It is thought that Armenians speaking an Indo-European language arrived in Asia Minor during the eighth century BC and intermarried with the people of Urartu. After Urartu was destroyed by the Scythian/Median attack c.585 BC, the kingdom of Armenia was ruled by the intermittently satrapal Orontid Dynasty (c.570-200 BC).
Xenophon (c.430-c.354 BC) mentions an Armenian king Tigranes (r.c.560-c.535 BC), who paid tribute to the Median king Astyages (r.585-550 BC). During the disturbances that occurred after the death of Cambyses II (r.530-522 BC), Armenia revolted. Darius-I (c.64; r.522-486 BC) sent his general Vaumisa, who defeated the Armenians in 521 BC. In Darius’ reorganisation of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BC), Armenia was converted into several satrapies. These satraps provided contingents to the army of Xerxes-I (c.54; r.486-465 BC) for his invasion of Greece in 480 BC.
Xenophon together with ten thousand Greek mercenaries marched through Armenia on their way home after the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 BC. He mentions that the satrap of Armenia for Artaxerxes II (c.76; r.404-358 BC) was Ervand Orontes-I (r.c.401-344 BC). In 384 BC Orontes took part in the Cyprus campaign but his machinations against his colleague Tiribazus led to his own degradation although he did subsequently become satrap of Mysia. He took part in the Satraps’ revolt (366-360 BC), but deserted his fellow satraps. Achaemenid control of Armenia was reinforced when the future Darius III became its satrap (344-336 BC).
After the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC), Armenia passed to the Macedonian Empire. Alexander appointed an Orontid Mithranes (r.331-323 BC) to govern Armenia after the defeat of Ervand Orontes II (r.336-331 BC). After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, Armenia was assigned to the Macedonian officer Neoptolemus, who kept it until his death in 321 BC. Around 302 BC the capital was transferred from Armavir to Yervandashat by Ervand Orontes III (r.317-260 BC).
After the Battle of Ipsus (301 BC), Armenia came under the influence of the Seleucids, but mostly only nominally. When Seleucus-I died, Ariarathes II of Cappadocia and Orontes III of Armenia defeated the Seleucid army c.280 BC. It is possible that Sames (r.260-243 BC) was the founder of the important city of Samosata in Commagene. In c.229/8 BC Arsames (r.243-226 BC), son of Sames and the founder of Arsamosata, gave refuge to Seleucid rebel king Antiochus Hierax.
Xerxes (r.226-212 BC), son of Arsames, because he would not pay his dead father’s tribute, was besieged in his capital Arsamosata by Antiochus III (c.54; r.223-187 BC). Xerxes surrendered, paid part of the tribute and was persuaded to marry Antiochus’ sister, Antiochis, who later murdered Xerxes. Antiochus was probably involved with the removal of the last Orontid king, Ervand Orontes IV (r.212-200 BC).
Strabo says that Antiochus then turned the country over to two men Artaxias and Zariadris. After the Battle of Magnesia (190 BC) these two men exerted their independence: Zariadris Sophene (southwest Armenia), east of the Euphrates; Artaxias -I (r.190-159 BC) took the rest (Greater Armenia) and founded the Artaxiad Dynasty (190-00-14).
Artaxias seems to have had a major role in the consolidation of the Armenian realm. Strabo says the Artaxias together with Zariadris extended his realm on all sides by wresting considerable territories from tribes that possessed them. In 176 BC Artaxias founded a new capital, Artaxata. But after his death his programme lapsed as his kingdom was pressed by Pontus and Parthia. In c.120 BC Mithridates VI of Pontus (c.69; r c.120-63 BC) advanced through Lesser Armenia (west and northwest of the Euphrates), part of which he was ceded, and built seventy-five forts there. In c.112 BC Mithridates II of Parthia (r.123-88 BC) campaigned against Armenia gaining both the submission of Artavasdes-I (r.123-95 BC) and a hostage, the future king Tigranes II (r.95-55 BC).
After the death of Artavasdes-I, the Parthians gave the Armenian throne to Tigranes. He expanded his kingdom to the south at Parthia’s expense. In 83 BC he invaded Cilicia, Syria and Phoenicia, and took over Syria as far as Egypt by invitation of the inhabitants of Antioch, tired of the warring Seleucid princes. He founded a new capital, Tigranocerta, which he populated from conquered cities. An alliance in 69 BC with his father-in-law Mithridates VI of Pontus involved him in a war with Rome. Tigranocerta was captured by Lucullus in 69 BC, and in 66 BC Pompey forced Tigranes’ surrender. He retreated to his original territory and remained a Roman vassal.
