Hayasa-Azzi or Azzi-Hayasa (, ) was a

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

confederation in the

Armenian Highlands The Armenian highlands (; also known as the Armenian upland, Armenian plateau, or Armenian tableland)Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: ...

and/or Pontic region of

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. The Hayasa-Azzi confederation was in conflict with the

Hittite Empire The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

in the 14th century BC, leading up to the collapse of Hatti around 1190 BCE. It has long been thought that Hayasa-Azzi may have played a significant role in the ethnogenesis of

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

Location

Hittite inscriptions deciphered in the 1920s by the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

scholar

Emil Forrer Emil Orgetorix Gustav Forrer (also Emilio O. Forrer; ; 19 February 1894 – 10 January 1986) was a Swiss Assyriologist and pioneering Hittitologist. He was the first to point out the relevance of references to Wilusa in Hittite inscriptions to the ...

testify to the existence of the mountainous country, Hayasa-Azzi, lying to the east of

Hatti Hatti may refer to *Hatti (; Assyrian ) in Bronze Age Anatolia: **the area of Hattusa, roughly delimited by the Halys bend **the Hattians of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC **the Hittites of ''ca'' 1400–1200 BC **the areas to the west of the Euphra ...

in the Upper Euphrates region. Its western border seems to have alternated between Samuha (probably just west of modern

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

) and Kummaha (likely modern

Kemah, Erzincan Kemah (), known historically as Ani-Kamakh (), Gamakh, Kamacha or Kamachon () is a town in Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Kemah District.Upper Armenia Upper Armenia ( ''Bardzr Hayk‘'') was the first province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, located in present-day Turkey, roughly corresponding to the modern province of Erzincan, to the west of the Kura River. Within the borders of the kin ...

province of the later Kingdom of Armenia and the neighboring region of

Lesser Armenia Lesser Armenia (; ; ), also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, comprised the Armenian-populated regions primarily to the west and northwest of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia (also known as Kingdom of Greater Armenia), on the western sid ...

. Hayasa-Azzi seems to have been bordered by Isuwa (later known as

Sophene Sophene ( or , ; ) was a province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, located in the south-west of the kingdom, and of the Roman Empire. The region lies in what is now southeastern Turkey. History The region that was to become Sophene was part ...

, now known as Elazig) and Pahhuwa (perhaps near modern

Divriği Divriği (; ) is a town of eleven thousand people in Sivas Province, Turkey, and is the district capital of Divriği District.Bingol Province) to the south or the west. The eastern extent of Hayasa-Azzi is unknown, although some have placed it in the area of modern Tercan, or as far east as

Lake Van Lake Van (; ; ) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey in the provinces of Van Province, Van and Bitlis Province, Bitlis, in the Armenian highlands. It is a Salt lake, saline Soda lake, soda lake, receiv ...

or the Ararat Plain. The name Hayasa might possibly be connected to the / of Urartian texts. Both Hayasa and / have been connected to the Aia of Greek mythology. Alternately, another theory proposes a connection to the , mentioned by the Urartian kings

Argishti I 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' ...

and Sarduri II in the 8th century BC. / and Husa(ni) were both probably located in modern

Ardahan Province Ardahan Province (; ka, არტაანის რეგიონი, tr; is a Provinces of Turkey, province in the north-east of Turkey, bordering Georgia (country), Georgia and Armenia. Its area is 4,934 km2, and its population is 92,481 ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It is possible that the name Azzi survived into the

Classical era Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the interwoven civilization ...

as Aza, a city located in the

Kelkit River The Kelkit River ( or ''Kelkit Çayı''), is a river in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşilırmak. Its name derives from the Armenian ''Gayl get'' ( 'wolf river', Kayl ked in Western Armenian pronunciation ...

Valley. Alternately, a form of the name Azzi may have continued into the 17th century CE as Azntsik, a district of Ani-Kammahk (Kemah) in Upper Armenia. 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. 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. Vartan Matiossian argues that ''Hayasa'' was an

ethnonym An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...

while ''Azzi'' was the polity or land in which the Hayasans lived. 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. The Hittite king Suppiluliuma I's treaty with Hakkani of Hayasa addresses "the people of Hayasa." According to

Igor Diakonoff Igor Mikhailovich Diakonoff (occasionally spelled Diakonov, ; 12 January 1915 – 2 May 1999) was a Russian historian, linguist, and translator and a renowned expert on the Ancient Near East and its languages. His brothers were also distinguis ...

