Introduction to Ancient Armenia

Ancient Armenia, located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia, was settled during the Neolithic period, but its first recorded state was the Kingdom of Urartu in the 9th century B.C. The Orontid dynasty was incorporated into the Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great in the 6th century B.C. and ruled as Persian viceroys, a function they carried out for their next overlords, the Macedonian and Seleucid empires, in the 3rd century B.C.

Ancient Armenia is the most ancient of the ancient Armenian states. empires. Under the Artaxiad and Arsacid periods the country flourished but was often caught up in the ambitions of the Parthian and Roman, then Sassanian and Byzantine empires. Over the centuries, the borders of the country varied greatly, but such ****similar factors as religion and language were united by long-standing dynastic clans, which throughout antiquity gave Armenia its own unique identity.

Hayasa-Azzi (1500-1200 BC)

The first recognizable culture in the region was Hayasa-? Hertz, which flourished around the fertile indigenous and tribal confederacy of the ancient Armenian highlands between the Yarara Mountains and parts of modern eastern Turkey ° C. 1500 and c. 1200 B.C. Hayasa-Azzi is the eponym of the haymakers, a term used by the Armenians to describe themselves and their country, Hayastan. Over time, the Hayasa-Azzi mixed with other groups and local tribes such as the Hurrians, Arme-Shupria, and Nairi, probably out of a need to defend themselves against more aggressive and powerful neighbors such as the Hittites and Assyrians. They were likely infiltrated by the Thracian-Frigidians after the collapse of the empire. Hittite Empire C. 1200 BCE. Eventually, these disparate peoples and kingdoms would merge into the first recognizable and documented state in the region, the Urartu Kingdom in the 9th century BC.

Urartu (9th century BC - 590 BC)

Name

Urartu, also known as the Kingdom of Van after the lake in the region of the same name, developed into a confederation of ancient and smaller kingdoms across Armenia, eastern Turkey, and northwestern Iran.' Urartu' comes from urashtu, the Assyrian word for kingdom, meaning 'high place', and may refer to a mountainous region or to the common practice of cultures to build fortifications on rocky promontories. The Urartians called themselves Biaina.

Geography and Expansion

The prosperity of the Urartu was due to the settlement of the vast fertile plateau, which was supplied by rivers. Viticulture was important, and winemaking was probably the first in the region. Animal husbandry flourished due to the excellent mountain pastures, and horse breeding was particularly successful. Mineral deposits in the region included gold, silver, copper, lead, iron and tin, all of which were used in the production of skillful metalwork, especially bronze cauldrons. The location on trade routes between the ancient Mediterranean and Asian and Anatolian cultures was another source of prosperity.

The fortified capital was Tushpa (later known as Van), built on a limestone promontory on the eastern shore of Lake Van in the highlands. The magistrates represented the king and directed taxes back to the capital. In 776 B.C., Argishti I (785-760 B.C.) founded a new city, Argishtishnili, on the Ararat plain, which later became the second city of the kingdom and was renamed Amavir. Then, C. 685 B.C., King Rusa II (685-645 B.C.) founded the important northern city of Teishebaini (modern Yerevan) on the Arara plain. The important site of the fortress, which today has a large number of remains, is Erebuni, near Yerevan, the capital of present-day Armenia.

The pantheon of the Urartu religion has a unique mix of Hurrian gods, such as Teisheba, the god of storms and thunder from Hurrianteshub. In the middle of the 9th century BC, King Ishpuini elevated Khaldi to the head of the pantheon, a foreign deity associated with war. This god was so important that the Urals were sometimes called Khaldians or "sons of Khaldi". Various deities were offered drink and animal sacrifices, as well as offerings of weapons and valuables.

Early Urartu texts used simple hieroglyphics, but cuneiform was adopted and adapted from neighboring contemporary Mesopotamian cultures. Surviving Kingdom cuneiform suggests a Uralic connection to Hurrian.

By the 7th century BC, Urartu controlled territory from the Caspian Sea to the Upper Euphrates (from east to west) and from the Caucasus Mountains in the north to the Taurus Mountains in the south. Urartu's main rival was the Neo-Assyrian Empire, although there is also evidence of trade relations between the two countries. The Assyrian ruler Tiglath-Pileser III (reigned 745-727 B.C.) was particularly aggressive, and he laid siege to Tushpa. Another major conflict between the two countries was during the Battle of Sargon II (722-705 BC) in 714 BC.

Decline

The kingdom of Urartu came to an end sometime between ca. 15 A.D. 640 and c. 590 B.C., when its cities were destroyed. Weakened by decades of fighting with the Assyrians, it may have overextended itself beyond the control of its empire. The perpetrators are unknown, but the Scythians are one candidate, the Cimmerians another, and perhaps even forces from within the territory administered by King Urartu. This kingdom was taken over by the Madai from BC. 585 BC onwards and then incorporated into the Achaemenid Empire of Cyrus the Great in the middle of the 6th century BC.

