Menua
Menua (Armenian: Մենուա) was the fifth known king of Urartu from c. 810 BC to approximately 786 BC. The name is sometimes written as Menuas or Minua. In Armenian, Menua is rendered as Manavaz (Manaz). The name Menua may be connected etymologically to the Ancient Greek name Minos.[1]
| Menua | |
|---|---|
| King of Urartu | |
| Reign | c. 810–c. 786 BC |
| Predecessor | Ishpuini |
| Successor | Argishti I |
| Born | ca. 850 BC |
| Died | ca. 786 BC |
| Issue | Inushpua, Argishti I |
| Father | Ishpuini |
| Mother | Naira |
A younger son of the preceding Urartuan King, Ishpuini, Menua was adopted as co-ruler by his father in the last years of his reign. Menua enlarged the kingdom through numerous wars against the neighbouring countries and left many inscriptions across the region. He organized a centralised administrative structure, fortified a number of towns and constructed fortresses. Amongst these was Menuakhinili located on Mount Ararat. Menua developed a canal and irrigation system that stretched across the kingdom. One of those canals was a 50 kilometre canal, which was named the Menua Canal after the king.[2] It flowed at a rate of 1500 to 3000 litres of water per second, depending on the time of the year.[3] Several of these canals are still in use today.
He briefly co-ruled with his son, Inushpua, but was succeeded by another son, Argishti I.[4]
It is believed that Menua founded the city of Manazkert (Malazgirt).[5]
See also
References
- Petrosyan, Armen (2002). The Indo-European and Ancient Near Eastern Sources of the Armenian Epic. Washington D.C. 2002. Washington, D.C.: Institute for the Study of Man. p. 182.
- Sagona, Antonio; Zimansky, Paul (2009). Ancient Turkey. London: Routledge. p. 323. ISBN 978-0415481236.
- Chahin, M. (1987). The Kingdom of Armenia. London: Croom Helm. pp. 67. ISBN 070994800X.
- Chahin, M. (2001). The Kingdom of Armenia: A History. p. 23. ISBN 9780700714520.
- Neusner, J. (1966). A History of the Jews in Babylon, Volume 1. p. 77.