile crescent this area would substantiate that claim. Another thing about this area north of Sumeria is where the Sumerians themselves said they came from. It is from the Epic of Gilgamesh that mentions Aratta. Written and composed between 2,700 and 600 BC, which include both Sumerian and Babylonian tablets, it predates the historical name Urartu. Aratta is generally assumed to be the Armenian highlands. From the archaeological evidence man has been in Mesopotamia and beyond almost from the beginning. Not only early human remains have been unearthed but Neanderthal and Homo erectus as well. Given that I think we can deduce that the Sumerian have always been in Mesopotamia but that the Andite culture that came from the north reinforced existing Sumerian culture. I see it as new blood which indeed they were. You have two game changing developments coming from these northern highlands. Agriculture and metal. A third would be astronomy with the assumption if you have astronomy you also have math. Although there seems to be a precursor to writing in the forms of scripts true writing is Sumerian. Writing is the fourth pillar of the Sumerian civilization.

One comment on astronomy. There is an observatory called Karahunj. It is a circle of rocks laid out for examining and measuring the skies much on the order of Stonehenge only much older. It is the oldest stone circle in this capacity that we know of. Some scholars have remarked on the similarity of "hunj" and "henge" in reference to this type of structure and that these words may be related.

"The oldest known observatories are located in Armenia. Dated as early as 4200 BCE, Karahunj and the ca. 2800 BCE observatory at Metsamor allowed Ancestral Armenians to develop geometry to such a level they could measure distances, latitude and longitudes, envision the world as round, and were predicting solar and lunar eclipses about 1000 years before the Egyptians began doing the same."
(hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=39602)


The image to the left is from Urartu, the kingdom of Van, and shows a figure of divinity atop a bull. He wears the horned cap of divinity, has the wings of divinity, a pattern of rosettes the symbol of the Tree of Life surrounds him, holds the 3 segmented fruit from the Tree of Life and on top of his cap is a representation of the winged disk. Each of the fruits is debossed with a rosette. This is the ultimate image of divinity. There is only one person who could be surrounded by these icons and that is Van. One of the most interesting features of this metal relief is the rim which the figure stands within. Notice how the wings are attached to the rim rather than directly to the figure. This same arrangement is how the winged disk is represented. The Assyrians show Ashur their national god in much the same way. The circular rim with attached wings is a representation of the winged disk and is called the solar disk. I do not believe that the winged disk and the solar disk, like the symbol of Shamash, are the same thing but those in academia do. There is a purpose in the obvious difference between them. But these two images are related and can be shown to have the same source. Although I believe this image is related to the legendary person of Van and after all I have said regarding it - it is more than likely in this context to relate to the third person of the Urartian pantheon Shivini. The real sun disk, the sun disk of Shamash, is the smaller image of the stone disk. Look closely and you can see the rim with what appears as an empty center. There are pros and cons as to who is the origin of Shivini. Later I will address this question.

The Assyrian god Ashur inside the rim of the winged disk. Note the arrowhead. It is the fleur-de-lys. He is a sun god.

This example from Iranian art (Zoroastrian) is known as the "Faravahar". The root word for Faravahar is khvarenah which means  "shining" another word for the sun. Another origin for Faravahar is "I choose." The Faravahar is the visual aspect of Ahura Mazda the "wise lord" the one God. He is not a sun god.

 
The Name Van - A Brief History of the City and Influences

Right now the history of civilization in Anatolia begins at a place called Göbekli Tepe weighing in at  9000 BC. It predates just about everything except maybe astronomy. It is south west of Van at about 450 miles. It may have actually been a part of the Urartian empire at its greatest. It has been called the worlds first temple and clearly shows an example of pre-civilization. Those who carved the stones did not merely carve into the stone they did it in bas relief. This is much more sophisticated than you would expect Neolithic hunters to be capable of. It appears the roots of civilization go much deeper in time than what we have been taught. The markings on the T shaped monumental supports are almost certainly constellations with other sky related aspects.

The next date is for the observatory of Karahunj at about 5500 BC. according to Gerald. S. Hawkins. In this area are megalithic monuments such as the standing menhirs and dolmens. Located just north of Sisian it is east of Van, north of lake Urmia and close to the border with Azerbaijan. It is in Armenia.

