Battle of Hayots Dzor (2492 BC)

Hayk defeats Bel with an arrow, a 19th century depiction by Guiliano Zasso

Date	11 August 2492 BC
Location	On the eastern side of Lake Van , in the valley of Hoşap River, Vaspurakan
Result	Hayk's victory

Belligerents

Babylonia

Armenian rebels

Commanders and leaders

Bel †

Hayk

Strength

Unknown

The Battle of Hayots Dzor (also known as the Dyutsaznamart, Armenian: Դյուցազնամարտ, "Battle of the Giants") was a legendary battle said to have taken place in 2492 BC, described by late Antiquity historian Movses Khorenatsi, between two giants: Hayk, the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation, and Bel, the Babylonian ruler.

Source and historicity

The battle is recounted in late Antiquity historian Movses Khorenatsi's History of Armenia, a work that combines historical facts, genealogies, and mythological elements. While Khorenatsi is considered the "father of Armenian history," modern historians often approach his work with caution.

Background

Bel became the leader of the giants, declared himself king and god, and wanted to subjugate everything and everyone. Hayk opposed Bel and, leaving Babylonia, went with his clan (about 300 men with their families) to the north, where he settled in the country of Ararat.Bel sent one of his sons to Hayk, demanding that he acknowledge his superiority, but Hayk refused. In a rage, Bel gathered a large army and attacked Ararat. Hayk with his brave warriors repulsed Bel's army in the region of Hayots Dzor . A bloody battle began. During the battle, Hayk killed Bel with a "three-winged" (possibly also translated as "three-feathered") arrow. With the death of their leader, Bel's army fled.

Battle

Bel wore an iron headdress with shiny pendants, copper plates on the back and chest, armor on the calves (legs) and on the arms; loins-belted, on the left a double-edged sword, in his right hand - a spear of incredible length, in the left a shield, on the right and on the left selected warriors. Seeing Bel in powerful armor and selected men to the right and left of him, Hayk places Aramaneak with two brothers on the right, and Kadmos and his two other sons on the left, for they skillfully wielded a bow and sword. He stood in front and put the rest of the army behind. Having built this semblance of a triangle, he slowly started to move forward.When the giants of both sides came together in a fight, a terrible crash from their fierce battle filled the earth; they terrified each other with various attack techniques. Many powerful men on both sides were struck down on the ground by the sword's blade, and both sides remained undefeated in the battle. Facing such an unexpected and dubious state of affairs, King Titanid became horrified and, turning back, began to climb the same hill from which he had descended. He hoped to hold out in the crowd until the whole army arrived, and he could resume the attack. Seeing this, Hayk, armed with a bow, rushes forward, approaches the king, pulls tightly as wide as a lake (bow), and three-fired (arrow) hits the chest plate; the arrow, passing through between the shoulders, plunges into the ground. And then, the puffed up Titanid, having hit the ground, drew his last breath․

Aftermath

Hayk builds a settlement at the battle site and, in honor of the victory in the battle, gives it the name Haykh. For this reason, the region is now called Hayots Dzor. The hill on which Bel and his brave warriors fell, Hayk called Gerezmank, which is now pronounced as Gerezmanakk. Though the corpse of Bel, covered with potions, as (the chronicler) says, Hayk orders to be taken to Hark and buried on a hill, in front of his wives and sons.According to the Armenian legend the nation was named "hay" and the land was named "Hayastan","Hayq" after Hayk Nahapet (the Forefather), and names "Armenia" and "armen" came from Hayk's descendant Aram nahapet (the Forefather). According to the same legend many territories in Armenian Highland were named after Hayk and his descendants (Hаykashen was named after Hayk, the mountain Aragats and Aragatsotn province were named after Aramanyak, Armavir was named after Aramayis, Yeraskh (Araks) was named after Erast, Shirak was named after Shara, Masis was named after Amasia, sea of Gegham and Gegharkunik were named after Gegham, Sisakan (Syunik) was named after Sisak, Ayrarat was named after Ara Geghetsik (the Beautiful), etc.).

References

Hacikyan, Agop Jack; Basmajian, Gabriel; Franchuk, Edward S.; Ouzounian, Nourhan (2000). The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the oral tradition to the Golden Age. Wayne State University Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-8143-2815-6.
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