, this likely suggests that the Hayasans had a peoples' assembly or council of elders. Similarly,

Mursili II There were three Hittite kings called Mursili: * Mursili I, ca. 1556–1526 BCE ( short chronology), and was likely a grandson of his predecessor, Hattusili I. His sister was Ḫarapšili and his wife was queen Kali. * Mursili II, (also spelled Mur ...

later conducted negotiations with "the elders" of Azzi. The nearby land of Pahhuwa may have had a similar governing council. 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. Although frequently at odds with Hatti, Hittite texts mention that the Hayasans served as charioteers in the Hittite army. The capital of Hayasa-Azzi is unknown, but its main fortress was Ura, possibly located somewhere near modern

Bayburt Bayburt () is a city in northeast Turkey lying on the Çoruh River. It is the seat of Bayburt Province and Bayburt District.Kelkit River The Kelkit River ( or ''Kelkit Çayı''), is a river in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşilırmak. Its name derives from the Armenian ''Gayl get'' ( 'wolf river', Kayl ked in Western Armenian pronunciation ...

. Another fortress, Aripsa, may have been located on the shore of Lake Van.

Early history

Archaeological Museum of Erzurum Trans-Caucasian culture object 8426

All information about Hayasa-Azzi comes from the Hittites, there are no primary sources from Hayasa-Azzi. As such, the early history of Hayasa-Azzi is unknown. According to historian Aram Kosyan, it is possible that the origins of Hayasa-Azzi lie in the Trialeti-Vanadzor culture, which expanded from

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

toward northeastern modern Turkey in the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. The Trialeti-Vanadzor-connected site of Sos Höyük IV, located in the Erzurum region, may have been associated with Hayasa-Azzi.

Tudhaliya III and Suppiluliuma I (1360s–1320s BCE)

The Hittite king

Tudhaliya III Tudḫaliya is the name of several Hittite kings or royals. It is not clear how many kings bore that name, and numbering schemes vary from source to source. *Tudḫaliya (sometimes called Tudḫaliya I) is deduced from his early placement in a lat ...

chose to make the city of Samuha, "an important cult centre located on the upper course of the Marassantiya river" It should be stressed that Bryce's Tudhaliya III is equivalent to Wikipedia's

Tudhaliya II Tudḫaliya II (sometimes identified with and designated Tudḫaliya I) was a Hittite great king in the late 15th/early 14th century BC, ruling in perhaps c. 1425–c. 1390 BC. He was the father-in-law and predecessor of Arnuwanda I. Identity ...

. There is some disagreement among Hittitologists over the precise number of kings named Tudhaliya. as a temporary home for the Hittite royal court sometime after his abandonment of

Hattusa Hattusa, also Hattuşa, Ḫattuša, Hattusas, or Hattusha, was the capital of the Hittites, Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age during two distinct periods. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey (originally Boğazköy) within the great ...

in the face of attacks against his kingdom by the

Kaska The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada. The Kaska language, originally spoken by the Kaska, is an Athaba ...

, Hayasa-Azzi and other enemies of his state. Samuha was, however, temporarily seized by forces from the country of Azzi. At this time, the kingdom of Hatti was so besieged by fierce attacks from its enemies that many neighbouring powers expected it to soon collapse. The Egyptian pharaoh,

Amenhotep III Amenhotep III ( , ; "Amun is satisfied"), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenization, Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty. According to d ...

, even wrote to Tarhundaradu, king of Arzawa: "I have heard that everything is finished and that the country of Hattusa is paralysed" (EA 31, 26–27). However, Tudhaliya managed to rally his forces; indeed, the speed and determination of the Hittite king may have surprised Hatti's enemies including the Kaska and Hayasa-Azzi. Tudhaliya sent his general Suppiluliuma, who would later serve as king himself under the title Suppiluliuma I, to Hatti's northeastern frontiers, to defeat Hayasa-Azzi. The Hayasans initially retreated from a direct battle with the Hittite commander. The

Hittitologist Hittitology is the study of the Hittites, an ancient Anatolian people that established an empire around Hattusa in the 2nd millennium BCE. It combines aspects of the archaeology, history, philology, and art history of the Hittite civilisation. Ther ...