Next date would be 5000 BC. The archaeological evidence indicates an ancient history from the Van Province at the Tilkitepe Mound near Lake Van. It is the only source of information about the oldest culture of Van. These very early people could be the ancestors of the Nairi tribes. We do not know. Pottery found is similar to the pottery found at Tel Halaf in Syria which is south just across the border. It comes from the oldest strata and represents a Halaf culture at early Van. The next strata up would represent a time contemporary with the Ubaid culture in very southern Mesopotamia. The Ubaid mound is within sight distance of Ur. With this ancient pottery is associated the trade in obsidian. This trade was quite extensive and as the history of commerce goes I would put it in importance only second to red ochre of which tons upon tons were mined in the Paleolithic. Another thing about the obsidian trade is that one major avenue was due south all the way to Egypt. It became later known as part of the "Kings Highway" and wars were fought to control its riches. Archaeologists and others would use the term Levantine Corridor for the length of this route. With early obsidian we are at a period known as PPNA which stands for Pre-Pottery Neolithic "A" 9500 - 8500 BC. The date for Tel Halaf is 6100 - 5400 BC which is very close to the assumed date of the beginning of pottery that is about 6000 BC. So perhaps the 5000 BC date could be older but it is still in the ballpark. At 5000 BC there would have been pottery available. 

"With the aid of these archaeological criteria, Reade as well as Michael Roaf (archaeologist and former director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, and now at the University of California, Berkeley) have determined the boundaries of Halaf culture. They coincide almost exactly with the area ethnic Kurds still call home: from Kirmanshah to Adyaman, and from Afrin near the Mediterranean Sea to northern areas of Lake Van. The distribution of Halaf pottery and the distribution of ethnic Kurds today are a near-perfect match."
(http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/kurdish/htdocs/his/orig.html)

Aratta - Gilgamesh could be as early as 2700 BC. from the Sumerian records but unconfirmed as to when written. Later Urartu would also be referred to as Aratta by the Hebrews. Of all the names for this region Ararat would be the most important and the most ancient. Those followers and their descendants of Van believed that Van and Amadon were taken to heaven while alive and while in worship from Mount Ararat. (UB p. 860)
"Enmerkar, the grandfather of the hero Gilgamesh lived around 2,750 BC and the King of Aratta through his herald sent a message to Enmerkar stating that Inanna had not abandoned neither Aratta nor her house therein — the Ziggurat Temple that was a primordial astronomical observatory and an origin site of metal smelting foundries…"
(http://narinnamkn.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/armenian-wheel-of-eternity-six-pointed-star-svastika/)

The earliest name we have from Assyrian history for this region is "People of the Nairi" at or about 2000 BC. and somewhat later the name Uruatru.
"In an inscription of the Assyrian Assurbelkala (1077‑1060 B.C.), first appears the name Uruatru."
 (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Asia/Armenia/_Texts/KURARM/7*.html)

"Tushpa (Armenian: Տոսպ Tosp, Assyrian: Turuspa, Turkish: Tuşpa) was the 9th-century BC capital of Urartu, later becoming known as Van.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tushpa) 
Tushpuea is an Araratian (Urartian) goddess from which the city of Tushpa derived its name. She may have been the wife of the solar god Shivini as both are listed as third, in the list of male and female deities on the Mheri-Dur inscription. It is hypothesized that the winged female figures on Urartian ornaments and cauldrons depict this goddess."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tushpuea)

A deviation by Tiglath-Pileser III is Turupas. He was an Assyrian King at the time of Sarduri 2 King of Urartu. At this time the Urartian capital was named Dhuspas by the Urartians, which is very important.
"The country is called Biaina or Biana in the [Vannic] inscriptions, and the name given to its capital, the present Van, is Dhuspas or Dhuspaes."
(The Cuneiform Inscriptions of Van Deciphered and Translated "Published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (1882, NS. vol XIV, pp. 377-732) by Archibald Sayce, the renowned Assyriologist and linguist (1846-1933). Sayce was the first to decipher the language of the Van inscriptions, now called Urartian, and which he termed Vannic." (https://archive.org/details/TheCuneiformInscriptionsOfVanDecipheredAndTranslated P. 338 Sayce)

