Sargis G. Petrosyan (Gyumri)
Doctor of Historical Sciences
Keywords – inscriptions, Haya, Haykak, Rid-Teshub, Naram- Suen, Belokhos, Armanum, Apisal, Khutimu.
Summary
Eblaitic cuneiform texts testify that in the 3rd millennium B.C. there was a country Hutimu in the mountains of the Armenian Taurus. In Akkadian sources it is called Apisal. The roots of those toponyms are preserved in the Sasun districts of Hoyt/Hut, Salno-dzor (“Salno Gorge”), and Salna-lerink (“Salna Mountains”).
The Eblaitic texts also preserve the name of the king of this country in the form of Haya (Haia). Before him, the Eblaites called the king of the neighbouring known country Armi (Akkad.: Armanum, in the basin of the Western Tigris), who is identified with Hayk – ethnarch of the Armenians. Supposedly, the second Haya is the grandchild of the first Haya/Hayk, as he bore the name Haykak in Movses Khorenatsi’s “History of Armenia”. In the word Haykak we can see the name Hayk and the diminutive suffix -ak. No doubt Haykak (Haya the second) is the same person as the contemporary of Naram-Suen, the king of Akkad, Rid-Teshub (Rid- D IM), whom Akkadian sources consider the king of the country of Armanum.
At that time, when Rid-Teshub ruled the Apisal/Hutimu country, he led the struggle against Naram-Suen, that is why he was elected king of the Armanum country. In Movses Khorenatsi’s testimonies, Haykak’s adversary is a certain Belokhos, whose prototype (as an epic image) was undoubtedly the historical Naram-Suen. There is a mention that Haykak lived in the time of Belokhos and, having rashly arranged troubles, died in them” (Khorenatsi, I, 19). So Haykak, i.e. Rid-Teshub really died at the hands of Naram-Suen, in spite of the fact that in his inscription the Akkadian king speaks only about the capture of his adversary. As for Naram-Suen, he was eventually killed in battle during the invasion of Mesopotamia by the Kutian – hill tribes of the Armenian Taurus.