The first known reference to the Persian client state of Armenia or Armenia is recorded in an inscription of Darius I in C. 520 BC.

Orontid dynasty (c. 570 - c. 200 BC)

Persian governors

The Orontid dynasty succeeded the kingdom of Urartu in Ancient Armenia and ruled from the 6th to the 3rd centuries B.C. The founders of the royal dynasty of the Orontids were Orontes (Yervand) Sakavakyats (c. 570-560 BC, although the dates of most Orontids' reigns are disputed). Initially, when the Achaemenians divided their new territory into two parts, the Orontids ruled as Persian governors, and in the eastern provinces, the Orontids, known locally as Yervand (from the Iranian word arvand, meaning "mighty"), ruled as governors representing their Persian overlords. As a result, Persian culture, language, and political practices were introduced into ancient Armenia, which still maintains its own Urartian traditions.

The first known reference to the Persian client state of Armenia or Armenia is recorded in the c. 520 BCE inscription Darius at the Rock in Behistun, I (River 522-486 BCE) Persia, which lists the royal dependencies of the kings in ancient Persian. The ancient capital of Urarte where also the first capital of Orontes. The attempted secession from the Persian Empire in 522 BCE was short-lived, Armenia being too valuable as a source of soldiers and tribute, especially horses. Life under Persian rule seemed at least tolerable, and Armenian culture largely went its own way. By the middle of the 4th century BC, the two divided regions under Persian control had merged politically, their populations had mixed, and their languages had merged into one: Armenian.

The Macedonian Empire

Following the rise of Alexander the Great, Armenia was formally annexed by Macedonia, and in 330 BC Amavir became the capital (the former Ural city of Argishtihinili). However, Armenian political rule seems to have remained the same as that of the Persians, with the Orontians ruling as semi-independent kings in what is now the vast Macedonian empire. Indeed, even the Armenian rulers had difficulty controlling the powerful local lords, called nakharar, and formed a hereditary aristocracy, such was the "feudal" nature of the region at the time.

Seleucid rule in Armenia led to a certain degree of Hellenization, creating a rich cultural mix of Armenian, Persian and Greek elements.

The Seleucid Empire

The Seleucid dynasty ruled the Asian part of Alexander's empire after the death of the young leader from 321 BC, leading to a degree of Hellenization that created a rich cultural mix of Armenian, Persian and Greek elements. So large was the Seleucid Empire that the Orontid rulers once again enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, and the region now has three distinct regions: the Lesser Armenia (in the northwest, near the Black Sea), the Greater Armenia Armenia (the traditional heartland of the Armenian people), and the Sophene (a.k.a. the Dsopk, in the southwest.) The Orontid kings' independence is illustrated by the minting of their own coins.

Antiochus III and the Decline

Around 260 B.C., the newly unified kingdoms of Commagene and Sophene rose in western Armenia under the rule of Sames (aka Samos), a ruler of Orontid descent. Samos (260-240 BC) founded the important city of Shamshat. This period also saw the revival of the Persians and the development of the Parthian Empire (247 BC - 224 AD), which now claimed *** over Armenia. However, the Seleucid King Antiochus III (reigned 222-187 BC) reasserted his control over Armenia and specifically extracted 300 Tallands of silver and 1,000 horses for his army as they passed through the region to suppress the Parthians.

The last of the Orontes dynasty to rule in eastern Armenia was King Orontes IV (aka Yervand, 212-200 B.C.) Yervand moved the capital from Armavir to the newly founded Yervandashat. his successor, after the Armenian king was killed, was the next dynasty to rule Armenia in the coming centuries founder, King Artaxerxes I (Artashes), was supported by Anjouk III and became governor directly, probably in an attempt to minimize the trend toward Armenian Armenian independence in recent decades.

Artaxiad dynasty (c. 200 BC - 12 AD)

Artaxis I

Not only did Anzhuk III change Armenian rule, he created two governors: Artaxis I of Armenia (c. 200 BC - 160 BC), and Zaryadris of the smaller southwestern kingdom of Sofini . When Antioch was defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC, Artaxerxes made himself king and set about expanding his kingdom, which he consolidated through innovations such as administrative centralization and border stelae to proclaim property rights and kingship . A new capital was established at Artashat in 176 BC. It is said that Hannibal, the great Carthaginian general, designed the city's fortifications while working for Artaxias after defeating the Romans.

After the death of Artaxias I, his sons succeeded him and established the Artaxian dynasty, also known as the Artaxians. Armenia would then enjoy a period of sustained prosperity and regional importance, but it would also forever be squeezed between the region's two superpowers: Parthia and Rome. Both would take turns presenting their own candidates to rule Armenia, which became a buffer zone between the two empires.

