The Lupenians (, ) or Lpins were a historical tribe that lived in modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan in antiquity. The Lupenians were mentioned in several sources in different languages. They are equated with Pliny's ''Lupenii'', dwelling south of the tribe of ''Silvii'' (

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

), just next to the '' Diduri'' and near the frontier of

Caucasian Albania Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...

. Agathangelos renders their name in Greek as ''Lifénnioi'' (). The '' Ravenna Cosmography'' mentions their land as "Patria Lepon" situated next to Iberia and the Caspian Sea. The '' Tabula Peutingeriana'' also mentions the Lupenii. Vladimir Minorsky proposed later Arabic versions as well. They were probably related to the

ns.

Location

Scholars

Suren Yeremian Suren Tigrani Yeremian ( hy, Սուրեն Տիգրանի Երեմյան; russian: Сурен Тигранович Еремян; – 17 December 1992) was a Soviet and Armenian historian and cartographer who specialized in the study of the e ...

and Tengiz Papuashvili proposed Iberia, especially the coast of the Alazan river, as a possible dwelling location of the Lupenians. However, Robert Hewsen opposed the idea and suggested their location as near modern Shamakhi, Azerbaijan, instead. The Lupenians were visited by Bishop Israel, Albanian emissary to the

North Caucasian Huns The Khuni, Huni or Chuni were a people of the North Caucasus during late antiquity. They have sometimes been referred to as the North Caucasian Huns and are often assumed to be related to the Huns who later entered Eastern Europe. However, the ethn ...

. '' The History of the Country of Albania'' mentions them as people professing the Christian faith. Likewise, at least two ''

catholicoi Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient G ...

'' of the Caucasian Albanian Church - Ter Abas and

Viro Viro may refer to: ;People: * Viro Small, African American wrestler * Oleg Viro (born 1948), Russian mathematician *Catholicos Viro (d. 630), the leader of Caucasian Albanian Church in the early 7th century ;Places: * Estonia (''Viro'' in the ...

- were titled ''

Catholicos Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...

of Albania, Lupenia and Chola'', hinting at the faith of three neighboring regions. Russian historian Igor Semenov put their location near Layzan. Most recently, Murtazali Gadjiev proposed the

Shakki Shaki ( az, Şəki) is a city in northwestern Azerbaijan, surrounded by the district of the same name. It is located on the southern part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, from Baku. As of 2020, it has a population of 68,400. The center o ...

region as the location of the Lupenians.{{Cite journal, last=Murtazali, first=Gadjiev, title=The Mission of Bishop Israyĕl in the Context of Historical Geography of Caucasian Albania, url=https://www.academia.edu/43005915, journal=From Caucasian Albania to Arrān: The East Caucasus be-tween Antiquity and Medieval Islam (C. 300 BCE – 1000 AD). Ed. By Rodert G. Hoyland. Piscataway: Gorgias Press, 2020. P. 101-120.

Society

The tribe was headed by a chief, whose title was referred to as ''Lbinshāh'' by Ibn Khordadbeh.

References

Tribes in Greco-Roman historiography Caucasian Albania