Corduene
Encyclopedia
Corduene was an ancient region located in northern Mesopotamia and modern day Kurdish inhabited south east Turkey. It was a province of the Greater Armenia. It was referred to by the Greeks as Karduchia and by both the Greeks and Romans as Corduene. .
Corduene's territory was 14707 km² (5,678.4 sq mi) and had 11 cantons:
. From 595 BC it was part of Armenian Orontid Dynasty
, which was soon conquered by Achaemenid Empire
and was created Satrapy of Armenia
. After 331 BC it became independent. In 201 BC
two Armenian commanders of Seleucid Empire
army, Artaxias and Zareh conquered Armenia
'
From 189 BC
, when Artaxias I
declared himself independent, Corduene was part of Kingdom of Armenia until 387
's division. It was again reunited with Armenia
, from IX-XI under Vaspurakan Kingdom
.
According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
, Gordyene is the ancient name of the region of Bohtan (now Şırnak Province
). It is mentioned as Beth Qardu in Syriac sources and is described as a small vassal
state between Armenia
and Persia in the mountainous area south of Lake Van
in modern Turkey Corduene must also be sought on the left bank of the Tigris
.
It has been cited as the country of the Carduchians, a fertile mountainous district, rich in pasturage. The three principalities of Corduene, Moxoene
, and Zabdicene are referred to as Carduchian dynasties by Toumanoff. The Kingdom of Gordyene emerged from the declining Seleucid Empire
and for most of its history, it was a province of the Roman Empire
and acknowledged the sovereignty
of Rome
. From 189 to 90 BC it enjoyed a period of independence.
The people of Gorduene were known to have worshipped the Hurrian sky God Teshub
.
and Scythians mentioned in classical Greek literature existed only as preconceived notions. Equating the Carduchi with the Gutians, he adds that the moment the Ten Thousand began to skirt the lower slopes of the Hamrin Mountains, they were in contact with the tribes of Gutium which are presented here as Medes or Scythians.
with Xenophon, but their response to thousands of armed and desperate strangers was hostile. They had no heavy troops who could face the battle-hardened hoplite
s, but they used longbows and sling
s effectively, and for the Greeks the "seven days spent in traversing the country of the Carduchians had been one long continuous battle, which had cost them more suffering than the whole of their troubles at the hands of the king and Tissaphernes put together."
They have been also mentioned as Gordi by Hecataeus of Miletus ca 520 BC.
, a Jewish source of Talmud
ic period, consistently understands Ararat
to be located in Gorduene and not in Armenia
. This region is usually identified with the landing site in Deluge mythology. According to Aggadah
, Noah
landed in Korduene in Armenia. Berossus
was also of the opinion that Xisthros landed with his ship in Korduene. Josephus
cited the evidence of Berossus as proof that the Flood was not a myth and also mentioned that the remains of the Ark
were still visible in the district of Carron, persumably identical with Korduene. In Nashim
, the third order of Talmud, Rav Nahman bar Jacob has allowed proselytization of Kurds from Corduene. This points to the existence of Jewish converts among the population of Corduene in the early 4th century.
According to the Roman historian Strabo
, the region of Gorduene referred to the mountains between Diyarbakır
and Muş
. He recorded its main cities as Sareisa
, Satalca and Pinaca (northwest of Bezabde), and considered its inhabitants (Gordyaeans) as descendants of the ancient Carduchians. According to him, the inhabitants had an exceptional repute as master-builders and as experts in the construction of siege engines and for this reason Tigranes
used them in such work; he also notices the country for its naphtha
resources. Ammianus Marcellinus
visited this region while on a diplomatic visit to the satrap of Corduene. Eretria
ns who were exiled and deported by the Persians
to Mesopotamia, were said to have taken up their dwelling in the region of Gordyene.
According to Strabo the Gordyaeans received their name from Gordys son of Triptolemus
, who assisted in searching after Io
, and then settled in Gordyaea district of Phrygia
.