In 36 BC Artavasdes II (r.55-34 BC) persuaded Antony to invade Media, but then deserted him. In 34 BC Antony captured the king and two of his sons, Tigranes III (r.20-8 BC) and Artavasdes, but a third son Artaxias II (r.33-20 BC) escaped. The king was taken to Alexandria, where Cleopatra VII (39; r.51-30 BC) had him executed.
The Armenians placed on the throne Artaxias II, who had found refuge with the Parthians. Artaxias died and the Romans enthroned Tigranes III, who had been transferred from Rome. The reign of his son Tigranes IV (8-6 BC) and of his daughter Erato (r.8-6, 02-00-01, 12) was ended by Augustus because he suspected them of treachery. They were replaced by Artavasdes III (r.06-02 BC), a cousin of Tigranes. This arbitrary act led to discontent and finally civil war.
Tigranes IV was killed in a riot and Ariobarzanes (r.1-2), a Mede by origin, was placed on the throne. Ariobarzanes was killed by accident and Augustus nominated Ariobarzanes’ son, Artavasdes IV (r.2-6), as the new king. The Armenians resented this imposition of a Median Dynasty and the new king was assassinated. Augustus therefore sent Tigranes V (r.6-12), an Artaxiad, to occupy the throne, but the Armenians recalled Erato. Her reign, however, was short, and she was the last of her dynasty.
In AD 12 Vonones-I of Parthia (r.7-12) was expelled by another Arsacid, Artabanus III (r.12-38). Vonones fled to Armenia where he was offered the kingship (r.12-15). Artabanus could not accept this and soon replaced him with one of his sons, Orodes (r.16). In 18 Zeno, son of Polemon-I of Pontus (r.37-00-8), was acclaimed king of Armenia as Artaxias III (48; r.18-34). When he died, Artabanus placed his own son Arsaces-I (r.34-36) on the Armenia throne. In 36, encouraged by Tiberius (78: r.14-37), Pharasmanes-I of Iberia (r.1-58) invaded Armenia and put his brother Mithridates (r.36-37, 42-51) on the throne.
In 51 Mithridates was deposed by his nephew Rhadamistus (r.51-53, 54-55), but when the new king’s rule proved to be unpopular the Parthian king Vologases-I (r.51-78) seized Artaxata and Tigranocerta and put his younger brother Tiridates-I (r.53, 56-59, 62-88) on the Armenian throne. The onset of a severe winter and an outbreak of an epidemic forced the Parthians to withdraw and allowed Rhadamistus to retake control of the country. His behaviour towards his subjects, however, was even worse than before and when the people rose in rebellion Tiridates was able to re-establish himself in Armenia.
In 55 the Roman general Corbulo (c.7-67) was given the task of re-establishing Roman influence in Armenia. In 58 he crossed the Armenian border and a number of engagements were fought until Tiridates, having lost Artaxata and Tigranocerta, yielded the entire possession of Armenia to the Romans. By the favour of Nero (30; r.54-68), Julius Tigranes, also known as Tigranes VI (r.60-61), grandson of Archelaus of Cappadocia, was made king. In 61 Tigranes Attacked the Parthian vassal kingdom of Adiabene. Vologases responded by besieging Tigranocerta. Eventually the Parthians signed a treaty with Corbulo to place Tiridates on the Armenian throne to found the Arsacid Dynasty (63-428) provided he went to Rome to be crowned by Nero (66).
Both powers, however, took every opportunity to gain overall control of Armenia. In 114 Trajan (63; r.98-117) created the Roman Province of Armenia. Although in 117 Hadrian (62; r.117-138) handed it back to be governed by the Arsacids, it remained under indirect Roman rule until the Sassanids overran Armenia in 252. In 296 the Sassanid king Narseh (r.293-302) agreed to withdraw from Armenia in favour of the Romans, but within forty years the two empires were at war again. In 361 a final Sassanid victory gave them control over most of Armenia. In 384 the kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Persian empires. Eastern Armenia remained a vassal state of Persia until Bahram V (r.421-438) made it a Persian province in 428.
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