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TIGRANES, or DIKRAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 969 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TIGRANES, or DIKRAN , See also:king of See also:Armenia (c. 95—55 B.C.). Armenia had by the conquests of See also:Alexander the See also:Great become a See also:province of the Macedonian See also:Empire; but it was never thoroughly subjected to the See also:foreign See also:rule. A See also:Persian See also:family, that of Hydarnes, one of the associates of See also:Darius Hystaspis, which possessed large domains in Armenia and had been invested with the satrapy for several generations, was dominant in the See also:country, and assumed the royal See also:title in See also:defiance of the Seleucid. See also:Antiochus III. the Great put an end to this See also:dynasty about 211 and divided Armenia into two satrapies, which he gave to two generals of Persian origin, the See also:district of Sophene in the See also:west (on the See also:Euphrates and the See also:sources of the See also:Tigris) to Zariadres, the eastern See also:part, called Armenia See also:Major (See also:round the See also:lake of See also:Van) to Artaxias (see ARMENIA). After the See also:battle of See also:Magnesia (190) both made themselves See also:independent; Artaxias conquered the valley of the Araxes, where he founded his new See also:capital Artaxata (" See also:town of Artaxias," said to be built by the See also:advice of See also:Hannibal, See also:Strabo xi. 528; Plut. Luc. 31). He was defeated and taken prisoner by Antiochus IV. Epiphanes in 165 (See also:Appian, Syr. 45, 66), but soon became independent again in the troubles which followed his See also:death (cf.

Diod. xxxi. 22. 27a); and his successors extended their See also:

power even farther against See also:Media and the districts on the Kur. But from 140 the Parthians became the dominant power See also:east of the Euphrates. King Artavasdes of Armenia was attacked by See also:Mithradates II. the Great about 105 B.C. (See also:Justin xlii. 2). He had to give his son Tigranes (b. 140 B.C. according to See also:Lucian, Macrob. 15; by Appian, Syr. 48, he is called " son of Tigranes "; if that is correct, he probably was the See also:nephew of Artavasdes) as See also:hostage to the Parthians, and he obtained his freedom only by ceding seventy valleys bordering on Media (Strabo xi. 532; cf. xvi.

745; Justin xxxviii. 3). This See also:

sketch of the earlier See also:history of Armenia is principally based upon the data given by Strabo xi. 528, J31 seq. The traditions preserved by the Armenian historians (who See also:fancy that an Arsacid dynasty ruled over Armenia since the See also:time of Alexander) have no See also:historical value whatever. Tigranes, who ascended the See also:throne in 95 or 94 B.C. (Plut. Luc. 21), immediately began to enlarge his See also:kingdom. He deposed Artanes, the last king of Sophene from the See also:race of Zariadres (Strabo xi. 532), and entered into See also:close See also:alliance with Mithradates VI. Eupator of See also:Pontus, whose daughter See also:Cleopatra he married.

In 93 he invaded See also:

Cappadocia in the See also:interest of Mithradates, but was driven back by See also:Sulla in 92 (Plut. Sulla, 5, Justin xxxviii. 3). During his first See also:war with See also:Rome, Mithradates was supported by Tigranes, although he abstained from interfering openly. But he meanwhile began war with the Parthians, whose empire was weakened after the death of Mithradates II. (about 88) by See also:internal dissensions and invasions of the Scythians. Tigranes reconquered the valleys which he had ceded, and laid See also:waste a great part of Media, down to See also:Ecbatana (Isidor. Charac. 6), and the districts of See also:Nineveh and See also:Arbela; the See also:kings of Atropatene, Gordyene (the country of the Carduchi, now Bohtan), Adiabene (the former See also:Assyria) and See also:Osroene (See also:Edessa) became his vassals, who attended him like slaves wherever he went; See also:northern See also:Mesopotamia also was torn from the See also:Parthian Empire (Strabo xi. 532, 747; Plut. Luc. 32).

In 83 he invaded See also:

Syria, defeated the last successors of Seleucus and occupied See also:Cilicia, of which the eastern parts still belonged to the Seleucids (Justin xl. 1; Appian, Syr. 48; Plut. Luc. 14, 21). In the war between Mithradates and Sulla he did not interfere, but after the death of Sulla (78) he occupied Cappadocia again and expelled King See also:Ariobarzanes I., the See also:vassal of the See also:Romans (Appian, Mithr. 67; Strabo xii. 539). During the next years See also:wars are mentioned in Syria, where the princess Cleopatra Selene attempted in vain to restore the Seleucid rule, but was besieged in Acco and afterwards killed (See also:Joseph. See also:Ant. xiii. 16, 4; Strabo xvi. 749), and in Cilicia, where he destroyed the See also:Greek town of See also:Soli (Plut.

Pomp. 28; Dio See also:

Cass. See also:XXXVi. 37). Tigranes now had become " king of kings " and the mightiest monarch of See also:Asia. So he built a new royal See also:city, Tigranocerta, on the See also:borders of Armenia and Mesopotamia, between Mt Masius and the Tigris, where he accumulated all his See also:wealth and to which he transplanted the inhabitants of twelve Greek towns of Cappadocia, Cilicia and Syria (Plut. Luc.21, 26; Appian, Mithr. 67; Strabo xi. 522, 532, 539; Plin. vi. 26 seq.; for the situation, which is much 'disputed, cf. Tac. See also:Ann. xiv.

24, xv. 5, ed. See also:

Furneaux). He also transplanted many Arabic tribes into Mesopotamia (Plut. Luc. 21; Plin. vi. 142). But the Romans could not tolerate encroachment upon their See also:sphere of power, and in 69 See also:Lucullus invaded Armenia. Tigranes was beaten at Tigranocerta on the 6th of See also:October 69, and again near Artaxata in See also:September 68. The recall of Lucullus gave some See also:respite to the two kings, who even invaded Asia See also:Minor again. But meanwhile a son of Tigranes and Cleopatra, called Tigranes, like his See also:father, rebelled against him (as the old See also:man had already killed two of his sons, he had See also:reason enough to be afraid for his See also:life) and found See also:refuge with the Parthian king Phraates III., whose daughter he married and who sent him back with an See also:army (Appian, Mithr. 104; Plut.

Pomp. 33; Dio Cass. xxxvi. 51). The old king now gave up all See also:

hope of resistance; he put a See also:price on the See also:head of Mithradates, and when See also:Pompey advanced into Armenia and See also:united with the younger Tigranes, he surrendered himself to the See also:Roman See also:general (66 B.C.). Pompey now changed his policy; he received the old Tigranes graciot;sly and gave him back his diadem, while he treated the son very coolly and soon made him prisoner. The younger Tigranes was led in See also:triumph into Rome, where he found his death when he tried to See also:escape from his confinement by the intrigues of P. See also:Clodius in 58 (Dio Cass. 38, 30). The father after his defeat ruled about ten years longer over Armenia, as vassal of the Romans. He died about 56, and was succeeded by his son Artavasdes.

End of Article: TIGRANES, or DIKRAN

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