Both Phraates III and Tigranes the Great
laid claim to this province. However, it was conquered by the Roman troops under Pompey
. The local population (called Gordyeni) did not defend the Armenian rule since according to Plutarch
, Tigranes had demolished their native cities and had forced them into exile in Tigranocerta. In 69
BC, Zarbienus, the king of Corduene, was secretly planning for a revolt against Tigranes. He was negotiating with Appius Claudius
for Roman help. However the plan was revealed and he was killed by Tigranes. After this, Lucullus
raised a monument to Zarbienus and then he took over the region of Corduene. He took part in the funeral of Zarbienus, offered royal robes, gold and the spoils (taken from Tigranes), and called him his companion and confederate of the Romans.
After Pompey's success in subjugating Armenia and part of Pontus
, and the Roman advance across the Euphrates
, Phraates was anxious to have a truce with the Romans. However, Pompey held him in contempt and demanded back the territory of Corduene. He sent envoys, but after receiving no answer, he sent Afranius
into the territory and occupied it without a battle. The Parthians who were found in possession were driven beyond the frontier and pursued even as far as Arbela
in Adiabene
. According to an inscription dedicated to the temple of Venus, Pompey gave protection to the newly acquired territory of Gordyene.
in the 3rd century and the Roman presence in the region was formally recognized in a peace treaty signed between Diocletian and the Persians. Diocletian then raised an army unit from this region under the title Ala
XV Flavia Carduenorum, naming it after his Caesar Flavius Valerius Constantinus.
Following the defeat of Narseh
, the Sassanid King, at the hands of the Romans
in 296
, a peace treaty was signed between the two sides, according to which the steppes of northern Mesopotamia
, with Singara and the hill country on the left bank of the Tigris
as far as Gordyene (Corduene), were also ceded to the victors (Romans).
The name of the province appears again in the account of the campaign between the Persians led by Shapur II
and the Romans led by Julian the Apostate
(and after Julian's death, by Jovian). The Romans started to retreat through Corduene after they could not besiege Ctesiphon
.
, Shapur II
staged a campaign to capture the city of Singara
(probably modern Shingar or Sinjar
northwest of Mosul
). The town fell after a few days of siege. From Singara, Shapur directed his march almost due northwards, and leaving Nisibis
unassailed upon his left, proceeded to attack the strong fort known indifferently as Pinaca (Phaenicha) or Bezabde. This was a position on the east bank of the Tigris, near the point where that river quits the mountains and debouches upon the plain; though not on the site, it may be considered the representative of the modern Jezireh (Cizre
in southeastern Turkey), which commands the passes from the low country into the Kurdish mountains. It was much valued by Rome, was fortified in places with a double wall, and was guarded by three legions and a large body of Kurdish archers. Shapur sent a flag of truce to demand a surrender, joining with the messengers some prisoners of high rank taken at Singara, lest the enemy should open fire upon his envoys. The device was successful; but the garrison proved staunch, and determined on resisting to the last. After a long siege, the wall was at last breached, the city taken, and its defenders indiscriminately massacred.
In 363
, a treaty was signed in which Jovian ceded five provinces beyond the Euphrates
including Corduene and Arzanene and towns of Nisibis
and Singara to the Sassanids. Following this treaty, Greeks
living in those lands emigrated due to persecution of Christian
s at the hands of Shapur and the Zoroastrians.
Corduene was a bishop's see since at least 424.
, the Byzantine emperor Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus
defeated the Sassanid army led
by Chosroes I, and conquered Carduene and incorporated it once again in the Roman empire. The Roman army also liberated 10,000 Christian captives of the Sassanids. According to Khwarizmi, Arabs conquered the area along with Nisbis and Tur Abdin
in 640
.
Some 19th-century scholars, such as George Rawlinson
, identified Corduene and Carduchi with the modern Kurds, suggesting that Carduchi was the ancient lexical equivalent of "Kurdistan".
