An Archaeological View to the Mannaean Kingdom
From Firenze University Press Journal: Asia Anteriore Antica (AsiAnA)
Yousef Hassanzadeh, Iran National Museum, Head of Research Center
I. MANNAEA’S (MANNA’S) ROLE IN ZAGROS REGION
In the geographical region of the Zagros Mountains, from the late Bronze Age to the beginning of the Achaemenid Empire (559–330 BC), numerous small and large polities appeared, among which the Ellipis and the Mannaeans are perhaps the best known. Data derived from the Assyrian tradition of keeping annals with descriptions of military cam-paigns in various regions are currently the primary source of historical information for these Zagros-region polities.
These sources make clear that geographical proximity to, and periodic engagement with, Assyr-ia contributed to the growth and prosperity of the Mannaea and Ellipi. Both these powers were neighbors of the powerful and glorious Assyrian Empire and served as buff ers preventing friction between the Assyrians and rival kingdoms. On the northern borders of the Zagros Mountains, the Mannaeans separated Assyrians from the kingdom of Urartu, while the Ellipis in the central Zagros region was situated between Assyrians and the Elamites. Naturally, the more powerful polities attempted to absorb the buffers and bring their affiliates to power in that region. As a result, to defend their affiliates or to end the dominance of their rivals, Assyria, Urartu, and Elam would occasionally meddle in the affairs of or invade the smaller polities (Hassanzadeh, Curtis 2018, Young 1988, Levine 1974, 19 7 7, D yson 1965b).On the other hand, the Mannaea and Ellipi were aware of their key position. They constantly worked to secure their interests as the balance of power shifted. By securing political agreements with whoever held power at a given moment, Mannaea was able to use its “in-between” position (Fuchs 1994: 447–450) to great advantage, shaping it into a powerful political-cultural nucleus. Meanwhile, Assyria’s incessant invasions of the Zagros region further strengthened and unified the small polities and tribes of the Zagros region, leading to the formation of a power called Media. Ultimately, the Mannaeans would be integrated into this great alliance. It is worth mentioning that during the final years of the Assyrian Empire, Mannaeans acted as Assyria’s allies against the Medes , According to Babylonian texts, Nabopolassar, the king of Babylon, defeated a coalition of Assyrian and Mannaean troops who arrived to assist the city of Assur in the spring of 616 BC (Luckenbill 1927: 417); this demonstrates that the Man-naeans were aware of the strategic balance of power in the region and were providing a Zagros counterbalance to the voracious spread of Media. Eventually, however, their fear became reality and after the defeat of the Assyrians, Mannaea became part of Media.
The latest mention of the Mannaeans comes from an external literary tradition, in which they are described as subordinate to the Medes (Jer. 51:27). At its maximum expansion around 714 BC, the Mannaean territory was expanded up to the area dominat-ed by Urartu, where the Sahand Mountains and Bozghush heights (between Lake Urmia and the Caspian Sea just south of Tabriz) created a natural border between Urartu and Mannaea. From the west, Mannaea’s neighbor was Assyria with the Frontier Mountains of modern Iran and Iraq as their border. From the east, the Mannaean state had a mutual frontier with Median provinces (Levine 1974). For the southern frontier, a line stretched from Marivan to Dehgolan up to Ghezel Ozan valley (north of the central Zagros in Kurdistan) has been suggested. in the south, Mannaean share their border with The Assyrian province of Zamua1 and Parsua2 (Fig. 1). The buffer state of Allabria was between the Parsua and Mannaea (Zadok 2012).
DOI:https://doi.org/10.36253/asiana-1746
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