Sanesan () or Sanatruk () was the king of
Maskut
The Maskut (also spelled Mazkut) were a group of Massagetaen-Sarmato-Alanian tribes located in the eastern part of the Caucasus, along the western coast of the Caspian Sea. They lived between Derbent and Shaporan, which corresponds to present-day ...
in the early
4th century. Sanesan's people, the Mazk'kut'k, have variously been identified as the
Massagetae
The Massagetae or Massageteans (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ), also known as Sakā tigraxaudā (Old Persian: , "wearer of pointed caps") or Orthocorybantians (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ),: As for the term “Orthocorybantii”, this is a translati ...
or as the
Meskheti
Meskheti ( ka, მესხეთი) or Samtskhe ( ka, სამცხე) ( Moschia in ancient sources), is a mountainous area in southwestern Georgia.
History
Ancient tribes known as the Mushki (or Moschi) and Mosiniks (or Mossynoeci) were t ...
.
Life
According to both
Faustus Byuzand and
Moses of Chorene
Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late a ...
, when
St.Grigoris arrived in the principality of Maskut (located along the northeastern
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
i and south
Dagestani shore of the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
) to preach Christianity, its ruler of the local branch of
Arsacids
The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conqueri ...
ordered him killed. Grigoris was trampled to death by mounted Maskut soldiers in the Vatnean Valley, near the present-day village of Nughdi 37 south of
Derbent
Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It i ...
in . However, according to Faustus it was Sanesan, while Moses describes him as Sanatruk. Accorting do Murtazali Gadjiev, both Sanesan and Sanatruk are different figures, latter being a noble, former a king.
According to the history of
Faustus Byuzand, after death of
Tiridates III and accession of
Khosrov III the Small
Khosrov III the Small ( hy, Խոսրով Գ Կոտակ, ''Khosrov III Kotak''; ''Kotak'' means "little, short, small") was the king of Arsacid Armenia .
Khosrov was the son and successor of King Tiridates III. Khosrov received the epithet ''K ...
to the throne, he invaded
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
with an army of various peoples including
Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...
and
Alans
The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the A ...
in 335, trying to usurp the throne. After occupying Armenia for most of a year, he was defeated and killed by the Armenian general Vatche
Mamikonian. Slightly differing from Faustus and Moses,
Movses Kaghankatvatsi Movses Kaghankatvatsi ( hy, Մովսէս Կաղանկատուացի ''Movses Kaġankatvac’i''), or Movses Daskhurantsi ( ''Movses Dasxuranc’i'') is the reputed author (or authors) of a tenth-century Classical Armenian historiographical work on C ...
names the king as Sanatruk and mentions him as king of "Albanians of
Paytakaran
Paytakaran ( hy, Փայտակարան, translit=Pʻaytakaran) was the easternmost province ( or ) of the Kingdom of Armenia. The province was located in the area of the lower courses of the Kura and Arax rivers, adjacent to the Caspian Sea. It ...
" as opposed to
Urnayr
Urnayr (attested only as Old Armenian Ուռնայր ''Uṙnayr'') was the third Arsacid king of Caucasian Albania from approximately 350 to 375. He was the successor of Vache I ().
Biography
The Treaty of Nisibis in 299 between the Sasanian ...
, who was king of Albania which was located more to the north-west of Paytakaran. According to his history, the king allied with
Shapur II
Shapur II ( pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 ; New Persian: , ''Šāpur'', 309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigne ...
and invaded then Roman client Khosrov, taking about 30,000 soldiers with him. Kaghankatvatsi links Sanesan's killing to Vahan
Amatuni
Amatuni ( hy, Ամատունի) is an ancient Armenian noble family, known from the 4th century in the canton of Artaz, between lakes Van and Urmia, with its center at Shavarshan (latter-day Maku), and subsequently also at Aragatsotn, west of ...
, another general of Khosrov. Georgian author
Zaza Aleksidze
Zaza Aleksidze (, also transliterated as Zaza Alexidze; 18 October 1935 – 24 January 2023) was a Georgian historian and linguist who specialized in Armenian and Oriental studies. He is best known internationally for deciphering the Caucasian ...
tried to reconcile three versions, saying that Grigoris arrived at Sanesan's camp when he was preparing for his invasion of Armenia. He captured
Paytakaran
Paytakaran ( hy, Փայտակարան, translit=Pʻaytakaran) was the easternmost province ( or ) of the Kingdom of Armenia. The province was located in the area of the lower courses of the Kura and Arax rivers, adjacent to the Caspian Sea. It ...
in 334 and started to gather troops for invasion of Armenia later.
[{{Cite book, url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/319126785, title=The Caucasian Albanian palimpsests of Mt. Sinai, date=2008–2010, publisher=Brepols, others=Jost Gippert, isbn=978-2-503-53116-8, location=Turnhout, pages=xv, oclc=319126785]
According to Moses of Chorene, Sanesan died near
Oshakan
Oshakan ( hy, Օշական) is a major village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia located 8 kilometers southwest from Ashtarak. It is well known to historians and pilgrims of the Armenian Apostolic Church as the site of the grave of Mesrop Mas ...
fortress in 336.
References
Sources
* Faustus of Byzantium, ''History of the Armenians''
Third Book Chs 6–7.
4th-century monarchs in Asia
4th-century Iranian people
az:Sanatruk
336 deaths
Massagetae