Some recent academic sources disagree, suggesting that Corduene should be described as proto-Kurdish.
There were numerous forms of this name, partly due to the difficulty of representing kh in Latin. The spelling Karduchoi is itself probably borrowed from Armenian
, since the termination -choi represents the Armenian language plural suffix -kh.
It is speculated that Carduchi spoke an Old Iranic
language
Corduene's territory was 14707 km² (5,678.4 sq mi) and had 11 cantons:
- Korduq (or Korduk)
- Kordiq Nerkin or TmoriqTmoriqTmoriq was a region and family of the old Armenia c. 300-800. Was in the south of Armenia....
- Kordiq Verin
- Kordiq Mijin
- Tshauk
- Aitvanq
- Vorsirank (or Orsirank)
- Aigarq
- Motolanq
- Kartuniq
- Albag.
History
From 800s to 595 BC it was part of UrartuUrartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
. From 595 BC it was part of Armenian Orontid Dynasty
Orontid Dynasty
The Orontid Dynasty The Orontid Dynasty The Orontid Dynasty (also known by their native name, Yervanduni was a hereditary Armenian dynasty and the rulers of the successor state to the Iron Age kingdom of Ararat...
, which was soon conquered by Achaemenid Empire
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
and was created Satrapy of Armenia
Satrapy of Armenia
The Satrapy of Armenia , also known as Orontid Armenia after the ruling Orontid Dynasty, was one of the satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC, which later became an independent kingdom...
. After 331 BC it became independent. In 201 BC
201 BC
Year 201 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Paetus...
two Armenian commanders of Seleucid Empire
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
army, Artaxias and Zareh conquered Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
'
From 189 BC
189 BC
Year 189 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nobilior and Vulso...
, when Artaxias I
Artaxias I
Artaxias I was the founder of the Artaxiad Dynasty whose members ruled the Kingdom of Armenia for nearly two centuries....
declared himself independent, Corduene was part of Kingdom of Armenia until 387
387
Year 387 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Eutropius...
's division. It was again reunited with Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, from IX-XI under Vaspurakan Kingdom
Vaspurakan Kingdom
Vaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
.
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, Gordyene is the ancient name of the region of Bohtan (now Şırnak Province
Şırnak Province
The Şırnak Province is a Turkish province in southeastern Anatolia. It has a population of 430,109 . The population was 353,197 in 2000....
). It is mentioned as Beth Qardu in Syriac sources and is described as a small vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
state between Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and Persia in the mountainous area south of Lake Van
Lake Van
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in Van district. It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from...
in modern Turkey Corduene must also be sought on the left bank of the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
.
It has been cited as the country of the Carduchians, a fertile mountainous district, rich in pasturage. The three principalities of Corduene, Moxoene
Moxoene
Moxoene was a province of old Armenia, today in Van province, Turkey, as well as a feudal familial name c. 400–800, also known by the name Moghk or Mox, Moxq, Moxus, Moxos, Moks, Mukus, Miks, Mikus, sometimes Mekes, as Muksî or Muskî in Kurdish, today Bahçesaray in Turkish.The settlement...
, and Zabdicene are referred to as Carduchian dynasties by Toumanoff. The Kingdom of Gordyene emerged from the declining Seleucid Empire
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
and for most of its history, it was a province of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and acknowledged the sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
of Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. From 189 to 90 BC it enjoyed a period of independence.
The people of Gorduene were known to have worshipped the Hurrian sky God Teshub
Teshub
Teshub was the Hurrian god of sky and storm. He was derived from the Hattian Taru. His Hittite and Luwian name was Tarhun , although this name is from the Hittite root *tarh- to defeat, conquer.- Depiction and myths :He is depicted holding a triple...
.
