Matiene
Matienewas the name of a kingdom in northwestern Iran[1][2]on the lands of the earlier kingdom of theMannae.Ancient historians includingStrabo,Ptolemy,Herodotus,Polybius,andPlinymention names such as Mantiane, Martiane, Matiana, Matiani, Matiene, Martuni to designate a region located to the northwest of Media. "[3][4]
Etymology[edit]
The name Matiene may be related toMitanni,the name of a state some 800 years earlier, which was founded by an Indo-Aryan ruling class governing theHurrianpopulation.[5]The name Matiene was applied also to the neighboringLake Matianus(Lake Urmia) located immediately to the east of the Matieni people. The Iranian root "Mati-" meaning "to tower, to stand out" (from the same Indo-European root that gives us the word "mountain" ) might explain the name.
History[edit]
The Mannaeans who probably spoke aHurro-Urartianlanguage, were subdued by theScytho-Kimmeriansduring the seventh and eighth centuries BC and assimilated by Matienes. Matiene was ultimately conquered by theMedesin about 609 BCE.
Matiene became a satrapy of theMedian Empireuntil the Persian conquest, when along with tribes ofSaspiresand Alaradians (remnants ofUrartians) it became a part of the XVIII satrapy of theAchaemenid Empire.
Geography and population[edit]
The land of Matiene was surrounded to the north by Armenia, to the east by Media, to the south bySusiana,and to the west by Assyria. Its chief city was Matiati aroundLake Van.
It is believed that the population of Matiene were speaking aHurro-Urartianlanguage.[6]Known descendants of the kings(chieftains) of the matian tribes was Armenian princely (naxarar) family ofAmatuni[7][8]
Cimmerianswere said to have originated from the Matiani byHerodotus,moving west into Anatolia along the south shore of theBlack Sea.Herodotus also said that later, in Median times, there was a second site called Matiene, along the eastern shore of theHalys riverin northwesternCappadociaacross the river from thePhrygians.[9]He stated they wore the same uniform as thePaphlagoniansin the Median and Persian armies, meaning their units were combined with the Paphlagonians. It is not at all clear whether these western Matieni were descendants of the Cimmerians, a group ofPaphlagoniansjust called by this name, actual (eastern) Matieni who migrated west from Matiene on their own, or a Median military colony on the border with Phrygia and later theLydianempire.
References[edit]
- ^The Cambridge history of Iran, Volume 2 by William Bayne Fisher, Ilya Gershevitch, Ehsan Yar-Shater, Peter Avery,pages 256-257
- ^Archaeology at the north-east Anatolian frontier, I.: an historical geography and a field survey of the Bayburt Province by A. G. Sagona, Claudia Sagona,pages 41-48
- ^History of the MedesArchived2011-05-13 at theWayback Machine
- ^Kroll, S."Places: 884179 (Matiane)".Pleiades.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1979).International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J.p. 785.ISBN9780802837820.
- ^"IRAN vii. NON-IRANIAN LANGUAGES (1) Overview – Encyclopaedia Iranica".iranicaonline.org.Retrieved2020-01-22.
- ^"Армения в эпоху Юстиниана".25 January 1971.
- ^"Армения в эпоху Юстиниана".25 January 1971.
- ^The history of Herodotus, Volume 1 by Talboys and Wheeler, 1824page 38