Tigranes the Great

One of the greatest Artaxiad kings, or indeed any Armenian king, was Tigranes II (Tigran II) or Tigranes the Great (rc 95 - c. 56 BCE). He greatly expanded the Armenian kingdom; first, he annexed the kingdom of Sophonius in 94 BCE. Then, with powerful siege equipment and heavy cavalry units, he conquered Cappadocia, Adiabene, Gordion, Phoenicia and parts of Syria, including Anjouk. In 87 BC, the Armenian king even sacked the Parthian royal summer residence of Ekbatana, as the Parthians struggled to cope with invading northern nomads. At its height, the Armenian empire of Tigranes the Great stretched from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Neither before nor since would the Armenians have controlled such a large swath of Asia.

Tigran called himself "King of Kings" in 85 BCE, and in 83 BCE, he founded the new capital of Tigranocerta (aka Tigranakert, and the location is uncertain), which was famous for its Greek architecture. Greek may have been used as the language of the nobility and administration along with Persian and Aramaic, while Armenian was spoken by the commoners. Persian elements remain an important part of the Armenian cultural mix, especially in the religious sphere.

After the Roman attack C. 66 BC, under Pompey the Great, Armenia became a Roman protectorate.

Roman-Parthian War and Decline

The Tigranes allied themselves with Mithridates VI, whose daughter the king of Bendu (reigned 120-63 BC) married. In Rome*** and state, seeing the danger of such an alliance between these two regional powers, responded by attacking Pontus, and when Tigranes 70 BCE fled to the court of Tigran, the Romans invaded Armenia. tigranocerta was captured in 69 BCE, and the king of Armenia was forced to renounce his conquests. After another Roman attack C. 66 BCE, this time under Pompey the Great, Armenia became a Roman protectorate. artaxiads continued to rule but had to be involved in the Roman-Patian wars, providing troops for Marcus Licinius Crassus 53 BCE and Mark Antony 36 BCE. Unsatisfied with the Armenian support, the latter general attacked the kingdom in 34 BC and took King Artavasd II (56-34 BC) to Alexandria, where he was later executed by Queen Cleopatra. A musical power play ensued, with first a Roman-backed Armenian king, then a Parthian-backed candidate, until a new family took over the throne in 12 AD, the Arsacid (Arshakuni) dynasty.

Arsacid Dynasty (12 AD - 428 AD)

Tiridates I

The founder of the Arsacid dynasty was Vonon (Vonones), but since he was succeeded by several kings who ruled for short periods of time, some historians believe that the founder of the dynasty was Tiridates I of Armenia (ruled in 63 - 75 or 88 AD). reigning in 63 - 75 or 88 AD). He was the brother of the Parthian king Vologases I (51-78 AD), who invaded Armenia in 52 AD with the specific purpose of placing Tiridates on the throne. Not content to let Parthia into their buffer zone, the Romans sent an army under his best general, Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, in 54 CE by Emperor Nero (r. 54-68 CE). Ten years of intermittent warfare ended with the Treaty of Landia in 63 CE, when the important Armenian cities of Artasata and Tigranosetta were captured. It was now agreed that Parthia had the right to nominate Armenian kings, but that Rome had the right to crown them. Nero was thus granted the privilege of crowning Tiridates at Rome.

Roman intervention

Vespasian (reigned 69-79 A.D.) ensured that no more territory fell into the hands of the Parthian ruling dynasty by annexing the neighboring kingdoms of Komaghini and Lesser Armenia in A.D. 72. A period of peace followed until Emperor Tulajin (reigned 98-117 AD) seized the opportunity and annexed Armenia to Rome under the pretext that he had not been consulted about a change of monarch. He then declared war on Parthia in 114 ce. Eventually, Armenia became a province of the Roman Empire and was administered together with Cappadocia.

The Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117-138 CE) was much less enthusiastic about keeping this hated province, and he allowed it to become independent. Various Sabaean and Roman invasions occurred over the next century, but at least it prospered after Artaxartha became one of the official trading points between the two empires.

The Sassanid Empire

After the rise of the Sassanid dynasty in 224 AD, Persia adopted a more aggressive foreign policy towards Armenia, which eventually led to a full-scale Sassanid invasion in 252 AD. The Armenian Assad kings were so closely related to the conquered Persian Assad dynasty that they posed a threat to the legitimacy of the new Sassanid dynasty. The Sassanids won several major victories over Rome during this period, but the Romans revived in the 4th century AD. When the dust settled, the Armenian kingdom found itself divided between Rome and Persia, and the Arsacids continued to rule only western Armenia. In 298 AD, under the auspices of Diocletian (284-305 AD), Armenia was united with Tiridates IV (Trdat III or IV) as king (298 AD - 330 AD) - one of the great rulers of the Arsacid dynasty.

