Menua

Last updated
Menua
King of Urartu
Reignc. 810–c. 786 BC
Predecessor Ishpuini
Successor Argishti I
Bornca. 850 BC
Diedca. 786 BC
Issue Inushpua, Tariria, Argishti I
Father Ishpuini

Menua (Urartian : mMe-i-nu-a [variations exist]), [1] also rendered Meinua or Minua, was the fifth known king of Urartu from c. 810 BC to approximately 786 BC. In Armenian, Menua is rendered as Menua. The name Menua may be connected etymologically to the Ancient Greek names Minos and Minyas. [2] [3]

Contents

A younger son of the preceding Urartian King, Ishpuini, Menua was adopted as co-ruler by his father in the last years of his reign. Menua enlarged the kingdom through numerous wars against the neighbouring countries and left many inscriptions across the region, by far the most of any Urartian ruler. [4] He organized a centralised administrative structure, fortified a number of towns and constructed fortresses. Amongst these was Menuakhinili located near Mount Ararat (its exact location is uncertain, perhaps at Bulakbaşı, east of modern-day Iğdır). [5]

He briefly co-ruled with his son, Inushpua, but was succeeded by another son, Argishti I. [6] Menua also had a daughter named Tariria, after whom a certain vineyard was named Taririakhinli. [7]

Apart from the Kepenek Castle inscription, another inscription proving the existence of the Urartian Kingdom in the geography of Muş is the Alazlı/Tirmet inscription. The inscription in question is located 25.5 km east of Muş province and 6.2 km south of Korkut district. In the inscription, the war fought by the Urartian king Menua is mentioned:

Menua, the son of İşpuini, brought this stone to our Lord Haldi. he sewed. Tann Haldi went on a military expedition with his spear. He captured the city of Trtimi in the territory of the country of Urme.

[8]

Fragment of a cuneiform inscription of King Menua on Akdamar Island Fragment of cuneiform inscription of Urartian King Menua, Aghtamar Island, Lake Van - panoramio.jpg
Fragment of a cuneiform inscription of King Menua on Akdamar Island

It is believed that Menua founded the city of Manazkert (Malazgirt). [9]

Menua developed a canal and irrigation system that stretched across the kingdom. The most significant of these was a 45-mile canal from the Hoşap valley to Van, which was named the Menua Canal after the king. [10] It flowed at a rate of 1500 to 3000 litres of water per second, depending on the time of the year. [11] Several of these canals are still in use today.

Menua became the first of Urartu's kings who designed and constructed irrigation networks that contributed to farming and, in part, to the development of the vineyard in Urartu. Menuapili canal was about 72 km length. The canal was 4.5 meters wide and 1.5 meters deep, and reached the capital of Urartu, Tosp (Van).

Part of the Menua Canal with Lake Van in the background OTTuspaWasserleitung.jpg
Part of the Menua Canal with Lake Van in the background

The canal passes in some places along the slopes, dug with rocks, and in the lower parts of the canal it was built especially from huge stones and over a wide and unbreakable wall with a height of 15–20 meters. Menuapili of which there are still many parts existing, working to supply irrigation and drinking water to the city of Van and the surrounding villages, is one of the surviving monuments of ancient Armenian culture and one of the oldest medieval civilization famous constructions. Menuapili is one of the oldest major canals in the Middle East, for that reason it was called by many historians a river.

The Assyrian king Sennacherib is well known like Urartian king Menua in constructing hydraulic engineering works some of these well-constructed tunnels are still in use today. Sennacherib used the expertise of Urartian technicians since they were well known for their skill in constructing hydraulic installations. The biggest canal he build was only 19 km in length comparing with Menua's canal which was 72 km in length. Urartu's cultural development in the water sector has had a considerable impact on the development of northern Mesopotamia and the same cultural field of Assyria. The flow of irrigation canals is from north to south, from Urartu to Assyria, i.e. from the Armenian Highland to Mesopotamia. Menua was one of the candidates to whom the title "Shinarar” i.e. builder can be given legally, and when Menua died in 780 B.C. Urartu was empire and equaled to his strong opponent Assyria. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urartian language</span> Language spoken by inhabitants of the ancient kingdom of Urartu

Urartian or Vannic is an extinct Hurro-Urartian language which was spoken by the inhabitants of the ancient kingdom of Urartu, which was centered on the region around Lake Van and had its capital, Tushpa, near the site of the modern town of Van in the Armenian highlands, now in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Its past prevalence is unknown. While some believe it was probably dominant around Lake Van and in the areas along the upper Zab valley, others believe it was spoken by a relatively small population who comprised a ruling class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argishti I of Urartu</span> King of Urartu

