From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've got a workable extension here. If you just want to try it out, you just point it at my server-side files (here). It should be well-behaved, or at the very least be easily uninstallable. --Interiot 08:48, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

Contents 1 Paytakaran 1.1 Province of Greater Armenia 1.2 Previous history 1.3 The region today 1.4 References

[edit] Paytakaran

Paytakaran (Armenian: Փայտակարան), was the easternmost province of the Kingdom of Armenia.^[1][2]. The province was located in the area of the lower courses of the rivers of Kura and Araks, adjacent to the Caspian sea.

[edit] Province of Greater Armenia

According to Anania Shirakatsi's Ashkharatsuyts ("World Atlas," 7th c. AD), Paytakaran was the 11th among the 15 provinces of Greater Armenia. It consisted of 14 cantons (gavars): Hrakot, Perozh, Vardanakert, Yotnporakyan Bagink, Krekyan, Vovtibagha, Kaghanost, Buros, Pitchanhani, Atshi, Bagavan, Spandaran-perozh, Vormizd-perozh, and Alevan. It was bounded by the Capsian Sea to the east, Araxes river to the north and north-west, Atropatene to the south, and the Armenian province of Vaspurakan to the west.^[3]

[edit] Previous history

Prior to becoming Paytakaran, the region was known as Caspiane by Greco-Roman authors. Caspiane was contested between the regional powers. According to Strabo: "To the country of the Albanians belongs also the territory called Caspiane, which was named after the Caspian tribe, as was also the sea; but the tribe has now disappeared".

[edit] The region today

Today, the area is located in the territory of modern day southeastern Azerbaijan and northeastern Iran. According to Strabo, both Caucasian Albania and Armenia had provinces with the name "Caspiane."^[4]

[edit] References

1a) Paytakaran (Armenian: Փայտակարան, Persian: to be added) was at various times a province of Medes, Caucasian Albania and the Kingdom of Armenia.

1b) Paytakaran (Azerbaijani: Beyləqan, Armenian: Փայտակարան, Persian and Arabic: Baylaqan) was also the name of the principal city within that province. Originally known as Caspiane by Greco-Roman and Kaspk by Armenian authors, the province was located in the area of the lower courses of the rivers of Kura and Araks, adjacent to the Caspian sea. Later the region became known under the name of Paytakaran.

(reference) Encyclopedia Iranica. C. E. Bosworth. Baylaqan

(reference) Strabo, Geography, book 11, chapter 14.

Professor Robert. H. Hewsen:

BAGAWAN (Baguan or Ateshi Bagawan), a district of the land of Kaspiane (Arm. Kaspk, later Paytakaran) lying along the right bank of the Araxes river and corresponding to the northeastern part of Iranian Azerbaijan. [1]

Всемирная история. Энциклопедия. Том 2.

Кроме этого, в зависимости от Армении находилась и Каспиана, центр которой был в Пайтакаране и правители которой считали себя Аршакидами. На протяжении IV в. все эти области отпали от Армении, а после смерти Тиридата III некто Санатрук присвоил себе корону, овладел Пайтакараном и заявил о захвате всей Армении. Правители Пайтакарана опирались на помощь Сасанидов и позднее помогали Шапуру II в войнах с Арменией. В 60-х годах IV в. от Армении отложились и другие албанские земли, которые также попали под влияние персов. [2]

The World Encyclopedia, Volume II.

Caspiane, which had its center in Paytakaran and the rulers of which considered themselves Arsacids, was also under the Armenian dominion. During the IVth century all these regions broke away from Armenia, and after the death of Tiridat III some Sanatruk declared himself a king, took control of Paytakaran and announced the conquest of the whole Armenia. The rulers of Paytakaran relied on the help of Sasanians and later assisted Shapur II during the wars with Armenia. In the 60s of the 4th century other Albanian lands also broke away from Armenia and also fell under the influence of Persians.

1c) The province was located in the area of the lower courses of the rivers of Kura and Araks, adjacent to the Caspian sea.

reference: Moses of Chorene [3]

1d) Today, the area lies within the territory of modern day southeastern Azerbaijan and northeastern Iran. (This is from Tigran's edit, I left it as it is).

1e) Caspiane was contested between the regional powers. According to Strabo: "To the country of the Albanians belongs also the territory called Caspiane, which was named after the Caspian tribe, as was also the sea; but the tribe has now disappeared".

(reference) Strabo, 11.4

1f) Strabo also mentions Caspiane among the lands conquered by king Artaxias I from Medes. However, Armenia later lost it to Albania about 59 BC, when Pompey rearranged the political geography of the region. (See the following reference):

Pompey then rearranged the political geography of the east. The exact details of the changes and their chronology are not always clear. Some were changed after Pompey and the young Tigranes fell out and after Parthian intervention. But the upshot was that by 59 BC Syria and Phoenicia had passed to Rome, Sophene to Cappadocia, and Adiabene to Parthia. Lesser Armenia went, probably, to Brogitarus, son-in-law of Deiotarus king of Galatia, and Caspiane to the Albanians.

