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THE RISE AND FALL OF TIGRANES THE GREAT, KING OF ARMENIA
Ancient Origins
March 24 2015
Under King Tigranes II the Great, from 95 to 55 B.C. Armenia thrived,
and became the strongest state in the Roman east for a time.
In the aftermath of the defeat of Antiochus the Great by the Romans at
the Battle of Magnesia in 190 B.C., the grip of the Seleucid Empire
on the East was weakened. According to the Greek geographer Strabo,
Armenia was at that time governed by two of Antiochus' generals,
Artaxias and Zariadris. Seizing the opportunity, the generals decided
to declare their loyalty to the Roman victors, and claimed autonomy
from the ailing Seleucid Empire. For much of its later history, the
Kingdom of Armenia would serve as a buffer state between the Roman
Empire in the West and the Parthian Empire in the East. Yet, this was
not always the case, as Armenia was once a powerful Eastern kingdom
during the reign of Tigranes II, also known as Tigranes the Great.
Coin with Tigranes the Great portrait (Armenian king, ruled 95 BCE-55
BCE). Public Domain
Following the independence of Armenia, the satrapy was divided between
the two generals. Artaxias ruled over the Kingdom of Armenia, which,
according to Strabo, consisted of "what is properly called Armenia,
which lay adjacent to Media and Albania and Iberia, extending as far as
Colchis and Cappadocia on the Euxine." Zariadris, on the other hand,
ruled over the Kingdom of Sophene, and "held the southern parts and
those that lay more to the west than these (i.e. the territories
of Artaxias)." Tigranes was a descendant of Artaxias, and was born
around 140 B.C. Around 120 B.C.,
Tigranes was taken as a hostage by the Parthians, only to be released
some 25 years later after ceding "seventy valleys in Armenia" to them.
MORE
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King of Commagene
Once freed from the Parthians and on the throne of Armenia, Tigranes
wasted no time at establishing his position. He first formed an
alliance with Mithridates VI of Pontus by marrying his daughter,
Cleopatra the Elder.
Then, Tigranes set his sights on conquest. At that time, the Kingdom
of Sophene was ruled by Artanes, a descendant of Zariadris. Tigranes
decided to expand his kingdom, and conquered the lands held by Artanes
in 93 B.C.
Following the death of Mithridates II of Parthia in 91 B.C.,
Tigranes successfully reconquered the "seventy valleys of Armenia"
ceded to him just four years earlier, and laid waste to Parthian
lands. Tigranes then conquered Osroene (Edessa), Nisibis, Gordyene,
Atropatene, and Adiabene. He also waged war on the Seleucid Empire,
and took Syria and Phoenicia in 83 B.C.
The Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent under Tigranes the
Great. Aivazovsky/Wikimedia Commons
Although Tigranes grew rapidly in power, his triumph was to be
short-lived. To the west of Armenia, Tigranes' father-in-law,
Mithridates VI of Pontus, was at war with the Romans, in what is known
today as the Third Mithridatic War. Having been defeated by the Roman
general Lucullus, Mithridates fled to Tigranes, who refused to hand
him over to the Romans. By doing so, Tigranes effectively declared
war with Rome.
Armenian foot soldiers wearing the traditional Mithraic /Phrygian
caps. Wikimedia Commons
Although heavily outnumbered by his enemies, Lucullus decided to march
on Tigranocerta, the new, unfinished capital of the Kingdom of Armenia,
in 69 B.C. While the Romans were besieging the city, Tigranes arrived
with a huge army, which, according to Plutarch, numbered at 260,000
men. Leaving around 6,000 men to maintain the siege, Lucullus met
Tigranes with about 11,000 men. In a most surprising turn of events,
Tigranes was defeated by Lucullus, and was forced to flee to the old
Armenian capital, Artaxata, where he was again defeated by the Romans.
When the Roman troops grew weary of the eastern campaign, and refused
to go any further, Lucullus was recalled by the Senate, and replaced by
Pompey. In 66 B.C., Pompey marched on Armenia, and Tigranes surrendered
to the Roman general without a fight.