Origins
According to Arshak Safrastian, the MedesMedes
The MedesThe Medes...
and Scythians mentioned in classical Greek literature existed only as preconceived notions. Equating the Carduchi with the Gutians, he adds that the moment the Ten Thousand began to skirt the lower slopes of the Hamrin Mountains, they were in contact with the tribes of Gutium which are presented here as Medes or Scythians.
Carduchoi in Xenophon
A people called the Carduchoi are mentioned in Xenophon's Anabasis. They inhabited the mountains north of the Tigris in 401 BC, living in well-provisioned villages. They were enemies to the king (of Persia), as were the Greek mercenariesTen Thousand (Greek)
The Ten Thousand were a group of mercenary units, mainly Greek, drawn up by Cyrus the Younger to attempt to wrest the throne of the Persian Empire from his brother, Artaxerxes II...
with Xenophon, but their response to thousands of armed and desperate strangers was hostile. They had no heavy troops who could face the battle-hardened hoplite
Hoplite
A hoplite was a citizen-soldier of the Ancient Greek city-states. Hoplites were primarily armed as spearmen and fought in a phalanx formation. The word "hoplite" derives from "hoplon" , the type of the shield used by the soldiers, although, as a word, "hopla" could also denote weapons held or even...
s, but they used longbows and sling
Sling (weapon)
A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
s effectively, and for the Greeks the "seven days spent in traversing the country of the Carduchians had been one long continuous battle, which had cost them more suffering than the whole of their troubles at the hands of the king and Tissaphernes put together."
They have been also mentioned as Gordi by Hecataeus of Miletus ca 520 BC.
Corduene in Jewish Sources
TargumTargum
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, a Jewish source of Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic period, consistently understands Ararat
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
to be located in Gorduene and not in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. This region is usually identified with the landing site in Deluge mythology. According to Aggadah
Aggadah
Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...
, Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
landed in Korduene in Armenia. Berossus
Berossus
Berossus was a Hellenistic-era Babylonian writer, a priest of Bel Marduk and astronomer writing in Greek, who was active at the beginning of the 3rd century BC...
was also of the opinion that Xisthros landed with his ship in Korduene. Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
cited the evidence of Berossus as proof that the Flood was not a myth and also mentioned that the remains of the Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
were still visible in the district of Carron, persumably identical with Korduene. In Nashim
Nashim
Nashim is the third order of the Mishnah , containing the laws related to women and family life...
, the third order of Talmud, Rav Nahman bar Jacob has allowed proselytization of Kurds from Corduene. This points to the existence of Jewish converts among the population of Corduene in the early 4th century.
Corduene in Roman Sources
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, the region of Gorduene referred to the mountains between Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
and Muş
Mus
-Computing:* Mus, a file extension used by Finale * MUS, the internal music format used in Doom -Three-letter acronyms:* Mitsubishi UFJ Securities * MUS, the NATO country code for Mauritius...
. He recorded its main cities as Sareisa
Sareisa
Sareisa or Shareisha was an ancient city in southeast Anatolia, near Tigris. It is mentioned by Strabo as a city of Cordyene . Ancient Assyrian inscriptions mention it as 'Shareisha' or 'Shereshe'; Tiglath-Pileser I reports his conquest of the city and defeat of the forces of Kurte....
, Satalca and Pinaca (northwest of Bezabde), and considered its inhabitants (Gordyaeans) as descendants of the ancient Carduchians. According to him, the inhabitants had an exceptional repute as master-builders and as experts in the construction of siege engines and for this reason Tigranes
Tigranes
Tigranes was the name of a number of historical figures, primarily kings of Armenia.The earliest Tigranes is mentioned in the Cyropaedia and in Armenian historical sources. He was an Armenian king from the Orontid Dynasty and an ally of Cyrus the Great. One of his sons was also named Tigranes...
used them in such work; he also notices the country for its naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
resources. Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
visited this region while on a diplomatic visit to the satrap of Corduene. Eretria
Eretria
Erétria was a polis in Ancient Greece, located on the western coast of the island of Euboea, south of Chalcis, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow Euboean Gulf. Eretria was an important Greek polis in the 6th/5th century BC. However, it lost its importance already in antiquity...
ns who were exiled and deported by the Persians
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
to Mesopotamia, were said to have taken up their dwelling in the region of Gordyene.