But the Assyrians did not call this region Biaina and Urardhu is not found in the Vannic inscriptions. The closest name in Assyrian inscriptions is Mannai. But this is not a reference to Biaina. There is one name that is found in Assyrian which is Bitanu/Bitan or Bit-ani - "the house of Anu." Later the capital city became known as Van which comes from the native name Biaina. At the time the Urartians referred to themselves as the Biainili. Another name for Van is Thospia a name that comes from Ptolemy. Just in case you run across it. Thospia is probably just a Hellenized version to the Assyrian Tushpa. This brings us to the Classical Period as Ptolemy was a Greco-Roman writer from Egypt. The classical writers would have known of Semiramis who we encounter now as the story continues.

The very beginning of this story begins with the early Greek writers who wrote of the legendary Assyrian Queen Semiramis married to King Ninus. This is legend as King Ninus is not listed in the Assyrian kings list. Even so she was very famous in antiquity and it is said ("Diodorus Siculus (Library of History), a Greek historian about the same time as Julius Caesa") that her name was on the gate of Babylon (read here: the Gate of Ishtar). This queen has quite an exaggerated and tangled history, even as the Queen of Babylon, but we are only interested in her connection to Urartu. One legend of Semiramis concerns an Armenian king named Ara who she fell in love with. But it was not reciprocated as he was married and thus being spurned, this great, beautiful and legendary Assyrian Queen went to war during which Ara was killed. The myth continues with Semiramis tricking the Armenians into thinking that her gods had brought him back to life. There is a Mesopotamian connect in all of this. "At Tushpa, the Babylonian goddess, Ishtar, the mother-goddess and the embodiment of the reproductive energies of nature, was worshipped in her own right. She was called Sari and, in course of time, she appears in the legends of Indo-European Armenia of Semieramis or Shamiriram" (The Kingdom of Armenia, A History, M. Chahin, Curzon Press copyright 2001 p.144) Ishtar is the Babylonian goddess who in Sumerian is Inanna. 

"The Armenians called Van "the city of Šamiram," "built by Šamiram," while in Urartu it was called Tušpa and was the worship center of the goddess Tušpuea, the wife of the sun god, which testifies to the heredity Tušpuea - Šamiram. One of the two historical prototypes of the mythical Šamiram/Semiramis was Nak‟ia, the wife of the Assyrian king Sennacherib. 68 She directly corresponds to Covinar, the progenitress of the daredevils of Sasun, the wife of Senek„erim (= Sennacherib). Thus, the great gods of the Urartian epoch survived in the epic tradition of the south of Armenia."
(http://www.scribd.com/doc/87090471/STATE-PANTHEON-OF-GREATER-ARMENIA)

This Greek legend of Semiramis lead the French into believing that some of the places mentioned must still be in existence. In 1826 the French Asiatic Society sent Prof. Fr. Ed. Schulz, a young German scholar, to Armenia to investigate. Schulz visited Van and its neighbors and discovered forty two inscriptions. They were published in 1840 but not by Schulz who unfortunately was murdered and never returned. Thirty nine of these inscriptions were of unknown origin. And that is the beginning of the discovery of the civilization of Urartu.

Armenia and a History of Flags

I ran into to this graphic the "Flag of Urartu" to the left while looking for more evidence of Enki as Van through an Armenian connection. What is interesting is that it is very difficult to find any information about this image. It is a screen shot from an Armenian video. As far as I have investigated there is no historical use of the cross in a circle that pertains to Urartu. What I did find was a second Flag of Urartu:

This flag is called The Flag of Urartu Saint Muhammad. It has the graphic of a traditional sphinx which looks more Assyrian than Urartian. It is modern. Urartu is Assyrian and Biainili is what the Urartians called themselves. The use of the sphinx is also depicted in Urartian art on various walls, stone engravings and jewelry.

