ARMENIA, a country of Asia, anciently divided into Armenia Major and Minor. Armenia Major was bounded on the south by Mesopotamia, on the east by Media, on the north by Iberia and Albania, and on the west by the Euphrates. The most considerable cities were Artaxata, Tigranocerta, and Theodosiopolis. Armenia Minor was bounded on the east by the Euphrates; on the south by Mount Taurus, which separated it from Cilicia; on the west and north by a long chain of mountains, called in different places Mons Scordiscus, Amanus, and Antitaurus, by which it was separated from Cappadocia.

Armenia is said to have been very early advanced to the rank of a kingdom. Berosus makes one Sytha the first founder of this monarchy, whose successor Bardanes, he says, was driven out by Ninus, king of Assyria. The Armenians were in course of time subdued by the Medes, to whom Astyages made them tributaries, but allowed them to be governed by their own kings; but on the dissolution of the Median empire by Cyrus, the kingdom was reduced to the form of a province, and they were governed by Persian prefects or lieutenants. On the destruction of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great, Armenia fell into the hands of the Macedonians, to whom it continued subject till the beginning of the reign of Antiochus the Great. This prince having appointed two prefects, named Zadriades and Artaxias, to govern Armenia, they excited the people to a revolt, and caused themselves to be proclaimed kings of the provinces over which they presided. Antiochus being then very young, they succeeded beyond their expectation, which encouraged them to attempt the enlargement of their territories. Accordingly, invading the neighbouring countries, they took from the Medes the provinces of Caspiana, Phaunitis, and Basoropida; from the Iberians, Chorzena and Gogorena on the other side of the Cyrus; from the Chalybes and Mossynaeci, the provinces of Pareneta and Herexena, which bordered on Armenia Minor. On this occasion the division of the kingdom into Armenia Major and Minor first tpok place. Artaxias became king of Armenia Major, and Zadriades of Armenia Minor; and this distinction subsisted to later times.

By whom Artaxias was succeeded is not known; neither have we any account of the transactions of his reign, farther than that Antiochus led a powerful army against him and Zadriades, but without being able to recover a single province. Upon this he concluded a peace, designing tø fall upon them at a proper opportunity; but they having entered into alliance with the Romans, by that means secured themselves in the possession of their kingdom. After this Artaxias was defeated and taken prisoner by Antiochus Epiphanes, but seems to have been restored to his kingdom.

From this time we meet with a chasm in the Armenian history for 70 years, during which all we know is, that Tigranes, the king’s son, was delivered up as an hostage to the Parthians. On the news of his father’s death, the Parthians set the young king at liberty, having first obliged him to give up a considerable part of his kingdom by way of ransom. Tigranes, thus restored to his father’s kingdom, was prevailed upon in the beginning of his reign to enter into an alliance with Mithridates Eupator against the Romans, whose power began to give jealousy to all the princes of Asia. By their joint arms Cappadocia was conquered, and the son of Mithridates placed on the throne. Shortly after, the Syrians being harassed with a long and intestine war of the Seleucidae, invited Tigranes to come and take possession of their country; which he accordingly did, and kept it for 18 years, till he was driven out by Pompey, and Syria reduced to the form of a Roman province. Encouraged by this success, he next invaded Armenia Minor, defeated and killed King Artanes, who opposed him with a considerable army; and in one campaign made himself master of the whole kingdom. From Armenia Minor he marched against the Asiatic Greeks, the Adiabenians, the Assyrians, and the Gordians, carrying all before him, and obliging the people wherever he came to acknowledge him sovereign. From this second expedition he returned home loaded with booty, which he soon after increased by the spoils of Cappadocia, invading that kingdom a second time at the instance of Mithridates, who had been obliged by the Romans to withdraw his forces from thence. From Cappadocia, Tigranes, besides other booty, brought back into Armenia no fewer than 300,000 captives, having surrounded the country with his numerous forces in such a manner that none could escape. These, together with the prisoners he had taken in his two first expeditions, he employed in building the city of Tigranocerta, which they afterwards peopled.

In the mean time Mithridates, who had concluded a peace with the Romans for no other end than to gain time, sent a solemn embassy to Tigranes, inviting him to enter into a second alliance against the common enemy. This he at first declined; but in the end was prevailed upon by his wife Cleopatra to send him considerable supplies, though he never came heartily into the war, not caring to provoke the Romans, who on their part kept fair with him, taking no notice for the present of the supplies he had sent Mithridates. That unfortunate prince being soon after defeated by Lucullus, was forced to fly for shelter into Armenia, where he met with a very cold reception from his son-in-law, who would neither see him, treat with him, nor own him as his relation; however, he promised to protect his person, and allowed him in one of his castles a princely retinue, and a table suitable to his former condition.