According to Strabo the Gordyaeans received their name from Gordys son of Triptolemus
Triptolemus
Buzyges redirects here. For the genus of grass skipper butterflies, see Buzyges .Triptolemus , in Greek mythology always connected with Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries, might be accounted the son of King Celeus of Eleusis in Attica, or, according to the Pseudo-Apollodorus , the son of Gaia and...
, who assisted in searching after Io
Io (mythology)
Io was, in Greek mythology, a priestess of Hera in Argos, a nymph who was seduced by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer to escape detection. His wife Hera set ever-watchful Argus Panoptes to guard her, but Hermes was sent to distract the guardian and slay him...
, and then settled in Gordyaea district of Phrygia
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
.
Pompey and Corduene
Tigranes the Great
Tigranes the Great was emperor of Armenia under whom the country became, for a short time, the strongest state east of the Roman Republic. He was a member of the Artaxiad Royal House...
laid claim to this province. However, it was conquered by the Roman troops under Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
. The local population (called Gordyeni) did not defend the Armenian rule since according to Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, Tigranes had demolished their native cities and had forced them into exile in Tigranocerta. In 69
69
Year 69 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Rufinus...
BC, Zarbienus, the king of Corduene, was secretly planning for a revolt against Tigranes. He was negotiating with Appius Claudius
Appius Claudius
There were a number of Romans named Appius Claudius:* Appius Claudius Sabinus Inregillensis, consul in 495 BC* Appius Claudius Crassus, a decemvir in 451 BC* Appius Claudius Caecus , censor in 312 BC...
for Roman help. However the plan was revealed and he was killed by Tigranes. After this, Lucullus
Lucullus
Lucius Licinius Lucullus , was an optimate politician of the late Roman Republic, closely connected with Sulla Felix...
raised a monument to Zarbienus and then he took over the region of Corduene. He took part in the funeral of Zarbienus, offered royal robes, gold and the spoils (taken from Tigranes), and called him his companion and confederate of the Romans.
After Pompey's success in subjugating Armenia and part of Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
, and the Roman advance across the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
, Phraates was anxious to have a truce with the Romans. However, Pompey held him in contempt and demanded back the territory of Corduene. He sent envoys, but after receiving no answer, he sent Afranius
Afranius
Afranius was the name of several people in ancient Rome:*Lucius Afranius , a Roman comic poet*Lucius Afranius , consul in 60 BC...
into the territory and occupied it without a battle. The Parthians who were found in possession were driven beyond the frontier and pursued even as far as Arbela
Arbela
Arbela may refer to:*An important city in ancient Jordan, located on the site of modern Irbid, Jordan*The ancient name of the city of Arbil in northern Iraq*Ancient Jewish settlement in Galilee, near the modern moshav Arbel, Israel....
in Adiabene
Adiabene
Adiabene was an ancient Assyrian independent kingdom in Mesopotamia, with its capital at Arbela...
. According to an inscription dedicated to the temple of Venus, Pompey gave protection to the newly acquired territory of Gordyene.
Diocletian and Corduene
Corduene was conquered again by DiocletianDiocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
in the 3rd century and the Roman presence in the region was formally recognized in a peace treaty signed between Diocletian and the Persians. Diocletian then raised an army unit from this region under the title Ala
Ala (Roman military)
An Ala was the term used during the mid- Roman Republic to denote a military formation composed of conscripts from the socii, Rome's Italian military allies. A normal consular army during this period consisted of 2 legions, composed of Roman citizens only, and 2 allied alae...
