Shivini

Shivini, a drawing based on an image on an object (a belt) from the History Museum of Armenia

Shivini (Urartian: 𒀭𒅆𒄿𒌑𒄿𒉌, romanized: ^dši-i-u₂-i-ni), also known as Siuini, Artinis, Ardinis, was a solar god in the mythology of the Iron Age kingdom of Urartu in the Armenian Highlands. He is the third god in a triad with Khaldi and Theispas. The Assyrian god Shamash is a counterpart to Shivini. He was depicted as a man on his knees, holding up a solar disc. His wife was most likely a goddess called Tushpuea who is listed as the third goddess on the Mheri-Dur inscription.

Armen Petrosyan and other scholars argue that his name derives from a Hittite source, and is, therefore, of the same Indo-European origin as the names of Ancient Greek Zeus and Roman Jupiter.

Gallery

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  Armenian postage stamp, 1993
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  Shivini god
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  Shivini's bronze caldron
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  The caldron's bronze-sculpted handle

Further reading

• Badalyan, Miqayel. "Šiuini: The Urartian Sun God." In Over the Mountains and Far Away: Studies in Near Eastern History and Archaeology Presented to Mirjo Salvini on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, edited by Avetisyan Pavel S., Dan Roberto, and Grekyan Yervand H., 46–57. Summertown: Archaeopress, 2019. doi:10.2307/j.ctvndv9f0.10.