But getting back to the cross in a circle. As far as the Sumerians were concerned it is at least one symbol for Enki and that's why it got my attention. This is not the conventional Enki symbol as the cross is separate from the circle. Notice that the ends of the cross have two small extensions per arm. It belies a Christian heritage. The traditional Armenian Christian cross does have these extensions which are quite prominent. See to the far left. The one next to it is the equilateral cross just like the one in the circle. Eventually I did find one page on the Internet that contained information on this flag with its cross in a circle. Turns out it is one of a number of flags in the evolution of the Armenian flag. As you can see it was the flag during the Marzbariate period. The three previous flag images contained an eagle, lion and dragon. Of these four symbols three can be traced back to Eden. All four if you include the sometimes appearing lion at the foot of Inanna. I am not so sure that those involved in the flag's design (over a long period of time) were aware of what this group of icons together meant. But the inclusion of an Enki-like symbol is very interesting. Just to mention something off topic, this cross has eight points and so does the splayed cross of the Templars which some do call it the eight pointed cross. We also know that this symbol of the cross in a circle is one of the oldest religious symbols on the planet. But why label this particular flag, which is Armenian, as the Flag of Urartu? Some background information is in order. There is and has been for some time a debate (with expletives) on the "true" history of the origin of the Armenians. I am neutral on all of this just to let you know. Very very briefly some Armenians wish to include those of Urartu in their genetic heritage. There are others who for their own reasons do not. For reasons not discussed here (involves Babylonian history) they could be right. Either side could be right. The fighting is particularly intense between the Armenians and the Turks as expected. And the Georgians. And those from Azerbaijan. The mix of people (Hurrians, Armen, Nairi and Hay to name a few) that are most likely in the family tree is impressive, some of which I had never heard about. So there is a mix of opinions about Armenian history. What I am driving at is that if you believe the Urartians are your distant relatives and are associated with Armenia then naming the Armenian flag as being of Urartu could make sense. For all I know there may be an attempt to connect the location of Armenia with the Garden of Eden. There are a number of videos that say just that with a seemingly academic reason behind it. It should not come as a surprise then that there is a perceived connection of Armenia and the Garden in that there is a belief that Armenia was the location for Eden. This is a belief that is shared by some non Armenians as well. Don't forget Mount Ararat is believed by some as the final resting place for Noah's ark which is in Armenia. Still this symbol of the cross in a circle could be just a strange coincidence. Considering the background of history of this flag and the symbols used on it there may be more to to this story whether it be unconscious or deliberate. I offer up this information because I find it intriguing and you might also.

Here is one last flag. It is the flag of Yerevan which is the capital of Armenia and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. As you can see it too has the sphinx at its center. Actually I began my search into this subject of Enki/Van/Urartu by comparing the different examples of the sphinx from Babylon, Assyria and Urartu. General opinion is that these mythological figures represent spirits. Could be. They do come in a variety such as bulls, women and lions. The one thing they have in common is their association with the Tree of Life. Two most telling symbols attached to the sphinx are the horned crown and wings. Often you will see rosettes and in the Yerevan flag and others the fleur-de-lys. All of which comes out of Sumeria - including the sphinx. On many Sumerian cylinders you will see the sphinx usually as a griffin. As to whether these divine inspired figures are protectors or antagonists is open to interpretation. But they do appear elsewhere in conjunction with the Tree of Life. Even in Urartu.

The Nairi predate the Urartians but the origin of the Nairi (tribes) is uncertain. Another way to deal with classification is linguistic. The Assyrians were Semitic. Those of Urartu were not Semitic, nor Indo-European. Also the language of Urartu does not seem to relate to Armenian which is IE. The earliest known spoken language was Hurrian now extinct which it appears that it was also spoken by those of Urartu which is called Hurro-Urartian. 

I could not find any Armenian legends that dealt directly with Enki but I did discover that the Armenian religious vocabulary is almost entirely Iranian with a very strong Zoroastrian influence which also includes a reverence for the Tree of Life. (http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/armenia-iii) Just as there was a Zoroastrian influence on the Jewish faith during the intertestamental period there was also an influence on religious thinking to the north. It was the Mede who eventually conquered the Urartians. But the IE loan words pre-date the Medes and when they entered the Hurrian lexicon is unknown.

According to the above quote Shivini is a sun god because he holds up a solar disk. Others, including Wikipedia, has copied Piotrovsky quote. I 

dominates the Urartian religious beliefs and all others across Mesopotamia. A comparison to the Godhead of India also cannot be made because they are not individuals per se but Shiva does have a close affinity to Enki.

