The Rise and Fall of Tigranes the Great, King of Armenia

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 millennia leading up to Roman rule, the Armenian Plateau territory had processed and exported almost all types of minerals. Among them are: copper, tin, gold, silver, iron, lead, zinc, magnesium, antimony, arsenic, quartz, salt, and more. This wealth of resources made it a very attractive area to control.

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.