The history of the Hittite state is considered one of the most remarkable pages in the history of Near East in the XVII–XIII centuries BC. The state founded by the Indo-European Hittites (Nesians) in the east of Asia Minor and in the west of the Armenian Highland soon included most of the territories of Asia Minor and became one of the most powerful states in the region. However, Asia Minor was not enough for the Hittites.

KeywordsAsia Minor Hittites the Hittite Kingdom sources Ḫattusa Mittani Egypt Assyria the Armenian Highland.

Tabasarans (endonym – Tabasaranar) are concentrated in the southeastern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range from ancient times. These Dagestanian people, whose language belongs to the Lezgin group of the Ibero-Caucasian language family, is mentioned in the Armenian bibliography of the V century- in the works of M. Khorenatsi, Yeghishe and Buzand, in the form of ''t‘awaspar(k‘)''. Along with the Armenian sources, the medieval Arabic historiography plays an important role in the examination of the ethnonym of Tabasaran people, where the country of Tabasarans is mentioned as Tabarsaran and the people are called ahl ṭabarsaran (inhabitant of Tabarsaran) or al-ṭabarsaraniya (Tabarsaranian).

KeywordsT‘awaspar Tabasarans ethnonym toponym North Caucasus Caucasian tribes Armenian historiography Arabic sources etymology The Caspian region Iran.

The kingdom of Urartu (Biainili, 9th–7th centuries BC) was an ancient Near Eastern state with redistributive economy. According to the preserved written and archaeological data, the large granaries and cellars built by the royal power in the main cities/administrative centres of Urartu, could store tens of thousands of tons of grain and provide with food ca. 100–150 thousand people throughout a year.

KeywordsUrartian kingdom palace-temple economy cuneiform inscriptions archaeological sources grain reserves daily ration redistribution.