ARDERIKKA, name of two ancient villages: (1) Arderikka in Assyria (Herodotus 1.185.2) was a kōmē (village) on the Euphrates above Babylon but can not be localized with certainty. There the Babylonian queen Nitōkris is said to have turned the course of the river in such a way that it passed the village three times. (2) Arderikka in Susiana (Herodotus 6.119.2) was a station (stathmos; farmstead?) of Darius I situated in the land Cissia and about 40 km from Susa; Darius settled there the Eretrians captured after the overthrow of their city by Datis in 490 B. C.; according to Herodotus there was a famous spring about seven km away from which asphalt, salt, and oil were produced. This site is usually identified with modern Kīr-āb north of Susa (H. Rawlinson, Journal of the Royal Geographic Society 9, p. 94). The ancient name reflected in Greek Arderikka has been recognized in Assyrian Urdalika (Assurbanipal, Prisma Rassam, col. V, line 51) by J. Oppert (ZA 3, 1888, p.422).
Bibliography:
See also Pauly-Wissowa, II/1, col. 614.
(R. Schmitt)
Originally Published: December 15, 1986
Last Updated: August 11, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. II, Fasc. 4, p. 385
