Artaxata

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Coordinates: 39 ° 52 ′ 42 "  N , 44 ° 34 ′ 34"  E

Map: Armenia
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Artaxata​
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Armenia
The ancient Kingdom of Armenia with its capital Artaxata.

Artaxata (in Latin sources Artogerassa ) was a capital / royal city of ancient Armenia on the Aras River ( Araxes ) in the Ararat valley . Artaxata was a center of Hellenistic culture in Armenia, the first theater of Armenia was built here.

history

The ancient Artaxata was founded by King Artaxias I in 190 BC. Founded on a peninsula of the Araxes river and replaced Jerwandaschat as the capital. The figures of gods were brought from the previous religious center of Bagaran . Strabo and Plutarch described the city as big and magnificent and called it the "Armenian Carthage ". According to Plutarch, Hannibal is said to have recommended this place to found the city. He came after the defeat of Antiochus III. against the Romans to Armenia. He observed the great natural resources and amenities of the area that lay fallow and suggested that the Armenian king build a city here. The king entrusted him with the building of the city, which was to be named after the king, large and magnificent and the capital of Armenia.

Tigranes II was 68 BC. Defeated by Lucius Lucullus in the battle of Artaxata. For the next two centuries the city remained a major military target for the rival powers.

Artaxata was conquered and destroyed during the Roman-Parthian War between 58 and 63 by the general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo in 58 AD. The Armenian King Trdat I lost to the Romans and had to place himself under their rule. The Roman emperor Nero at that time had Trdat I rebuilt the city in 66 AD, so that he renamed the city Neronia in honor of Nero. With the reconquest of Armenia in 163 AD by Statius Priscus , the city was destroyed again. This time the Sasanids destroyed the city in 369. A century later, the Armenians rebelled against the Sasanids . The rebels were annihilated in the Battle of Avarayr in 451 and Artaxata was destroyed by pro-Sazanid Armenians. Since then the city has lost its importance. Dvin became the new center of Armenia.

Artaxata has two settlement mounds about 8 km south of today's provincial capital Artaschat , which were only identified in the 1920s. First excavations took place by Soviet researchers in the 1970s. On one of the hills is the Khor Virap monastery , which was built on the remains of the citadel.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Life of Lucullus 31/3

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