The following are three reasons Shiva is connected to Enki. 1) The most obvious would be the trident or trishula of Shiva. The western classical equivalent would be Neptune-Poseidon's trident. Going back further would be the fleur-de-lys, another Eden/Enki/Inanna symbol. You could insert the Babylonian "fish-man", Ea/Oannes, with the emphasis of this argument being the water connection. It would be the symbolic bridge between Enki and his later appearing manifestation as Poseidon. The shape of these tridents reflect the "three segmented fruit" I describe elsewhere on this site. You can see the Urartian example of this with the two tridents. The trident is not a weapon in this sense, it is a standard which goes all the way back to Sumeria. It is a symbol of authority much like a scepter. The standard of Mitanni is the winged disk. 2) Water springs from the hair piece of Shiva and likewise from the shoulders of Enki. This assures us he is not a sun god because his association is with water as in the Abzu. 3) And finally both have a connection to the serpent. For instance the Greeks did include the serpent wrapped around the trident of Poseidon in some sculptures. But there is something odd in all of this. Shiva is Indo-European but the Urartian Shivini is non Indo-European. I believe that there is a connection but as of yet have to discover the "academic" link. The problem is the connection between Shiva and Shivini in the way scholars assert: "He is the third god in a triad with Khaldi and Theispas and is cognate with the triad in Hinduism called Shivam." In linguistics cognate words have a common etymological origin. Scholars say the Indo-European influence came after Urartu was a kingdom but the gods pre-date that by quite a stretch. You simply cannot say these two words are connected by origin if the connection is made well after the fact. Another definition for cognate is "Cognates are words inferred to have a common historical origin because of systematic sound correspondences and clear similarities in form and meaning. Despite some initial enthusiasm, the method has been heavily criticized and is now largely discredited," and "substantial borrowing of lexical items between languages makes tree-based methods inappropriate." (http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2010/12/solution-to-problem-of-indo-aryan.html) This definition, I believe, explains the situation. I looked at Hurrian as an answer but that language is non IE as well. So, how did the word Shivini (if Enki) enter the Urartian pantheon if not through a plausible way of the IE language (if in fact it is IE)? The Mitanni. Before I go any further this theory is my own and is not supported by the academics. My theory is this: The Mitanni (ruling class) were an IE speaking people, had migrated from the east as Indo-Iranians (or Indo-Aryans) to a location adjacent to the future Urartu and assimilated, they were horsemen and were most likely of the Aryan tribes who could have had connections through trade with India. At this time Mesopotamia did trade with early Indian civilizations. Therefore the east Indian civilization was known and had commerce with Mesopotamia. They spoke an Indo-European language. The caravan routes of old followed the Silk Road. Remember the Nairi? Those who came before the Urartians? Well, this is interesting as it could show a very early IE influence but from the north - yet another theory - the Krugan culture which is early IE usually called Proto Indo-European. But none of these theories explain satisfactorily how words that are from the East Indian continent made their way into the language of the Hurrians. 

"Shivini is only one of the three heads of deities. Haldi is the top god of the pantheon from the inscription of Mheri Dur. Haldi's origin seems different from the other two. A home grown god whose center is Musasir, Haldi may have been picked more for political differention that helped define Urartu as different from its neighbors. But Teisheba and Shivini have clear cut parallels in the Hurro-Hitte pantheon. Haldi seems to have Assyrian roots."
 (see: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AncientBibleHistory/conversations/topics/26974)

The last illustration above of Shivini with the bow resembles the Mitanni winged disk to the left in the impression. These deities within the winged disk may be sun gods. But the article goes immediately into a description of the Babylonian sun god Shamash who does have a sun disk as his symbol and who is in fact a legitimate sun god.  This image of Shivini above matches the Van image to the left where he is on the bull and within the circle much like the Assyrian Ashur. That Shivini image discovered in 1999 confirms my idea that the Van image to the left is one of divinity and not another depiction of a king as a divine personage. No doubt though that Shivini's bow is an Assyrian influence. They were neighbors. All these religious symbols trace back to Sumeria. Enki had been in the literature a thousand years before Shivini. So do we find Van in the kingdom of Van through the god Shivini who is Enki who is Van the Steadfast? Maybe. I believe that the only way you are going to find Van in the history of Urartu is through the pantheon just like Sumeria and everywhere else the Andites brought the legend. And his confirmation will be through his symbols and countenance. He is the "good" god, he is among the heads of the pantheon, the winged disk in some way will be attached to him even if it has changed by culture (as in the feathered serpent of the Mayas), the Tree of Life, water in some form and even the serpent. Shivini only has a couple of these attributes. Plus there is not that much known about him. On a final note it would be fair to say that obvious symbolism is "easy pickins'" because all the early tribes have known these legends and found expression within their various cultures and pretty much true to their origin. It always helps to have auxiliary information. And we do.