Argishti I, was the sixth known king of Urartu, reigning from 786 BC to 764 BC. He founded the citadel of Erebuni in 782 BC, which is the present capital of Armenia, Yerevan. Alternate transliterations of the name include Argishtis, Argisti, Argišti, and Argishtish. Although the name is usually rendered as Argišti, some scholars argue that Argisti is the most likely pronunciation. This is due to the belief that the Urartians used the cuneiform symbol š to voice an s-sound, as opposed to representing the digraph sh.

Korkut is a town in Muş Province of Turkey. It is the seat of Korkut District. Its population is 3,409 (2022). The mayor is Sami Pekbay (AKP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musasir</span> Ancient city of Urartu

Muṣaṣir, in Urartian Ardini was an ancient city of Urartu, attested in Assyrian sources of the 9th and 8th centuries BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ishpuini of Urartu</span> King of Urartu

Ishpuini was king of Urartu. He succeeded his father, Sarduri I, who moved the capital to Tushpa (Van). Ishpuini conquered the Mannaean city of Musasir, which was then made the religious center of the empire. The main temple for the war god Haldi was in Musasir. Ishpuini's kingdom was then attacked by the forces of the Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad V. Ishpuini fought and defeated Shamshi-Adad. Ishpuini was so confident in his power that he began using names meaning everlasting glory, including, "King of the land of Nairi", "Glorious King", and "King of the Universe".

Sarduri I, also known as Sarduris, Sedur, and Asiduri, was king of Urartu. He was known as Ishtarduri to the Assyrians.

The origin of the Armenians is a topic concerned with the emergence of the Armenian people and the country called Armenia. The earliest universally accepted reference to the people and the country dates back to the 6th century BC Behistun Inscription, followed by several Greek fragments and books. The earliest known reference to a geopolitical entity where Armenians originated from is dated to the 13th century BC as Uruatri in Old Assyrian. Historians and Armenologists have speculated about the earlier origin of the Armenian people, but no consensus has been achieved as of yet. Genetic studies show that Armenian people are indigenous to historical Armenia, showing little to no signs of admixture since around the 13th century BC.

Shubria or Shupria was a kingdom in the southern Armenian highlands, known from Assyrian sources in the first half of the 1st millennium BC. It was located north of the upper Tigris River and to the southwest of Lake Van, extending eastwards to the frontiers of Urartu. It appears in the 1st millennium BC as an independent kingdom, succeeding the people earlier called Shubaru in Assyrian sources in the later centuries of the 2nd millennium BC. It was located between the powerful states of Assyria and Urartu and came into conflict with both. It was conquered by Assyria in 673–672 BC but likely regained its independence towards the end of the 7th century BC with the collapse of Assyrian power.

Arzashkun or Arṣashkun was the capital of the early kingdom of Urartu in the 9th century BC, before Sarduri I moved it to Tushpa in 832 BC. Arzashkun had double walls and towers, but was captured by Shalmaneser III in the 850s BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarduri II</span> King of Urartu

Sarduri II was a King of Urartu, succeeding his father Argishti I to the throne. The Urartian Kingdom was at its peak during his reign, campaigning successfully against several neighbouring powers, including Assyria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urartu</span> Iron-Age kingdom of the Ancient Near East

The Urartu was an Iron Age kingdom centered around the Armenian highlands between Lake Van, Lake Urmia, and Lake Sevan. The territory of the ancient kingdom of Urartu extended over the modern frontiers of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and the Republic of Armenia. Its kings left behind cuneiform inscriptions in the Urartian language, a member of the Hurro-Urartian language family. Since its re-discovery in the 19th century, Urartu, which is commonly believed to have been at least partially Armenian-speaking, has played a significant role in Armenian nationalism.