Trevor R. Bryce notes, however, that Tudhaliya and Suppiluliuma eventually: The Hayasans were now obliged to repatriate all captured Hittite subjects and cede "the border erritorywhich Suppiluliuma claimed belonged to the Land of Hatti." Despite the restrictions imposed upon Hakkani, he was not a completely meek and submissive brother-in law of the Hittites in political and military affairs. As a condition for the release of the thousands of Hittite prisoners held in his domain, he demanded first the return of the Hayasan prisoners confined in Hatti. During their reigns, the cuneiform tablets of Boğazköy begin to mention the names of three successive kings who ruled over a state of Hayasa and/or Azzi. They were Karanni (or Lanni), Mariya, and Hakkani (or Hukkana). Hakkani married a Hittite princess. When Suppiluliuma had become king himself, Hakkani proceeded to marry Suppiluliuma's sister. In a treaty signed with Hakkani, Suppiluliuma I mentions a series of obligations of civil right:

Mursili II (1320s–1290s BCE)

The kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi remained a loyal Hittite vassal state for a time, perhaps hit by the same plague which claimed Suppiluliuma and his son Arnuwanda II. But, in Mursili's seventh year (three years before

Mursili's eclipse The possible solar eclipse mentioned in a text dating to the reign of Muršili II could be of great importance for the absolute chronology of the Hittite Empire within the chronology of the ancient Near East. The text records that in the tenth ...

– so, 1315 BCE), the "lord of Azzi" Anniya took advantage of Pihhuniya's unification of the Kaskas and raided the Land of Dankuwa, a Hittite border region, where he transported its population back to his kingdom. Cavaignac wrote of that period that Anniya "had sacked several districts and refused to release the prisoners taken." Anniya's rebellion soon prompted a Hittite response. The Hittite King

, having defeated Pihhuniya, marched to the borders of Hayasa-Azzi where he demanded Anniya return his captured subjects. When Anniya refused, Mursili immediately attacked the Hayasa's border fortress of Ura. In the following spring, he crossed the Euphrates and re-organized his army at Ingalova which, about ten centuries later, was to become the treasure-house and burial-place of the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

kings of the Arshakuni Dynasty. Despite Mursili's Year 7 and probable Year 8 campaigns against Hayasa-Azzi, Anniya was still unsubdued and continued to defy the Hittite king's demands to return his people at the beginning of Mursili's Ninth year. Then, in the latter's Year 9, Anniya launched a major counter-offensive by once again invading the Upper Land region on the Northeast frontier of Hatti, destroying the Land of Istitina and placing the city of Kannuwara under siege. Worse still, Mursili II was forced to face another crisis in the same year with the death of his brother Sarri-Kusuh, the Hittite viceroy of Syria. This prompted a revolt by the

Nuhašše Nuhašše (kurnu-ḫa-áš-še; kurnu-ḫa-šeki), was a region in northwestern Syria that flourished in the 2nd millennium BC. It was east of the Orontes River bordering Aleppo (northwest) and Qatna (south). It was a petty kingdom or federacy of ...

lands against Hittite control. Mursili II took decisive action by dispatching his general Kurunta to quell the Syrian rebellion while he sent another general, the able Nuwanza (or Nuvanza) to expel the Hayasa-Azzi enemy from the Upper Land. After consulting some oracles, the king ordered Nuwanza to seize the Upper Land territory from the Hayasan forces. This Nuwanza did by inflicting a resounding defeat against the Hayasa-Azzi invaders at the Battle of Ganuvara; henceforth, Upper Land would remain "firmly in Hittite hands for the rest of Mursili's reign under the immediate authority of a local governor appointed by the king." While Mursili II would invade and reconquer Hayasa-Azzi in his tenth year, its formal submission did not occur until the following year of the Hittite king's reign. The Annals of Mursili describe the campaigns of Mursili against Hayasa-Azzi below:

Decline of Hayasa

Mursili, himself, could now take satisfaction in the reduction of the hostile and aggressive kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi once more to a Hittite vassal state. Map Hittite rule en

