Byzantine Anzitene

Abstract

Anzitene was an Armenian canton of great strategic importance in the Roman and early medieval periods. It lay at the south-west extremity of Armenia, bounded by a great curve of the Euphrates on the west, by the lower course of the Arsanias on the north, and by the formidable mountains of the Armenian Taurus to the south and south-east. It commanded the southern of the two main west-east routes through Armenia, which ran from the plain of Melitene, crossed the Euphrates by Tomisa (modern KÖmÜr Han), traversed Anzitene, and then followed the general line of the Arsanias valley to the lava country around its headwaters (to the north of lake Van). It commanded the Ergani pass, the western of the two important routes over the Armenian Taurus, which linked the plateau of Armenia with the rich basin of the upper Tigris. Finally, it commanded a number of minor routes, notably one running north-west towards northern Asia Minor which crossed the Arsanias at the AŞvan ford and the Euphrates near Agin, and another which crossed the Arsanias at the Pertek ford and ran north to the high, bare Mouzouron range and the valley of the upper Euphrates beyond. 1

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