The economy of Urartu refers to the principles of management of Urartu, the ancient state of Western Asia which existed from the thirteenth to the sixth century BC. It peaked around the eighth century BC but was destroyed with the fall of the state about a century later. The economy of Urartu was typical of ancient Oriental Despotism and was closely associated with that of neighboring Assyria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art of Urartu</span>

The art of Urartu refers to a historical and regional type of art from Urartu (Ararat), the ancient state of Western Asia which existed in the period from the 13th to the 6th centuries BC in the Armenian Highland. The art of Urartu was strongly influenced by nearby Assyria, the most prominent state of that period in the region. It peaked around the 8th century BC but was mostly looted, scattered and destroyed with the fall of Urartu about a century later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menua Canal</span> Ancient canal in modern Turkey

The Menua Canal, also known as the Semiramis Canal or as the Shamiram Canal, is a canal joined with a series of hydraulic works such as aqueducts constructed by King Menua of Urartu. It is located to the east of Van, Turkey and runs 56 kilometres (35 mi), supplying a large region and flowing into Lake Van. It has been continuously used by the local inhabitants for irrigation purposes up to this day, more than 2500 years after its construction. It is considered a masterpiece of hydraulic and architectural engineering by regional and global standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argištiḫinili</span> Archaeological site in Armenia

Argištiḫinili was a town in the ancient kingdom of Urartu, established during the expansion of the Urartians in the Transcaucasus under their king Argishti I, and named in his honour. It lasted between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. The ruins of the Argištiḫinili fortifications are 15 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of the present-day town of Armavir, Armenia, between the villages of Nor-Armavir and Armavir in the Armenian marz of Armavir. The town was founded on the left bank of the middle reaches of the Aras River. Over the centuries, the river channel has shifted to several kilometres south of the town.

Etiuni was the name of an early Iron Age tribal confederation in northern parts of Araxes River, roughly corresponding to the subsequent Ayrarat Province of the Kingdom of Armenia. Etiuni was frequently mentioned in the records of Urartian kings, who led numerous campaigns into Etiuni territory. It is very likely it was the "Etuna" or "Etina" which contributed to the fall of Urartu, according to Assyrian texts. Some scholars believe it had an Armenian-speaking population.

The Urumu were a tribe attested in cuneiform sources in the Bronze Age. They are often considered to be one of the ancestors of the Armenians being one of the tribes which were part of the Armenian Hayasa-Azzi confederation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urartu religion</span> Belief system adopted in the ancient state of Urartu

Urartu religion is a belief system adopted in the ancient state of Urartu, which existed from the 8th to 6th centuries BC. It was typical of despotic states from the Near East. The Urartu religion was polytheistic in nature and derived from the earlier beliefs of Mesopotamia and Anatolia. As in other beliefs of the ancient Near East, Urartu had a pantheon of deities, patronizing various phenomena. The main deity was Haldi. The worlds of humans and gods were united through ritual sacrifices. The Urartu religion absorbed the motifs of the tree of life, the serpent and the winged solar disk characteristic of the ancient Near East. Against the background of Mesopotamian beliefs, Urartu was distinguished by a high level of religious tolerance, which was conditioned by the multinationality of the state.

Alazlı is a village in the Korkut District, Muş Province, Turkey. Its population is 1.147 (2022).

References

  1. Zimansky, Paul (2011). "Urartian and the Urartians". In Steadman, Sharon R.; McMahon, Gregory (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia. Oxford University Press. p. 554. ISBN   9780195376142.
  2. Petrosyan, Armen (2002). The Indo-European and Ancient Near Eastern Sources of the Armenian Epic. Washington D.C. 2002. Washington, D.C.: Institute for the Study of Man. p. 182.
  3. Petrosyan, Armen (April 2019), "On the Ethnic Origin of the Ruling Elite of Urartu", Over the Mountains and Far Away: Studies in Near Eastern History and Archaeology presented to Mirjo Salvini on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Archaeopress, p. 405.
  4. Zimansky, Paul (1985). Ecology and Empire: The Structure of the Urartian State (PDF). Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. p. 59. ISBN   0-918986-41-9. OCLC   469553313.
  5. Zimansky 1985, p. 64.
  6. Chahin, M. (2001). The Kingdom of Armenia: A History. p. 23. ISBN   9780700714520.
  7. Zimansky 1985, p. 69.
  8. "Eski Çağ'da Muş" (in Turkish). Iğdır University Sos Bil Der. 29 July 2019. p. 24.
  9. Neusner, J. (1966). A History of the Jews in Babylon, Volume 1. p. 77.
  10. Sagona, Antonio; Zimansky, Paul (2009). Ancient Turkey. London: Routledge. p. 323. ISBN   978-0415481236.
  11. Chahin, M. (1987). The Kingdom of Armenia . London: Croom Helm. pp.  67. ISBN   070994800X.
  12. Tovmassian, Bedros, Patmaqagh