After Anniya's defeat, Hayasa-Azzi never appears again in the Hittite (or

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

n) records as a unified nation. Hayasa as a fighting power was practically eliminated by the expedition of Mursili II. Azzi, however, continued to be mentioned for some time after references to Hayasa ceased. It is possible that Hayasa was destroyed by Mursili and/or that it became part of Azzi. Mutti, a man from the city Halimana, was mentioned as having greeted Mursili in Azzi. Nothing else is known about him, but he may have been a latter-day king of Azzi. Many of the former districts and towns of Hayasa-Azzi become their own independent

city-states A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

following the breakup of the Hayasa-Azzi confederation at the end of the 13th century BC. Other regions of Azzi probably correspond to areas of the

Nairi Nairi (, also ''Na-'i-ru''; ) was the Akkadian name for a region inhabited by a particular group (possibly a confederation or league) of tribal principalities in the Armenian Highlands, approximately spanning the area between modern Diyarbakır ...

an state of

Urartu 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 Armenia.Kleiss, Wo ...

, mentioned in Assyrian records from around this same time. The territory of Hayasa-Azzi may have corresponded, at least partially, to

Diauehi Diauehi (Modern ka, დიაოხი , Urartian ''Diauehi'', Greek ''Taochoi'', Armenian '' Tayk'', possibly Assyrian ''Daiaeni'') was a tribal union located in northeastern Anatolia, that was recorded in Assyrian and Urartian sources dur ...

of Urartian-era texts.

Hayasa and Armenians

The similarity of the name ''Hayasa'' to the endonym of the

, , and the Armenian name for Armenia, or , has prompted the suggestion that the Hayasa-Azzi confederation was involved in the Armenian ethnogenesis, or perhaps had been an Armenian-speaking state. ''-assa''/''-asa'' are, respectively, Hittite and

Hieroglyphic Luwian Luwian (), sometimes known as Luvian or Luish, is an ancient language, or group of languages, within the Anatolian languages, Anatolian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. The ethnonym Luwian comes from ''Luwiya ...

genitive suffixes. Therefore, Hayasa could have been a Hittite or Luwian name meaning "land of the Hay." This is essentially the same meaning as modern '. Hayasa-Azzi could have been a Hittite translation of the Armenian or "Armenian nation". ' may derive from the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

word * (or possibly *), meaning 'metal'. According to this theory, Hayasa meant "land of metal," referring to the early metallurgy techniques developed in the region. While the language or languages spoken in Hayasa-Azzi are unknown, there does seem to have been a prevalent non- Anatolian Indo-European linguistic element. This language seems to have had some similarities to

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

and could have been an early Armenian dialect. The name of the king, Karanni, may be connected to Greek- Macedonian '' Karanos''. Some scholars argue that the Hayasan king name Mariya is connected to

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, meaning 'young man, warrior', and thus indicates a possible Indo-Iranian presence (perhaps related to the Mitanni) in Hayasa-Azzi. Vartan Matiossian argues instead that this name is a form of

Classical Armenian Classical Armenian (, , ; meaning "literary anguage; also Old Armenian or Liturgical Armenian) is the oldest attested form of the Armenian language. It was first written down at the beginning of the 5th century, and most Armenian literature fro ...

, also meaning 'young man'.Vartan Matiossian. Mariya, Leader of the Land of Hayasa, and His Connections. Bazmavep 1-4. 1992. pp. 322–324. Both the Sanskrit and Armenian words ultimately derive from the same Proto-Indo-European root, *. A few of the gods of Hayasa-Azzi recorded in treaties with the Hittites could be connected to Armenian or Greek traditions. ''Unag-Astuas'' is likely connected, at least etymologically, to Classical Armenian (Modern Armenian: ), which means 'God' and continues to be used in Armenian today. ''Baltaik'' could be a goddess connected to West Semitic Ba‘alat (

Astarte Astarte (; , ) is the Greek language, Hellenized form of the Religions of the ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern goddess ʿAṯtart. ʿAṯtart was the Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic equivalent of the East Semitic language ...