Having reconciled with the Romans, Tigranes became a 'friend and ally'
of the Romans, with the condition that he give up the territories
won through his previous conquests. Tigranes continued to rule over
the Kingdom of Armenia until his death in about 55 B.C.
Tigranes' descendants continued to rule the Kingdom of Armenia as
client kings of Rome until the overthrow of the Artaxiad dynasty in
A.D. 12 for their alleged allegiance to the Parthians.
Featured image: Tigranes the Great with four Kings surrounding him.
19th century illustration. Public Domain
References
Appian, History of Rome: The Mithridatic Wars
[Online] [White, H. (trans.), 1913. Appian's History
of Rome: The Mithridatic Wars.] Available at:
http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_mithridatic_00.html
Lendering, J., 2007. Armenia. [Online] Available at:
http://www.livius.org/arl-arz/armenia/armenia.html
Lendering, J., 2014. Tigranes II. [Online] Available at:
http://www.livius.org/person/tigranes-ii/
Minasyan, S., 2008. Tigran the Great. [Online] Available at:
http://www.armenian-history.com/Nyuter/HISTORY/ArmeniaBC/tigran_the_great.htm
Plutarch, Parallel Lives: Lucullus [Online] [Dryden, J. (trans.),
1683. Plutarch's Parallel Lives: Lucullus.] Available at:
http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/lucullus.html
Strabo, Geography [Online] [Hamilton, H.C. & Falconer,
W. (trans.), 1903. Strabo's Geography.] Available at:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0198
By a¸~Na¸¥wty
Read more:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/rise-and-fall-tigranes-great-king-armenia-002815#ixzz3VL1qSjhQ
Follow us: @ancientorigins on Twitter | ancientoriginsweb on Facebook
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/rise-and-fall-tigranes-great-king-armenia-002815
From: A. Papazian
Ancient Origins
March 24 2015
Under King Tigranes II the Great, from 95 to 55 B.C. Armenia thrived,
and became the strongest state in the Roman east for a time.
In the aftermath of the defeat of Antiochus the Great by the Romans at
the Battle of Magnesia in 190 B.C., the grip of the Seleucid Empire
on the East was weakened. According to the Greek geographer Strabo,
Armenia was at that time governed by two of Antiochus' generals,
Artaxias and Zariadris. Seizing the opportunity, the generals decided
to declare their loyalty to the Roman victors, and claimed autonomy
from the ailing Seleucid Empire. For much of its later history, the
Kingdom of Armenia would serve as a buffer state between the Roman
Empire in the West and the Parthian Empire in the East. Yet, this was
not always the case, as Armenia was once a powerful Eastern kingdom
during the reign of Tigranes II, also known as Tigranes the Great.
Coin with Tigranes the Great portrait (Armenian king, ruled 95 BCE-55
BCE). Public Domain
Following the independence of Armenia, the satrapy was divided between
the two generals. Artaxias ruled over the Kingdom of Armenia, which,
according to Strabo, consisted of "what is properly called Armenia,
which lay adjacent to Media and Albania and Iberia, extending as far as
Colchis and Cappadocia on the Euxine." Zariadris, on the other hand,
ruled over the Kingdom of Sophene, and "held the southern parts and
those that lay more to the west than these (i.e. the territories
of Artaxias)." Tigranes was a descendant of Artaxias, and was born
around 140 B.C. Around 120 B.C.,
Tigranes was taken as a hostage by the Parthians, only to be released
some 25 years later after ceding "seventy valleys in Armenia" to them.
MORE
Secret underground tunnels of ancient Mesopotamian cult revealed
under Ani ruins Despite possible efforts to alter the future, a
greedy ancient polity went down in flames Mount Nemrut and the God
King of Commagene
Once freed from the Parthians and on the throne of Armenia, Tigranes
wasted no time at establishing his position. He first formed an
alliance with Mithridates VI of Pontus by marrying his daughter,
Cleopatra the Elder.
