AI overview
The Kingdom of Armenia was an ancient state located in the mountainous region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Caspian Sea, in what is now eastern Turkey, Armenia, and surrounding areas. It matters historically because it was one of the early centers of civilization and culture in the Near East, and it was notably the first nation to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 CE.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Area
- 500
Show 4 more facts
- inception
- 0553-00-00
- dissolved, abolished or demolished date
- 0428-00-00
- Commons category
- Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)
- native label
- Մեծ Հայք
~28 min read
Article
The Kingdom of Greater Armenia or simply Greater Armenia or Armenia Major (Armenian: Մեծ Հայք Mets Hayk; Latin: Armenia Maior), 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 (189 BC – 12 AD), and Arsacid (52–428).
The root of the kingdom lies in the Satrapy of Armenia of the Achaemenid Empire of Iran, which was formed from the territory of Urartu (860–590 BC) after it was conquered by the Medes in 590 BC. The satrapy became a kingdom in 321 BC during the reign of the Orontid dynasty after the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, which was then incorporated as one of the Hellenistic kingdoms of the Seleucid Empire.