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The Assyrian sources tell us that under Rusa I (c. 730–713 BCE), the contacts between Urartians and Mannaeans became more intense, and we can assume the existence of a direct influence of Urarṭu on the northern Mannaean territories: a kind of protectorate. The Mannaean prince Metatti of Zikirtu is presented as a vassal of king Rusa, and this situation soon led to a war with Assyria (Salvini in Pecorella and Salvini 1984: pp. 35–51).

During Rusa I's reign, west Azerbaijan was the center of important historical events (RlA s.v. Rusa). The three bilingual stelae erected by Rusa I on both sides of the Zagros range (CTU A 10‐3, 4, 5) show that the road along the western shore of the Urmia lake and through the pass of Kelišin was still the main access route of the Urartians through the Zagros to the city and temple of Muṣaṣir. The common text of those three documents tells us of the defeat of the local king Urzana, who had behaved like an enemy against Rusa, preventing him from entering aldi's sanctuary.

Rusa was at the height of his power: he had conquered the lands in Transcaucasia, at the expense of the tribes living beyond Lake Sevan (CTU A 10‐2). Moreover, he ruled a large part of the Mannaean territory and Muṣaṣir, even reaching the valley of the Lesser Habur river.

But Rusa's “days of joy” were suddenly interrupted by two political‐military catastrophes, which would be fatal to him. These are the Cimmerian invasion and Sargon's Eighth Campaign in 714 BCE (Thureau‐Dangin 1912). The relative chronology of the two events, as well as their “geography,” is controversial (one can read the different opinions in Biainili‐Urartu 2012).

The news of a military clash between Uraru and the Cimmerians (Gimirra) appears in the letters of the Assyrian intelligence service. Some letters to king Sargon refer directly to this event, and they speak of the Urartian's defeat and losses. Other letters deal with the Urartian preparations for the expedition against the “land of Gimirra” (Lanfranchi and Parpola 1990).

The letter SAA V 145 (Deller in Pecorella and Salvini 1984: pp. 102–103. No 2.1) clearly says that the Cimmerians came “from the land of Mana,” that is from the southeast, not directly from the north, i.e. from the Caucasian mountains, as the traditional reconstruction maintains. I think that this episode took place not long before the Eighth Campaign, perhaps in 715 BCE.