Kingdom of Armenia: Map & History
The Kingdom of Greater Armenia or simply Greater Armenia or Armenia Major, sometimes referred to as the Armenian Empire under Tigranes II, was an Armenian kingdom in the Ancient Near East which existed from 331 BC to 428 AD.
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The Kingdom of Greater Armenia or simply Greater Armenia or Armenia Major, sometimes referred to as the Armenian Empire under Tigranes II, was an Armenian kingdom in the Ancient Near East which existed from 331 BC to 428 AD. Its history is divided into the successive reigns of three royal dynasties: Orontid (331–200 BC), Artaxiad, and Arsacid (52–428).
Modern Countries Once Part of Kingdom of Armenia
At its mapped extent, Kingdom of Armenia covered territory in 7 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Armenia326 BCE – 646 CE · nearly all
- Lebanon77–67 BCE · most
- Syria77–67 BCE · most
- Turkey326 BCE – 646 CE · a large part
- Azerbaijan326 BCE – 643 CE · a small part
- Iran326 BCE – 370 CE · a small part
- Iraq77–67 BCE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Kingdom of Armenia's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Kingdom of Armenia in Depth
History
Prior to the 9th century BC, the geographic region known as the Armenian Highlands was inhabited by Proto-Armenian and other tribes which did not yet constitute a unitary state or nation. The first state to rule over a significant part of the Armenian Highlands was the Kingdom of Urartu, also known as the Kingdom of Van or Ararat and called Biainili in the Urartian language used by its rulers. The kingdom competed with Assyria over supremacy in the highlands of Ararat and the Fertile Crescent.
Both kingdoms fell to Iranian invaders from the east (the Medes, followed by the Achaemenid Persians) in the 6th century BC. Its territory was reorganized into a satrapy called Armenia.
Political geography
The Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, Iberia in the north, the Roman Empire in the west, and Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanian Empire, in the south. The border between Iberia and the Kingdom of Armenia was the Kur River, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia.
After 331 BC, Armenia was divided into Lesser Armenia (a region of the Kingdom of Pontus), the Kingdom of Armenia (corresponding to Armenia Major) and the Kingdom of Sophene. In 189 BC when Artashes I's reign began, many neighboring countries (Media, Caucasian Iberia, Seleucid Empire) exploiting the weakened state of the kingdom, conquered its remote regions.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kingdom of Armenia: Key Facts
| Capitals | Van, Tigranocerta, Artashat, Arshakavan |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Armenian, Aramaic, Greek |
| Religions | Armenian mythology, Zoroastrianism, Christianity |
| Form of government | absolute monarchy |
| Founded | 553 BCE |
| Dissolved | 428 CE |
Preceded by
- Satrapy of Armenia
Succeeded by
- Sasanian Armenia
Facts from Wikidata Q208404 (CC0).
Kingdom of Armenia Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Kingdom of Armenia appears, with the other states of the time.
Kingdom of Armenia Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 519,631 km² in 72 BCE.
Kingdom of Armenia: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Kingdom of Armenia exist?
The Kingdom of Armenia is dated to 326 BCE – 646 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia?
The capital of the Kingdom of Armenia was Armavir (331–210 BC), Yervandashat (210–176 BC), Artaxata (176–77 BC; 69 BC–120 AD), Tigranocerta (77-69 BC), Vagharshapat (120–330), Dvin (336–428).
How large was the Kingdom of Armenia at its peak?
At its peak in 72 BC the Kingdom of Armenia covered about 519,631 km².
How did the map of the Kingdom of Armenia change over time?
The Kingdom of Armenia appears on 5 dated world maps in the atlas, from 323 BCE to 300 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.