Though this total overthrow of Mithridates might have opened the eyes of Tigranes, and made him oppose with all his might the growing power of the Romans, he fool-ĩshly[7:3:575] left them to finish their conquest of Pontus, while he marched at the head of a very numerous army against the Parthians, with a design to recover from them the dominions they had formerly extorted from him before they set him at liberty. These he easily retook; and, not satisfied with what formerly belonged to him, he added to them all Mesopotamia, the countries that lay about Ninus and Arbela, and the fruitful province of Mygdonia; the Parthians, though at that time a mighty people, flying everywhere before him. From Mesopotamia Tigranes marched into Syria to quell a rebellion which had been raised by Cleopatra, surnamed Selene ; who, after the death of her husband Antiocffus Pius, reigned jointly with her sons in that part of Syria which Tigranes had not seized on. The malcontents were quickly reduced; and the queen herself was taken prisoner, and confined to the castle of Seleucia, where she was soon after put to death by the king’s orders. From Syria Tigranes passed into Phoenicia, which he subdued either entirely or in great part, spreading far and wide the terror of his arms, insomuch that all the princes of Asia, except those who were in alliance with the Romans, either in person or by their deputies submitted and paid homage to the conqueror.

• The king having now subdued all Syria to the borders of Egypt, and being elated with a long course of victories and prosperous events, began to look upon himself as far above the level of other crowned heads. He assumed the title of king of kings, and had many kings waiting upon him as menial servants. He never appeared on horseback without the attendance of four kings dressed in livery, who ran by his horse; and when he gave answers to the nations that applied to him, the ambassadors stood on either side of the throne with their hands clasped together, that attitude being of all others then accounted among the orientals the greatest acknowledgment of vassalage and servitude. In the midst of all this haughtiness, however, he was unexpectedly visited by an ambassador from Lucullus the Roman general, who, without any ceremony, told him, that he came to demand Mithridates king of Pontus, who had taken refuge in his dominions, and, in case of his refusal, to declare war against him. Notwithstanding his high opinion of himself, Tigranes returned a mild answer to this message, in which, however, he refused to deliver up his father-in-law; and being highly provoked at Lucullus for not giving him the title of king of kings in his letter, he did not even bestow upon him the title of general in his answer. He now received with the greatest pomp imaginable his father-in-law Mithridates, whom till that time he had not admitted into his presence, though he had resided a year and eight months in his dominions. They had several private conferences; and at last Mithridates was sent back to Pontus with 10,000 horse, to raise there what disturbances he could.

Lucullus, on the other hand, hearing the king’s resolution to protect Mithridates, immediately began his march for Armenia, at the head of only two legions of foot and 3000 horse, having left 6000 men in Pontus to keep that country quiet. Having passed the Euphrates without opposition, he detached two parties; one to besiege a city where he heard that Tigranes’s treasure and concubines were kept; and the other, under Sextilius, to block up Tigranocerta, in order to draw the king to a battle. But Tigranes, after having put to death the scout that brought him the first intelligence of the approach of the Romans, made towards Mount Taurus, which he had appointed for the place of the general rendezvous. The Roman general then despatched Muraena in pursuit of the king; and having overtaken him in a narrow pass, defeated him, and, besides all the baggage, carried off a great many prisoners, the king himself having fled in the beginning of the skirmish. After this he sent out several parties to scour the country, in order to prevent the innumerable forces of Tigranes from joining into one body. This, however, he was not able to effect: Tigranes was joined by such numbers of Gordians, Medes, Adiabenians, Albanians, Iberians, &c. that before he left Mount Taurus, his army consisted, according to Plutarch, of 150,000 foot armed cap-a-pie, 35,000 pioneers, 20,000 archers and slingers, and 55,000 horse.