The only remark I can make is that Armenia emerges from the north and they do speak Indo-European and were known to ride horses.

To the left is another view of what is presumably the metal work image of Shivini. Actually I have not read of the connection but I assume that it is true. The strange part is the stereotypical depiction of the genii. Here we can see one of the two, attending to the larger figure of the god on a bull. The helmet of this attending figure has the symbol of the 

Here are two images of Tushpuea. Originally they were on a cauldron. She is merged with the winged disk.

Here is Tushpuea in the guise of Semiramis. Note the ring on her back which was used for hanging the cauldron.  Click for a slightly larger image.

Aratta
Earlier I mentioned Aratta and its importance to this history. This addition is about Inanna's connection to Aratta at the time of the Sumerians. In the epic Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta  the goddess Inanna had at one time a residence there. So according to this legend Inanna may have had a temple in Aratta or at least some type of presence. That establishes a connection which could predate Urartu by at least one thousand plus years. Therefore it is not surprising of the connection of Semiramis to Inanna. It also lends support to the theory that Tushpa is named after Tushpuea only because of antiquity but I remain unconvinced due to the historical evidence. However if the Urartian city name of Dhuspas is related to an unknown substrate language for the name of Inanna then everything would click solidly into place.

Semiramis
The more I read about this chameleon of a warrior/lover/queen the more interesting she becomes. One tradition has her as a inn/brothel keeper in the city of Erech aka Uruk which is Inanna's hometown. According to the web site http://www.ldolphin.org/semir.html, Bryce Self postulates: Sammur-amat (Hellenized as Semiramis)>Shinar (the Hebrew form)>Sumeria (todays derivation). That means the name Semiramis equates with Sumeria. An interesting thought. He goes on to say she named her illegitimate son Damu who became the Babylonian Dammuzi. Again very interesting but from my perspective the facts are not straight. It would not be the first time elements from one story become modified in another. On the site http://womenshistory.about.com/od/ancientqueens/a/semiramis.htm, "Some legends have Semiramis raised by doves in the desert, born the daughter of the goddess Atargatis. Her first husband was said to have been the governor of Nineveh, Menones or Omnes." Three things about this quote. First is the dove reference which is a connection to the winged disk. Second, the goddess Atargtis who in some mythologies is the "Lady Goddess of the Sea" a fish goddess (or mermaid) and Omnes who could represent a cloaked Oannes the Babylonian fish-man-god but in name only. The second two statements seem to refer to a behind the scenes Enki.

"Born from the Syrian mermaid goddess Atargatis and a human man, and left on the waterfront by her loveless mother. She was wrapped in the warm wings of a dove, and fed with the dove's milk. Semiramis was then found and educated by the shepherd Simmas until she married Onnes, an old general; but she was then taken away by the Syrian king Ninus who fell in love with her thanks to her beautiful face. This forced Onnes to commit suicide, and after Semiramis earned the favors of the king with original battle plans, she married him and formally became queen. A few days after the marriage, she killed the king with poison, and reigned as a regent over Assyria for the next few decades. This is the oldest case of murder by poisoning in legends."
(http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Assassin_of_Red)
She had a mean streak.

"Ninos repulsed the invasion, and, driving the barbarians back into Bactria, laid siege to it; here, in the tent of one of his captains, he came upon Semiramis, a woman whose past was shrouded in mystery. She was said to be the daughter of an ordinary mortal by a goddess, the Ascalonian Derketô. Exposed immediately after her birth, she was found and adopted by a shepherd named Simas, and later on her beauty aroused the passion of Oannes, governor of Syria."
(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28876/28876-h/files/17326/17326-h/v6b.htm#image-0028)
Here in the text of the History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria by G. Maspero and edited by A.H.Sayce is the name Oannes. I mention this because of the relationship of Semiramis/Oannes, Tushpuea/Shivini and Inanna/Enki. This text is taken from Diodorus Siculus.

