Kingdom of Armenia (Antiquity)
The ancient Kingdom of Armenia was an independent monarchy from 331 BC to AD 428. When the kingdom was the most powerful it was also called the "Armenian Empire".
Kingdom of Armenia or Greater Armenia Մեծ Հայք Metz Hayk | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 331 BC–428 | |||||||||||
 Standard of the Artaxiad Dynasty. | |||||||||||
 Armenian Empire at its greatest extent under Tigranes II the Great, 69 BC (including vassals) | |||||||||||
 Armenian Empire | |||||||||||
| Status | Empire during the reigns' of Tigranes the Great and Artavasdes II | ||||||||||
| Capital | Yervandashat: 201 BC-185 BC Artashat: 185 BC-77 BC and 60-120 Tigranakert: 77 BC-69 BC Vagharshapat: 120-330 Dvin: 336-428 | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Armenian | ||||||||||
| Religion | Zoroastrianism Hellenism: III century BC-301 AD Christianity: from 301 AD | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| King of Armenia, King of Kings | |||||||||||
| Orontes III | |||||||||||
| Tigranes IV and Erato | |||||||||||
| Tiridates I of Armenia | |||||||||||
| Artaxias IV | |||||||||||
| Historical era | Antiquity, Middle Ages | ||||||||||
• Greater Armenia is formed | 331 BC | ||||||||||
• Orontes III's reign | 331 BC | ||||||||||
• Artashat is built | 185 BC | ||||||||||
| 84 BC-34 BC | |||||||||||
| 61 AD | |||||||||||
• Christianity national religion | 301 AD | ||||||||||
• Artaxias IV was over throned | 428 | ||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||
| 331 BC | 400,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| 69 BC | 500,000 km2 (190,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| 301 AD | 350,000 km2 (140,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| 428 AD | 120,000 km2 (46,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• 69 BC | 20000000 | ||||||||||
• 301 AD | 3000000 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Taghand | ||||||||||
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| Today part of |  Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Iran Iraq Israel Lebanon Syria Turkey | ||||||||||
Redgate, Anne Elizabeth (2000). The Armenians. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 7. ISBN 0-631-22037-2. | |||||||||||
After the fall of the Achaemenid Empire, the former Satrapy of Armenia was divided in about 120 clan territories. After the destruction of the Seleucid Empire, a Helenistic Greek successor state of Alexander the Great's short-lived empire, a Hellenistic Armenian state was founded in 190 BC by Artaxias I. At its height, from 95 to 66 BC, Armenia extended its rule through areas of the Caucasus and the area that is now eastern Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. Armenia was one of the weakest states in the Roman East. It was under the Roman sphere of influence in 66 BC.
Armenia reached its greatest size and influence under King Tigranes II. It went from the Mediterranean Sea northeast to the Kura River. The Artaxiads were overthrown by the Romans in AD 12. This started a period of civil war. After AD 54, the kingdom was ruled by the Arsacid Dynasty. In AD 387, Armenia was divided into Byzantine Armenia in the west and Persian Armenia in the east. Persian Armenia remained under the rule of Arsacid client kings until AD 428.
From the second century BC, the people of Lower Armenia (including today’s Karabakh) spoke Armenian. This implies that today’s Armenians are the descendants of those speakers.