Madakina king of Armenium during the time of Naram-Sin

In the legend of the great rebellion during the time of Narām-Sîn (22^th century BCE), the king of Akkad, seventeen provincial governors from Iran, united against him. Among them, there is mention of a region called Armanum, which is the ancient homeland of the Armenians and corresponds to present-day Armenia. This region was first recorded during the reign of Sargon I (23^th-22^th centuries BCE). The name of the king of Armanum during the Naram-Sin period was Madagina (JRAS 2: 259), or more precisely Madakina (RA 70: 121), where Mada likely derives from Mede and And the second part of the name, kina, corresponds to the Avestan word kaēna. This name could indeed potentially mean “avenger of the Mede(s)” or “who seeks vengeance of the Mede(s)”. The name Armanu(m) is derived from Proto-Indo-Aryan Arimanu or Ariamanu meaning “Aryan/Iranian Human”.

The linguistic, cultural, and religious affinities are strong evidence of the shared ancestry between Iranians and Armenians.