Intimidation of the Great and Christianity

Teridatis the Great began to centralize his kingdom and reorganize the provinces and their governors. Land surveys were also conducted to better define tax obligations; the king was determined to make Armenia great again. By far the most enduring event of the period was the formal acceptance of Christianity by the Armenians c. 314 AD, if not earlier. Tradition records that Tiridates himself was converted by St. Gregory the Illuminator in A.D. 301 . One consequence of this move was that Persian persecution of religion helped to create a more independent state. St. Gregory, then known as Grigor Lusavorich, was appointed the first bishop of Armenia in 314 AD. Tiridates IV may also have embraced Christianity for internal political reasons - the end of paganism was a good excuse for the confiscation of the ancient temple treasury and a monotheistic religion with the monarch as God's representative on earth - and probably instilled greater loyalty to his nobles, nakharars and people in general.

Theodosius I and Shapur III agreed to formally divide Armenia between the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and Sassanid Persia.

Division and decline

However, the threat from outside Armenia was even greater, as the Sassanid dynasty once again became more ambitious, wanting to rule Armenia directly and attack Armenian cities. It was then that Emperor Theodosius I (reigned 379-395 AD) and Shapur III (reigned 383-388 AD) agreed to formally divide Armenia into the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and Sassanid Persia.

In 405 CE the Armenian alphabet was invented by St. Mesrob and the Bible was translated into the language, helping to further popularize and consolidate Christian Armenia. Politically, however, it was time for a change. After the Armenian royal family was unable to suppress pro-Persian and anti-Christian factions at court, the last Assad ruler was Artashes IV (422-428 CE), deposed by Persia, and the viceroy ruler Mazpan was installed.

The Mamikonian dynasty (428-652 AD)

The Mamikonians

The last great dynasty to rule ancient Armenia were the Mamikonians, who had been a formidable force in the Armenian army since the 1st century BC. By the end of the 4th century AD, the hereditary office of Grand Marshal (sparapet), who led the Armenian armed forces, usually had a Mamikonian lord in that position. Among other noble families, the Mamikonians were second in importance only to the Assad royal family itself, and two members even served as regents: Musheg and Manuel Mamikonian. Once the Assad dynasty fell, the Mamikonians were left to dominate the affairs of the state within the limits imposed by the Persian lords.

Persia and Avaril

From 428 A.D. onwards, Persia installed Mazpan rulers in its half of the country (Persarmenia). The Mazipans, representing the Sasanian kings, had full civil and military power. In the aftermath of Persian cultural imperialism, there had been voices of discontent among the Armenian nobility and clergy, but things really came to a head with the succession of the Persian king, Yazdagerd II, in 12 A.D. In 439 A.D., the Sasanian king of Mazipan was elected to the throne. The Sasanid rulers had long suspected that the Armenian Christians were simple spies for Byzantium, but Yazdgird was an ardent supporter of Zoroastrian politics and the double-edged sword of religious policy was about to cut Armenia to the quick.

In May or June 451 AD, at the Battle of Avarair in modern-day Iran, the Armenians resisted oppression and faced a large Persian army. Some 6,000 Armenians were led by Vardan Mamikonian, but unfortunately for them, the Christian Byzantine Empire did not help, although embassies were sent for the purpose. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Persian-backed Mazpan Vasak Siuni was also missing in action. The Persians, vastly outnumbered and fielding an elite army of "fairies" and many war elephants, easily won the battle and massacred their opponents; henceforth "martyrdom" would become a term used by the Armenian Church. Indeed, the battle became a symbol of defiance, and Vardan died on the battlefield and was even canonized as a saint.

Over the next few decades, small-scale rebellions continued, and the Mamikonians continued a policy of cautious resistance. This strategy paid off, for in 484 AD, the two countries signed the Treaty of Nvarsak, granting Armenia greater political self *** and religious freedom of thought. In a complete turnaround, Vardan's nephew Vahan was made Mazpan in 485 AD. As Artashat became an important trading point between the Byzantine and Persian empires, peace brought prosperity and trade boom. With the help of the language, the Christian faith, and figures such as Movses Khorenatsi (Moses of Khoren), who wrote Armenian history, Armenia was on its way to becoming a united nation, with the first comprehensive history of the country in the late 5th century AD.

*** The Caliphate

Armenia's geography would again lead to its downfall. By the end of the 6th century AD, the Persian and Byzantine empires had created another schism that saw Byzantium gain two-thirds of Armenia. Worse was to come, however, following a dramatic rise in a new impetus in the region, the *** Rashudin Caliphate, which conquered the Sasanid capital of Tesfon in 637 CE and Armenia between 640 and 650 CE. The country was formally annexed as a province of the Umayyad Caliphate in 701 CE.