A. E. Redgate. The Armenians (Peoples of Europe) ISBN-10: 0631220372

2a) Paytakaran was initially populated by the tribe of Caspians, after whom it was named "Caspiane".

reference: Herodotus, Strabo, and other classical authors repeatedly mention the Caspians but do not seem to know much about them; they are grouped with other inhabitants of the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, like the Amardi, Anariacae, Cadusii (q.v.), Albani, and Vitii (Eratosthenes apud Strabo, 11.8.8), and their land (Kaspiane) is said to be part of Albania (Theophanes Mytilenaeus apud Strabo, 11.4.5). Whether or not they belonged to the Median empire is not clear. According to Herodotus (3.92.2), they, together with the Pausicae, Pantimathi, and Daritae, were included in the eleventh nomos of the Achaemenid empire under Darius I. This region later was attached to Media Atropatene and Albania in turn. Encyclopedia Iranica. Rüdiger Schmitt. Caspians

2b) Later it was populated by people called "parcies".

reference: Faustus of Byzantium:

О каспах.

Потом спарапет Мушег жестоко отомстил стране парсиев [7] и городу Пайтакарану, ибо жители этой страны отложились от армянского царя и изменили ему. Спарапет-полководец Мушег, прибыв туда, многих из них казнил, отрубив головы, многих взял в плен, а остальных обложил данью, взял у них заложников и там оставил правительственных чиновников.

[7] Из этого места мы узнаем, что в стране Каспк (Каспиана античных авторов) и в этот период жило упоминаемое Страбоном племя парсиев или паррасиев (С. Т. Еремян).

About Kasps

Then sparapet Musheg took cruel revenge on the country of parcies and the city of Paytakaran, because the people of that country broke away from the Armenian king and betrayed him.

The footnote:

From this place we learn that the country of Kaspk (Caspiane of antique authors) was populated at that time by the tribe of Parsies or Parracies, mentioned by Starbo. Faustus of Byzantium. History. 5.14

2c) The local population repeatedly revolted against the Armenian rule, and Armenian kings had to dispatch their troops to the region to suppress the uprisings.

reference: Moses of Chorene:

Также Страна касбов²³⁵ по этому поводу отложилась от нашего царя. Поэтому Арташес посылает на них Смбата со всей армянской ратью и сам сопровождает их в течение семи дней. Смбат, придя туда, усмиряет всех, а Страну касбов разоряет и уводит в Армению пленных больше, чем из Артаза, и с ними их царя Зардманоса.

235 Страна касбов — область низовьев Куры и Аракса (впадавших в древности в Каспийское море порознь), примыкающая к Каспийскому морю; страна Каспиана, упоминаемая Страбоном в связи с завоеваниями армянского царя Арташеса I.

The Country of kasbs also broke away from our king for the same reason. Therefore Artashes sent against them Smbat with the whole Armenian army and personally accompanied them for seven days. Upon arrival there Smbat pacified everyone, plundered the Country of kasbs and took away to Armenia more prisoners than were taken from Artaz, and their king Zardmanos was among them.

Footnote: The country of kasbs – the area of the lower courses of Kura and Araks (which in ancient times flowed into the Caspian sea separately), adjacent to the Caspian sea; the country of Caspiane, mentioned by Strabo in connection with the conquests of the Armenian king Artashes I. Movses Khorenatsi. History of Armenia

reference: Faustus of Byzantium, History. 5.14

2d) Paytakaran, according to professor Robert. H. Hewsen, was a completely alien land to Armenia, and was finally lost by Armenia to Caucasian Albania in 387 A.D.

reference: Paytakaran, a completely alien land, left the Armenian orbit in 387, as did Korjaik, originally the kingdom of Gordyene, a foreign state that had belonged to Armenia for only about 250 years and whose territory was completely Kurdish in population even before the deportations of 1915.

The Armenian People From Ancient To Modern Times: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century. Robert. H. Hewsen. Historical Geography, p 16.

reference: Shahrvaraz moved from Nisibis, through Media, to P'aytakaran in Albania.

The war in Armenia, 572-3

Geoffrey Greatrex, Samuel N. C. Lieu, Michael H. Dodgeon. The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (Ad 226-363): a documentary history. ISBN 0415003423

3a) After the Arab conquest and Islamisation of the region, the city of Paytakaran became known as Baylaqan. Muslim chronicles describe it as a flourishing city. In 1220, Baylaqan was captured by the Mongols, who slaughtered the inhabitants and burned it down; but survivors subsequently returned and restored it.

reference: BAYLAQAN, Armenian form Paytakaran (cf. Marquart, Osteuropäische und ostasiatische Streifzüge, Leipzig, 1903, p. 457), a town of the medieval Islamic region of Arran (q.v.), the classical Caucasian Albania, lying in the triangle between the Kor and Aras (Araxes) rivers, in what is today the Mil steppe in Soviet Azerbaijan. In Islamic times, it lay on the highway connecting Ardabil and Bajarvan with Bardaa (qq.v); today, only ruins remain of Baylaqan, to the south-east of Shusha. Encyclopedia Iranica. C. E. Bosworth. Baylaqan

reference: Half-way through the 7th century, under the caliphate of Osman, the Arabs invaded Albanian territory and the eastern Caucasus and took possession of Paythakaran (Baylaqan), Partaw (Bardaa), Shakashen, Kabala (Kapaghak), Shervan, Shaporan (Shaberan), and Chor (Darband); Aran was to be reunited with Armenia under a single governor. Encyclopedia Iranica. M. L. Chaumont. Albania.

3b) At the end of the 14th century it was destroyed by Timur, who later rebuilt it, but the city was abandoned and it ruins remain at the location called Oren-kala within 15 km from the modern city of Beylagan.

Reference: Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Oren-kala.