Lucullus was so far from being dismayed at this formidable army, that the only fear he had was lest the king should follow the advice of Mithridates, which was, not to engage the Romans, but, by ravaging the country, distress them for want of provisions. In order to draw him to a battle, therefore, he formed the siege of Tigranocerta, imagining that Tigranes would never suffer that fine city to be taken without making an attempt to relieve it. The event fully answered his expectations: Tigranes having called a council of war, it was unanimously resolved to attack the Romans; and Taxilis, whom Mithridates sent to dissuade the king from venturing a battle, was in danger of losing his head on account of the advice he gave. The Roman general finding Tigranes disposed to come to an engagement, left Muraena with 6000 men to carry on the siege, while he himself marched against the king’s vast army with only 10,000 men according to some, and the highest computations make them no more than 18,000. The Romans were at first greatly disheartened; but beipg encouraged by Lucullus, they immediately broke the Armenian army, who betook themselves to flight almost at the first onset. The Romans pursued them till night, making a most terrible slaughter. Plutarch informs us, that of the Armenians 100,000 foot were killed, and that very few of the cavalry escaped; whereas of the Romans only five men were killed and 100 wounded. Antiochus the philosopher, mentioning this battle, says that the sun never beheld the like; and Livy, that the Romans never fought to such a disadvantage, the conquerors not amounting to a twentieth part of the conquered. Tigranes in his flight having met with his son in as forlorn a condition as himself, resigned to him his royal robes and diadem, desiring him to shift for himself and save those royal ensigns. The young prince delivered them to a trusty friend, who, being taken by the Romans, consigned them to Lucullus.

While the king was making his escape after this terrible overthrow, he was met by Mithridates, who was marching to his assistance at the head of a considerable army. The king of Pontus cheered up his son-in-law as well as he could, and encouraged him to continue the war; advising him, instead of fruitlessly bewailing the present* disaster, to rally his troops, raise new supplies, and renew the war, not questioning but that in another campaign he might repair all the losses he had sustained: but while the two kings were consulting upon these matters, Lucullus made himself master of Tigranocerta. From this city he marched into the small kingdom of Gordyene, where he celebrated with the utmost pomp the obsequies of king Zarbienus, whom Tigranes had put to death, lighting the funeral pile with his own hand. In this kingdom, besides immense sums of gold and silver, he met with such store of provisions as enabled him to carry on the war without putting the republic to any charge.

The two kings, having levied new forces, appointed their troops to rendezvous in the spacious plains on the other side of Mount Taurus; whereupon Lucullus leaving Gordyene, and passing by Mount Taurus, encamped close by the enemy. Several skirmishes happened for some time between the two armies without any considerable advantage; but Lucullus could by no means draw them [7:3:576]to a general engagement. Upon this he decamped, as if he designed to march to Artaxata and lay siege to that place, where Tigranes had left his wife and children, with great part of his treasures. He had scarce formed his camp when the enemy appeared, and sat down close by him. Lucullus did not allow them to fortify their camp, but immediately attacked them, and having put them to flight after a faint resistance, pursued them all night with great slaughter, took most of the chief officers prisoners, and returned the next day loaded with booty.

The Roman soldiers now, finding the cold very severe, though it was no later in the year than the autumnal equinox, requested their general to allow them to retire into winter quarters. This request he rejected with indignation, upon which they mutinied. Lucullus did all he could to persuade them to continue in their duty; and prevailed so far that they consented to lay siege to Nisibis, in hopes of booty. This place they took; and Lucullus, to the great satisfaction of his troops, took up his winter quarters there. The next year, however, his forces again mutinied, accusing him of amassing immense wealth for himself; and, throwing their empty purses at his feet, told him, that as he enriched himself alone, he might carry on the war by himself. He endeavoured to appease them as much as possible; but the sedition being fomented by a party who favoured Pompey the Great, at that time aspiring to the command of Lucullus’s army, the latter found himself obliged to sit still and see Mithridates and Tigranes overrun Cappadocia, and recover all Armenia and great part of Pontus. They would have gained much greater advantages, had not a son of Tigranes taken arms against his father, and obliged him to divide his troops. The father and son coming to a pitched battle, the latter was defeated, and forced to save himself in Parthia, where he persuaded Phraates, king of that country, to assist him with a numerous army against his father. Phraates having laid siege to Artaxata, Tigranes the elder was obliged to hide himself in the mountainous parts of his kingdom; upon which the king of Parthia returned home. Of this Tigranes the father being apprised, immediately abandoned the fastnesses of the mountains; and falling upon his son at Artaxata, dispersed the rebels with great slaughter, and entered his metropolis in triumph. Tigranes the son first fled to Mithridates; but finding him reduced to great straits, having been overcome a few days before, with the loss of 40,000 men, by Pompey, he went over to the Romans, and led them into Armenia against his father as an ally of Mithridates.