), with a probable Armenian diminutive suffix (such as is present in the name of the Armenian goddess,

Astłik Astłik or Astghik () a prominent goddess in ancient Armenian mythology, is revered as the embodiment of beauty, love, fertility, and water. Celebrated for her celestial beauty, she was a key figure in Armenian religious practices. Astghik is a ...

). Alternately, it could etymologically derive from Proto Indo-European * (meaning 'bright'), via the * form. Terittituniš might be connected to the Triton of Greek mythology. The region covered by Hayasa-Azzi would later constitute Lesser Armenia, as well as the western and south-western regions of

Ancient Armenia Ancient Armenia refers to the history of Armenia during Classical antiquity, Antiquity. It follows Prehistoric Armenia and covers a period of approximately one thousand years, beginning at the end of the Iron Age with the events that led to the dis ...

. The main temples of many pre-Christian Armenian gods such as Aramadz,

Anahit Anahit () was the goddess of fertility and healing, wisdom and water in Armenian mythology. In early periods, she was the goddess of war. By the 5th century BCE, she was the main deity in Armenia along with Aramazd. The Armenian goddess Anahit ...

, Mher, Nane, and Barsamin were located where Hayasa had likely been. The treasury and royal burials of the Arsacid (Arshakuni) dynasty would be located in this region as well during the 1st millennium BCE. Ani-Kammahk, probably the Kummaha of Hittite sources, was the main cultic center of the goddess

and the location of the Armenian royal tombs during the

. According to the prominent linguist

Hrachia Acharian Hrachia Acharian (, reformed spelling: Հրաչյա Աճառյան; ; 8 March 1876 – 16 April 1953) was an Armenian linguist, lexicographer, etymologist, and philologist. An Istanbul Armenian, Acharian studied at local Armenian schools an ...

, the name of the city Kummaha could derive from , the Armenian word for 'skeleton'. Some scholars believe that Armenians were native to the Hayasa region, or perhaps moved into the Hayasa region from nearby northern or eastern regions (such as modern southern Georgia or northern Armenia). A minority of historians theorize that after the possible Phrygian invasion of the Hittites, the hypothetically named Armeno-Phrygians would have settled in Hayasa-Azzi, and merged with the local people, who were possibly already spread within the western regions of

. However, there is almost no evidence of a close Armenian-Phrygian connection. The term ''Hayastan'' bears resemblance to the ancient

Mesopotamian Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary o ...

god Haya (''ha-ià'') and another western deity called ''

Ebla Ebla (Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''eb₂-la'', , modern: , Tell Mardikh) was one of the earliest kingdoms in Syria. Its remains constitute a Tell (archaeology), tell located about southwest of Aleppo near the village of Mardikh. Ebla was ...

Hayya'', related to the god Ea ( or in Sumerian, in Akkadian and Babylonian). Thus, the ''

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

'' of 1962 posited that the

derive from a migration of Hayasa into Shupria in the 12th century BCE. This is open to objection due to the possibility of a mere coincidental similarity between the two names.Anne Elizabeth Redgate, ''The Armenians'', Wiley-Blackwell, 2000 , p. 24.

Criticism of Armenian connection theory

The mentioning of the name ''Armenia'' can only be securely dated to the 6th century BC with the

Orontid The Orontid dynasty, also known as the Eruandids or Eruandunis, ruled the Satrapy of Armenia until 330 BC and the Kingdom of Armenia from 321 BC to 200 BC. The Orontids ruled first as client kings or satraps of the Achaemenid Empire and after ...

kings and very little is known specifically about the people of Hayasa-Azzi per se. Igor Diakonoff argues the pronunciation of Hayasa was probably closer to ''Khayasa'', with an aspirated ''h''. According to him, this nullifies the connection to Armenian ''Hay'' (հայ). Additionally, he argues that ''-asa'' cannot be an Anatolian language suffix as names with this suffix are absent in the Armenian Highlands. Diakonoff's criticisms have been refuted by Matiossian and others, who argue that, as Hayasa is a Hittite (or Hittite-ized) exonym applied to a foreign land, the ''-asa'' suffix can still mean "land of." Additionally, Khayasa can be reconciled with ''Hay'' as the Hittite ''h'' and ''kh'' phonemes are interchangeable, a feature present in certain Armenian dialects as well.