XV Flavia Carduenorum, naming it after his Caesar Flavius Valerius Constantinus.
Following the defeat of Narseh
Narseh
Narseh was the seventh Sassanid King of Persia , and son of Shapur I ....
, the Sassanid King, at the hands of the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
in 296
296
Year 296 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerius and Constantius...
, a peace treaty was signed between the two sides, according to which the steppes of northern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, with Singara and the hill country on the left bank of the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
as far as Gordyene (Corduene), were also ceded to the victors (Romans).
The name of the province appears again in the account of the campaign between the Persians led by Shapur II
Shapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
and the Romans led by Julian the Apostate
Julian the Apostate
Julian "the Apostate" , commonly known as Julian, or also Julian the Philosopher, was Roman Emperor from 361 to 363 and a noted philosopher and Greek writer....
(and after Julian's death, by Jovian). The Romans started to retreat through Corduene after they could not besiege Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
.
Shapur's campaign against Corduene
In the spring of 360360
Year 360 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Iulianus...
, Shapur II
Shapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
staged a campaign to capture the city of Singara
Singara
Singara was a strongly fortified post at the northern extremity of Mesopotamia, which for a while, as appears from many coins still extant, was occupied by the Romans as an advanced colony against the Persians...
(probably modern Shingar or Sinjar
Sinjar
Sinjar is the name of a town and district in northwestern Iraq's Ninawa Governorate near the Syrian border. Its population at the time of the 2006 census was 39,875....
northwest of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
). The town fell after a few days of siege. From Singara, Shapur directed his march almost due northwards, and leaving Nisibis
Nisibis
Nusaybin Nisêbîn) is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey, populated mainly by Kurds. Earlier Arameans, Arabs, and Armenians lived in the city. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009.-Ancient Period:...
unassailed upon his left, proceeded to attack the strong fort known indifferently as Pinaca (Phaenicha) or Bezabde. This was a position on the east bank of the Tigris, near the point where that river quits the mountains and debouches upon the plain; though not on the site, it may be considered the representative of the modern Jezireh (Cizre
Cizre
Cizre is a town and district of Şırnak Province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, located at the border to Syria, just to the north-west of the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi tripoint....
in southeastern Turkey), which commands the passes from the low country into the Kurdish mountains. It was much valued by Rome, was fortified in places with a double wall, and was guarded by three legions and a large body of Kurdish archers. Shapur sent a flag of truce to demand a surrender, joining with the messengers some prisoners of high rank taken at Singara, lest the enemy should open fire upon his envoys. The device was successful; but the garrison proved staunch, and determined on resisting to the last. After a long siege, the wall was at last breached, the city taken, and its defenders indiscriminately massacred.
In 363
363
Year 363 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iulianus and Sallustius...
, a treaty was signed in which Jovian ceded five provinces beyond the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
including Corduene and Arzanene and towns of Nisibis
Nisibis
Nusaybin Nisêbîn) is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey, populated mainly by Kurds. Earlier Arameans, Arabs, and Armenians lived in the city. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009.-Ancient Period:...
and Singara to the Sassanids. Following this treaty, Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
living in those lands emigrated due to persecution of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s at the hands of Shapur and the Zoroastrians.
Corduene was a bishop's see since at least 424.
Corduene in the sixth and seventh centuries
In 578578
Year 578 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 578 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* October 5 – Tiberius II...
, the Byzantine emperor Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus
Maurice (emperor)
Maurice was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602.A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassanid Persians...
defeated the Sassanid army led
by Chosroes I, and conquered Carduene and incorporated it once again in the Roman empire. The Roman army also liberated 10,000 Christian captives of the Sassanids. According to Khwarizmi, Arabs conquered the area along with Nisbis and Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin is a hilly region of south east Turkey incorporating the eastern half of Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the border with Syria. The name 'Tur Abdin' is from the Syriac language meaning 'mountain of the servants '. Tur Abdin is of great importance to Syriac...
in 640
640
Year 640 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Tulga succeeds his father Suinthila as king...