"Moses of  Khorene says that, after the death of Ara the Beautiful, Semiramis passed the rest of her days in Armenia, which place she greatly loved. Here she established the city of Van."
(http://books.google.com/books?id=A05T97qQGK0C&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=armenian+legend+of+semiramis)
This is one of several references I have seen concerning Semiramis and city building. What we have is clearly a legend that has its roots in Assyria that actually is Sumerian but is expressed in the culture of Armenia. Deriving whether the capital city is named after her or not is problematic when following legend. I defer to the Mheri-Dur.


THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

Perhaps the most convincing argument of the interconnection of the Inanna/Semiramis legends is the Epic of Gilgamesh. Remember how Aratta is the oldest name for the ancient Armenian highland? Aratta was the destination of Gilgamesh with his trusted friend Enkidu (the "handsome man" of Ara and warrior). He is from Uruk where incidentally Inanna is also. He was going to cut down the cedar forest and kill its protector Humbaba sent there by Enlil. He befriends Enkidu a wild man who becomes civilized who is also his match in strength.

PROLOGUE
When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty,
Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all
others, terrifying like a great wild bull. Two thirds they made him god and one third man.

THE FOREST JOURNEY
At this point in the story Enkidu has become "civilized" and a friend of Gilgamesh. They go to the Cedar forest where they slay Humbaba. Upon their return the god Enlil is angry with Shamush for helping them on their journey. 

ISHTAR AND GILGAMESH, AND THE DEATH OF ENKIDU
This is the point at which events are most pertinent to the legend of Semiramis.
Semiramis upon seeing the handsome Ara tries to entice him:
GILGAMESH Washed out his long locks and cleaned his weapons;
he flung back his hair from his shoulders; he
threw off his stained clothes and changed them for new.
He put on his royal robes and made them fast. When Gilgamesh
had put on the crown, glorious Ishtar lifted her
eyes, seeing the beauty of Gilgamesh. She said, ‘Come to me Gilgamesh,
and be my bridegroom; grant me seed of your body, let me be your bride and
you shall be my husband. I will harness for
you a chariot of lapis lazuli and of gold, with wheels of gold and
horns of copper; and you shall have mighty demons of
the storm for draft mules.

Ara rebukes Semiramis:
Gilgamesh opened his mouth and answered glorious Ishtar, ‘If I take you in marriage, what gifts can I give in return?
What ointments and clothing for your body? I would gladly give you bread and all
sorts of food fit for a god. I would give you wine to drink fit for a queen. I would
pour out barley to stuff your granary; but as for making you my wife - that I will not.
How would it go with me? Your lovers have found you like a brazier which smoulders in the cold, a backdoor which
keeps out neither squall of wind nor storm, a castle which crushes the garrison, pitch that blackens the bearer,
a water - skin that chafes the carrier, a stone which falls from the parapet, a battering - ram turned back from the enemy,
a sandal that trips the wearer. Which of your lovers did you ever love for ever? What shepherd of yours has pleased you for all time?

Spurned by Ara Semiramis in a fit of rage decides to get even:
When Ishtar heard this she fell into a bitter rage, she went up to high heaven. Her tears poured down in
front of her father Anu, and Antum her mother. She said, ‘My father, Gilgamesh has heaped insults on me, he has told over all my
abominable behaviour, my foul and hideous acts.' Anu opened his mouth and said, ‘Are you a father of gods? Did not you
quarrel with Gilgamesh the king, so now he has related your abominable behaviour, your foul and hideous acts.'
Ishtar opened her mouth and said again, ‘My father, give me the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh. Fill
Gilgamesh, I say, with arrogance to his destruction; but if you refuse to give me the Bull of Heaven I will break
in the doors of hell and smash the bolts; there will be confusion of people, those above with those from the lower depths. I shall
bring up the dead to eat food like the living; and the hosts of dead will out number the living.' Anu said to great Ishtar, ‘If I
do what you desire there will be seven years of drought throughout Uruk when corn will be seedless husks.

