Angeghtun () or Ingilene ( grc, Ἰγγηληνή; ) was a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
of the ancient
Kingdom of Armenia centered on the city and fortress of Anggh (), which gave its name to the district. Anggh is often identified with the modern city of
Eğil
Eğil ( Hittite: 𒅔𒃲𒀀𒉿 ''Ingalawa'', ota, اکيل, ku, Egil) is a town and district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey. As of 2018, the district's population is 23,369. The elected mayor Mustafa Akkul of the Peoples' Democratic Party ...
in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, and may have also been the site of
Carcathiocerta, capital of the
Kingdom of Sophene
The Kingdom of Sophene ( hy, Ծոփք, translit=Tsopʻkʻ, grc, Σωφηνή, translit=Sōphēnḗ), was a Hellenistic-era political entity situated between ancient Armenia and Syria. Ruled by the Orontid dynasty, the kingdom was culturally mixe ...
, and the settlement Ingalawa mentioned in
Hittite records. Angeghtun bordered
Andzit (Anzitene), possibly at the
Taurus Mountains
The Taurus Mountains (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain range, mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolia# ...
, to its west and
Great Tsopk (Sophanene) to its east, possibly at the Western
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
.
While the district of Angeghtun was likely ruled by a branch of the
Orontid dynasty
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 t ...
that ruled the
Kingdom of Sophene
The Kingdom of Sophene ( hy, Ծոփք, translit=Tsopʻkʻ, grc, Σωφηνή, translit=Sōphēnḗ), was a Hellenistic-era political entity situated between ancient Armenia and Syria. Ruled by the Orontid dynasty, the kingdom was culturally mixe ...
, Armenian sources describe the fortress of Anggh as a royal fortress of the kings of Armenia where the royal treasures were kept. The Grand Chamberlain of Armenia (''hayr tʻagawori'' or ''mardpet'') was in charge of administering the fortress and the wealth within it. According to
Cyril Toumanoff
Cyril Leo Toumanoff (russian: Кирилл Львович Туманов; 13 October 1913 – 4 February 1997) was a Russian-born Georgian historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, ...
, Anggh was likely the central fortress of one of the four
''bdeashkh''s of the Kingdom of Armenia, who were high-ranking nobles in charge of defending the kingdom's border regions.
References
Bibliography
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See also
*
List of regions of old Armenia
This is a list of regions and or districts of ancient Armenia.
A
* Aghdznik
* Aliovit
* Amatunik
*Angl
* Andzevaciq
* Andzith
* Aragatzotn
* Aranean
* Aravelean
* Arsharuni
*Arsharunik
* Armenian Mesopotamia
* Artaz
* Artokh
* Artsakh
*Artzruni
...
Early medieval Armenian regions
{{Armenia-geo-stub