.
List of kings
- Zarbienus; early-mid 1st c. BC: A famous king of Cordyene, made overtures to Appius Claudius, when the latter was staying at Antiocheia, wishing to shake off the yoke of Tigranes. He was informed against, however, and was assassinated with his wife and children before the Romans entered Armenia. When Lucullus arrived he celebrated his funeral rites with great pomp, setting fire to the funeral pile with his own hand, and had a sumptuous monument erected to him.
- King ManisarusKing ManisarusKing Manisarus was a 2nd century king of the Corduene, which was a small proto-Kurdish vassal state during the Roman Empire. He has also been described as "perhaps prince of the Praetavi, whose capital was Singara". During his rule he took control over parts of Armenia and Mesopotamia, and Osroes...
; ~ 115 AD He took control over parts of Armenia and Mesopotamia, in the time of Trajan; therefor Osroes, the Parthian king, declared war against him; Manisarus sided with Romans. There are some coins extant, which are assigned to Manisarus. - Ardashir; ~ 340s AD He was against christianizationChristianizationThe historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
of Corduene. - Jovinian ~ 359 AD
Corduene, Carduchi, and the Kurds
George Rawlinson
Canon George Rawlinson was a 19th century English scholar, historian, and Christian theologian. He was born at Chadlington, Oxfordshire, and was the younger brother of Sir Henry Rawlinson....
, identified Corduene and Carduchi with the modern Kurds, suggesting that Carduchi was the ancient lexical equivalent of "Kurdistan".
Some recent academic sources disagree, suggesting that Corduene should be described as proto-Kurdish.
There were numerous forms of this name, partly due to the difficulty of representing kh in Latin. The spelling Karduchoi is itself probably borrowed from Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, since the termination -choi represents the Armenian language plural suffix -kh.
It is speculated that Carduchi spoke an Old Iranic
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....
language
Timeline of the history of Corduene (Gordyene)
- To UrartuUrartuUrartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
800s-595 BC - To Satrapy of ArmeniaSatrapy of ArmeniaThe Satrapy of Armenia , also known as Orontid Armenia after the ruling Orontid Dynasty, was one of the satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC, which later became an independent kingdom...
595-201 BC - To the Seleucid Empire 201-189 BC
- To Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity) 189 BC-428 AD
- To Persia 428-653
- To Arab Caliphate 653-885
- To Vaspurakan KingdomVaspurakan KingdomVaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
885-1021 - To Byzantine EmpireByzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
1021-1071 - To Seljuk Turks 1071-XIII
- To Mongol EmpireMongol EmpireThe Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
XIII-XV - To the Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
XV-1923 - To TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
1923
External links
- Corduene or Gordyene, Classical Dictionary of Biography, Mythology and Geography.
- Geography, StraboStraboStrabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, Book XVI, Chapter 1, Section 24. - Kurds and Kurdistan, see section iii History, subsection A Origins and Pre-Islamic History, Encyclopaedia of IslamEncyclopaedia of IslamThe Encyclopaedia of Islam is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies. It embraces articles on distinguished Muslims of every age and land, on tribes and dynasties, on the crafts and sciences, on political and religious institutions, on the geography, ethnography, flora and...
. - Map of Corduene
- Map of Gordyene between Assyria and Lake Van
- Theodor Mommsen History of Rome, The Establishment of the Military Monarchy, Page 53
- Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
- Roman History, by Cassius Dio, Book XXX
- The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 2, Chapter XXIV, Part IV, The Retreat and Death of Julian], by Edward Gibbon.
- History of Rome, The Establishment of the Military Monarchy, by Theodor Mommsen, page 24.
- History of the Later Roman Empire, by J. B. Bury, Chapter IV.
- The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 7: The Sassanian or New Persian Empire, 1871, by George Rawlinson.