...

When Anu heard what Ishtar had said he gave her the Bull of Heaven to lead by the halter down to Uruk: When they
reached the gates of Uruk the Bull went to the river; with his first snort cracks opened in the earth and, a hundred young
men fell down to death.

But the Bull of Heaven is killed by Gilgamesh. Then it is determined by the gods because of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven - one must die:
When the daylight came Enkidu got up and cried to Gilgamesh, ‘O my brother, such a dream I had last night. Anu,
Enlil, Ea and heavenly Shamash took counsel together, and Anu said to Enlil, "Because they have killed the Bull of
Heaven, and because they have killed Humbaba who guarded the Cedar Mountain one of the two must, die." Then
glorious Shamash answered the hero Enlil, "It was by your command they killed the Bull of Heaven, and killed Humbaba,
and must Enkidu die although innocent?" Enlil flung round in rage at glorious Shamash, "You dare to say this, you who
went about with them every day like one of themselves!"

The death of Ara:
He touched his heart but it did not beat, nor did he lift his eyes again. When Gilgamesh touched his heart it did
not beat. So Gilgamesh laid a veil, as one veils the bride, over his friend. He began to rage like a lion, like a lioness robbed
of her whelps. This way and that he paced round the bed, he tore out his hair and strewed it around. He dragged of his
splendid robes and flung them down as though they were abominations.
Although it is Enkidu that dies rather than Gilgamesh, in the epic it is Enkidu who is the "handsome man" as told by the harlot who "civilizes" him. And in the legend Semiramis is a harlot in that varied background of hers as she plays out the part of Inanna as lover.

THE SEARCH FOR EVERLASTING LIFE
The ending to this story is where Semiramis tricks the Armenians into believing Ara is alive. The attempt at resurrection of Ara is much like Gilgamesh searching for the plant of life:
BITTERLY Gilgamesh wept for his friend Enkidu; he wandered over the wilderness as a hunter, he roamed over
the plains; in his bitterness he cried, ‘How can I rest, how can I be at peace? Despair is in my heart. What my brother is
now, that shall I be when I am dead. Because I am afraid of death I will go as best I can to find Utnapishtim whom they
call the Faraway, for he has entered the assembly of the gods.' So Gilgamesh traveled over the wilderness, he wandered
over the grasslands, a long journey, in search of Utnapishtim, whom the gods took after the deluge; and they set him to
live in the land of Dilmun, in the garden of the sun; and to him alone of men they gave everlasting life.
Gilgamesh finds Utnapishtim who finally reveals the secret to immortality:
I will disclose to you a thing that is hidden, Gilgamesh, I will tell you. There is a plant... like a boxthorn,
whose thorns will prick your hand like a rose. If your hands reach that plant you will become a young man again."
Gilgamesh dives under the waters and finds the 'The Old Man Becomes a Young Man' plant. On his way back home he stops for a bath. A snake finds the plant unattended and makes off with it:
A snake smelled the fragrance of the plant,
silently came up and carried off the plant.
The end of the epic has the death of Gilgamesh just like his friend Enkidu. Both are handsome and both do die.
And Ara, who Semiramis tried to resurrected but failed, remains dead just like his counterparts Enkidu/Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh in this epic also meets a woman who is an inn-keeper.

My first hypothesis validates the legends of Enki and Inanna as submerged beneath the Assyrian and Armenian stories and brings together two of the greats from the Sumerian pantheon. Now in two places, Sumeria and Urartu, we have the greatest connection to the Tree of Life. The second hypothesis is that Shivini is not really a solar god only that he is shown to have a relationship with the winged disk because of the overlaying of imagery from Assyria. If we accept that, then it is apparent why Shivini's association is with the winged disk - because he is Enki. And I plant my flag.

My map showing locations discussed on this page:

Oh yeah, one last thing: This also solves the question of the Hitties in central Anatolia who were gone before the advent of Urartu. The debate as to what constituted the Hittite language can be resolved this way, with both sides winning. The time of the now returning Eurasian Andites was very early on and really leaving only traces in their ancient wake. They passed into Greece, something that is invisible today, and as with the Hurrian language and its loan words, the "bounce back" IE from Greece as seen today is why there is such a question of origin.

Thanks for reading.