Hayasa-Azzi
Hayasa-Azzi or Azzi-Hayasa (Hittite: URUḪaiaša-, Armenian: Հայասա) was a Late Bronze Age confederation in the Armenian Highlands and/or Pontic region of Asia Minor. The Hayasa-Azzi confederation was in conflict with the Hittite Empire in the 14th century BC, leading up to the collapse of Hatti around 1190 BC. It has long been thought that Hayasa-Azzi may have played a significant role in the ethnogenesis of Armenians.[1]
"Haysa" redirects here. For the village in Lebanon with the same transliteration, see Hisah.Location
Hittite inscriptions deciphered in the 1920s by the Swiss scholar Emil Forrer testify to the existence of the mountainous country, Hayasa-Azzi, lying to the east of Hatti in the Upper Euphrates region. Its western border seems to have alternated between Samuha (probably just west of modern Sivas) and Kummaha (likely modern Kemah, Erzincan).[2] These areas later geographically overlapped, at least partially, with the Upper Armenia[3] province of the later Kingdom of Armenia and the neighboring region of Lesser Armenia.[1]
Hayasa-Azzi seems to have been bordered by Isuwa (later known as Sophene, now known as Elazig) and Pahhuwa (perhaps near modern Divriği or Bingol Province) to the south or the west.[2][3] The eastern extent of Hayasa-Azzi is unknown, although some have placed it in the area of modern Tercan,[4] or as far east as Lake Van[2][5] or the Ararat Plain.[6]
The name Hayasa might possibly be connected to the Iya(ni)/Iga(ni) of Urartian texts.[7] Both Hayasa and Iya(ni)/Iga(ni) have been connected to the Aia of Greek mythology.[7][8] Alternately, another theory proposes a connection to the Huša(ni), mentioned by the Urartian kings Argishti I and Sarduri II in the 8th century BC.[4] Iya(ni)/Iga(ni) and Husa(ni) were both probably located in modern Ardahan Province of Turkey.
It is possible that the name Azzi survived into the Classical era as Aza, a city located in the Kelkit River Valley.[4] Alternately, a form of the name Azzi may have continued into the 17th century AD as Azntsik, a district of Ani-Kammahk (Kemah) in Upper Armenia.[3]
Azzi is not to be confused with the similarly named Alzi (Alshe), which was located further south.
Political structure
The exact nature of Hayasa's and Azzi's relationship is uncertain. They are generally thought to have been a confederation of two different kingdoms in what is now northeastern Turkey: Hayasa, in the north, and Azzi, in the south. While separate entities, the two lands were politically and probably linguistically connected.[2] However, there are alternate theories regarding the nature of their relationship. Some have suggested that Azzi was a region or district of Hayasa or that Hayasa and Azzi were different names for the same location.[9] Vartan Matiossian argues that Hayasa was an ethnonym while Azzi was the polity or land in which the Hayasans lived.[3] According to Massimo Forlanini, Hayasa and Azzi may have denoted the same polity, with the name having switched from Hayasa to Azzi following the establishment of a new ruling dynasty or capital.[10]
The Hittite king Suppiluliuma I's treaty with Hakkani of Hayasa addresses "the people of Hayasa." According to Igor Diakonoff, this likely suggests that the Hayasans had a peoples' assembly or council of elders.[9][5] Similarly, Mursili II later conducted negotiations with "the elders" of Azzi.[9] The nearby land of Pahhuwa may have had a similar governing council.[9]
A possible alternate interpretation of these treaties is that these councils consisted of the chieftains of the various tribes who made up the Hayasa-Azzi confederation.[9]
Although frequently at odds with Hatti, Hittite texts mention that the Hayasans served as charioteers in the Hittite army.[9]
The capital of Hayasa-Azzi is unknown, but its main fortress was Ura, possibly located somewhere near modern Bayburt or along the Kelkit River.[3] Another fortress, Aripsa, may have been located on the shore of Lake Van.[11][12][13]