Then, Tigranes set his sights on conquest. At that time, the Kingdom
of Sophene was ruled by Artanes, a descendant of Zariadris. Tigranes
decided to expand his kingdom, and conquered the lands held by Artanes
in 93 B.C.
Following the death of Mithridates II of Parthia in 91 B.C.,
Tigranes successfully reconquered the "seventy valleys of Armenia"
ceded to him just four years earlier, and laid waste to Parthian
lands. Tigranes then conquered Osroene (Edessa), Nisibis, Gordyene,
Atropatene, and Adiabene. He also waged war on the Seleucid Empire,
and took Syria and Phoenicia in 83 B.C.
The Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent under Tigranes the
Great. Aivazovsky/Wikimedia Commons
Although Tigranes grew rapidly in power, his triumph was to be
short-lived. To the west of Armenia, Tigranes' father-in-law,
Mithridates VI of Pontus, was at war with the Romans, in what is known
today as the Third Mithridatic War. Having been defeated by the Roman
general Lucullus, Mithridates fled to Tigranes, who refused to hand
him over to the Romans. By doing so, Tigranes effectively declared
war with Rome.
Armenian foot soldiers wearing the traditional Mithraic /Phrygian
caps. Wikimedia Commons
Although heavily outnumbered by his enemies, Lucullus decided to march
on Tigranocerta, the new, unfinished capital of the Kingdom of Armenia,
in 69 B.C. While the Romans were besieging the city, Tigranes arrived
with a huge army, which, according to Plutarch, numbered at 260,000
men. Leaving around 6,000 men to maintain the siege, Lucullus met
Tigranes with about 11,000 men. In a most surprising turn of events,
Tigranes was defeated by Lucullus, and was forced to flee to the old
Armenian capital, Artaxata, where he was again defeated by the Romans.
When the Roman troops grew weary of the eastern campaign, and refused
to go any further, Lucullus was recalled by the Senate, and replaced by
Pompey. In 66 B.C., Pompey marched on Armenia, and Tigranes surrendered
to the Roman general without a fight.
Having reconciled with the Romans, Tigranes became a 'friend and ally'
of the Romans, with the condition that he give up the territories
won through his previous conquests. Tigranes continued to rule over
the Kingdom of Armenia until his death in about 55 B.C.
Tigranes' descendants continued to rule the Kingdom of Armenia as
client kings of Rome until the overthrow of the Artaxiad dynasty in
A.D. 12 for their alleged allegiance to the Parthians.
Featured image: Tigranes the Great with four Kings surrounding him.
19th century illustration. Public Domain
References
Appian, History of Rome: The Mithridatic Wars
[Online] [White, H. (trans.), 1913. Appian's History
of Rome: The Mithridatic Wars.] Available at:
http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_mithridatic_00.html
Lendering, J., 2007. Armenia. [Online] Available at:
http://www.livius.org/arl-arz/armenia/armenia.html
Lendering, J., 2014. Tigranes II. [Online] Available at:
http://www.livius.org/person/tigranes-ii/
Minasyan, S., 2008. Tigran the Great. [Online] Available at:
http://www.armenian-history.com/Nyuter/HISTORY/ArmeniaBC/tigran_the_great.htm
Plutarch, Parallel Lives: Lucullus [Online] [Dryden, J. (trans.),
1683. Plutarch's Parallel Lives: Lucullus.] Available at:
http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/lucullus.html
Strabo, Geography [Online] [Hamilton, H.C. & Falconer,
W. (trans.), 1903. Strabo's Geography.] Available at:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0198
By a¸~Na¸¥wty
Read more:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/rise-and-fall-tigranes-great-king-armenia-002815#ixzz3VL1qSjhQ
Follow us: @ancientorigins on Twitter | ancientoriginsweb on Facebook
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/rise-and-fall-tigranes-great-king-armenia-002815
From: A. Papazian