Tigranes being now thoroughly humbled, willingly yielded to the Romans, Cappadocia, Syria, Cilicia, and that part of Phoenicia which he possessed, contenting himself with his paternal kingdom; and not only paid the fine of 6000 talents laid upon him, but made large presents to Pompey, and all the officers of his army, which procured him the title of the friend and ally of the Roman people. He afterwards entered into a war with Phraates, king of Parthia, by whom he was overcome, and would have been driven out of his kingdom, had not a peace been brought about by the mediation of Pompey. He ever after cultivated a strict friendship with the Romans. He died in the 85th year of his age, and was succeeded by his son Artuasdes, called by Josephus Artabazes, by Orosius Ar-tabanes, and by others Artoadistes.

From this period to the time of Trajan, Armenia was governed by its own kings; but as they were plainly vassals to the Romans, though they did not take that title till the reign of the emperor Nero, their history falls to be considered under that of the Romans.

By Trajan the kingdom of Armenia Major was reduced to the form of a Roman province; but it soon recovered its liberty, and was again governed by its own kings in the reigns of Constantine the Great and his successor, to whom the kings of Armenia were feudatories. In the reign of Justin II. the Saracens subdued and held it till the irruption of the Turks, who possessed themselves of this kingdom, and gave it the name of Turcomania. The Turks, after the reduction of Armenia, invaded Persia, and other countries subject to the emperors of the East; which gave the Armenians an opportunity of shaking off the Turkish yoke, and setting up kings of their own, by whom they were governed till the country was again subdued by Occadan, or, as some style him, Heccatα, the son of Genghis, and first khan off the Tartars. The Armenians were still permitted, however, to have kings of their own; for in our chronicles we find mention made of Leo, king of Armenia, who in the reign of Richard II. came into England to sue for aid against the Turks, by whom he had been driven from his kingdom. In the year 1472 of the Christian era, Ussan Cassanes, king of Armenia, succeeding to the crown of Persia, made Armenia a province of that empire; in which state it continued till the year 1522, when it was subdued by Selim IL, and made a province of the Turkish empire.

Respecting Armenia Minor, we find very little recorded, except what has been already mentioned, and what falls under the Roman history. It was made a Roman province by Vespasian, continued so till the division of the empire, when it was subjected to the emperors of the East; and, on the decline of their power, was subdued, first by the Persians, and afterwards by the Turks, who gave it the name of Genech, and have kept it ever since.

Modern Armenia comprises the greater part of the Ar-? menia Major of the ancients, and is bounded on the norths by Georgia and Mingrelia, on the west by the Euphrates, and on the south and east by the territories of Julamerick and the Persian province of Azerbijan. It is divided among the Turks, Persians, and Kurds, though their territorial rights are not very distinctly defined; nor would it be possible to bind down the wandering tribes of Kurds to any fixed limits. The Turkish pachalics are, Erzeroum, Akiska, Khars, Bayazid, Moosh, and Diarbekir. Those pachalics are divided into districts. The country is mountainous; but the mountains are finely wooded, and are interspersed with extensive plains and beautiful valleys, which yield every kind of grain, and abundance of the most delicious fruits, such as grapes, olives, oranges, peaches, apricos, nectarines, mulberries, walnuts, melons, apples, and pears. Those fertile regions are watered by the Araxes, as well as by the Euphrates and Tigris, and by their numerous tributary streams, and present all the varieties of beautiful scenery which arise from the combination of wood, water, and mountains. Wax and honey are obtained in the mountains, as well as raw silk, hemp, cotton, and tobacco, which are exported to Constantinople and Russia. Manna is also produced in sufficient quantities to be exported. The mineral productions are, silver, copper, loadstone, saltpetre, sulphur, and bitumen. Wheat and barley are the two crops most extensively cultivated; and of these three successive crops maybe obtained in two years. The principal manufactures and trade of this country consist in copper and iron, silk and cotton, wine, tobacco, and manna. The native Armenians are industrious and commercial in their habits, and evince a strong propensity to visit foreign countries. They form the commercial class in the Persian empire, as well as in Asiatic Turkey; and they are scattered in various other parts of the world, where they are engaged in extensive mercantile enterprises, and bear uniformly a high character for integrity in their dealings. The country contains several barbarous tribes, who are ruled by their own [7:3:577]independent chiefs, and who are addicted to plunder rather than to trade. Armenia contains several large towns, such as Erzeroum, with a population of 100,000; Diarbekir, Επί van,Van, population 50,000; besides others of inferior note, as Bayazid, Argish, and Betlis. Besides its numerous rivers, Armenia contains the great lake Van, the Arsisa of the ancients, which is 168 miles in circumference.