The Urartians, centered around eastern Anatolia around Lake Van and in the region of present Armenia, in the environs of Yerevan, suddenly disappear from history around 600, to be replaced almost immediately, in the same area of eastern Anatolia, by the Armenians.

According to Urartian epigraphy, Sarduri III (645–635 BCE) was followed by three kings—Erimena (635–620 BCE), his son Rusa III (620–609 BCE), and the latter's son Rusa IV (609–590 or 585 BCE).

Late during the 600s BCE (during or after Sardur III's reign), Urartu was invaded by Scythians and their allies—the Medes.

In 612 BCE, the Median king Cyaxares, together with Nabopolassar of Babylon and the Scythians, conquered Assyria after it had been badly weakened by civil war.

Many Urartian ruins of the period show evidence of destruction by fire.

This would indicate two scenarios—either Media subsequently conquered Urartu, bringing about its subsequent demise, or Urartu maintained its independence and power, going through a mere dynastic change, as a local Armenian dynasty (later to be called the Orontids) overthrew the ruling family with the help of the Median army.

Ancient sources support the latter version: Xenophon, for example, states that Armenia, ruled by an Orontid king, was not conquered until the reign of Median king Astyages (585– 550 BCE) – long after Median invasion of the late seventh century BCE.

Similarly, Strabo (first century BCE to first century CE) wrote that "[i]n ancient times Greater Armenia ruled the whole of Asia, after it broke up the empire of the Syrians, but later, in the time of Astyages, it was deprived of that great authority ..."

Medieval Armenian chronicles corroborate the Greek and Hebrew sources.

In particular, Movses Khorenatsi writes that Armenian prince Paruyr Skayordi helped the Median king Cyaxares and his allies conquer Assyria, for which Cyaxares recognized him as the king of Armenia, while Media conquered Armenia only much later—under Astyages.