Great Armenia and the Civilization Frontier of Euphrates (At the turn of I B. C. – A. D. I centuries)
Summary
Albert A. Stepanyan
The paper deals with the problems of Great Armenia during the mentioned period. Some important aspects of the geopolitical status of the kingdom are taken into consideration. It resulted from the Roman, Parthian and Armenian scenarios interwoven under concrete situations. Four paradigms of the status are the main focus of the paper: Great Armenia as a Roman province, a client kingdom under Roman nominees, independence under Artaxiads and independence secured by the national aristocracy. The last two paradigms consolidated Armenian society and looked at the settlement of the problem through compromise.
This compromise, in a sense, is reminscent of the settlement of the Treaty of Artashat arranged by Gn. Pompeius and Tigran II (66 B.C.). In 18 A.D., one of the most influential members of the imperial house, Germanicus, arrived in Armenia. In Artashat, he called an assembly (agora) and managed the accession of Zenon to the throne of Artaxiads. This Pontian prince (probably, an Artaxiad by his mother) was brought up in Armenia, and had gained the favour both of the aristocracy and the people. As a result of this settlement, Artashat was again recognized as the political center of the region from North Mesopotamia to the Caucasian Mountains.