Matiene

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Matiene was the name of a kingdom in northwestern Iran which overran the kingdom of the Mannae. The Mannaeans were non-Indo-European, probably speaking either an Hurro-Urartian language like the Nairi or a Northeast Caucasian language like the Albanians to the north.

Etymology

The name Matiene derives either from Lake Matianus (Lake Urmia) or from the Matiani or Matieni people who lived around it. When the Mannaeans were overrun by the Matiani (Iranians variously deemed to be Scythians, Sakas, Cimmerians or Sarmatians), the name of the kingdom changed from Mannae to Matiene or Matiane.

History

Matiene and the remnants of Mannae were ultimately conquered by the Medes in 616 BCE. Matiene became a satrapy of the Median Empire until the Persian conquest, when it became a sub-satrapy of the Median satrapy of the Persian Empire. It is sometimes referred to as Media Minor during the Persian period. The Persian capital of Matiene was Gazaca, which means place of the treasury. It was south of Lake Matianus.

Note that the name Matiene is not derived from Media or from Mitanni, a mixed Indo-Aryan and Hurrian state on the other side of Assyria at an earlier time, despite some similarity.

Geography and Population

There were at least two ethnic areas of Matiene, the larger part in the west (now West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan) around Lake Matianus, inhabited by the Matiani, and in the east, a strip containing the mountains along the shore of the Caspian Sea (now Ardabil Province), which was the home of the Cadusii. This country, whether called Mannae, Matiene, or Media Minor, is bounded on the north by Albania (Arran), on the northwest by Urartu, on the southwest by Assyria, and on the south by Media proper (west central Iran, centered in Ecbatana).

Both the Persians and the Cimmerians were said to have originated from the Matiani by Herodotus, the Persians moving south to Persis (Fars) and the Cimmerians west into Anatolia along the south shore of the Black Sea.

Alexander's Campaign

After the Macedonian conquest of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Matiene became a satrap of Alexander's Empire. After the death of Alexander, Matiene became independent under King Atropates. It became known as Media Atropatene or simply as Atropatene from his name.

References

Ancient Near East portal

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