In 743 B.C., Tiglath-pileser III led a victorious march against Sarduri
of Urartu and his vassals. A comparison of the four extant Assyrian
relations of that campaign yields a clear picture of its geographical
arena. Unfortunately, Waldemar Belck, in 1904, utterly confused this
picture by his identifications of two battlegrounds, Kistam and Halpi,
with modern Ku?tam and Halfeti. These were uncritically followed by
generations of scholars, and can still be found in serious publications
. This paper, based on Assyrian and Urar?ian records, as well as on the
study of the natural relief and road connections of the region in
question, proposes a different reconstruction of Tiglath -pileser line
of advance and of the battlegrounds along it.