Kingdom of Armenia (Orontid)

Origins

After the fall of the Kingdom of Urartu, Armenian-speaking groups dominated the highlands. The Orontid family appears as governors of the satrapy of Armenia under the Achaemenid Empire, and the Behistun inscription of Darius I records fighting in Armenia in 521 BCE. The traditional start of the dynasty in the 6th century BCE is uncertain.

Rule and society

The Orontids ruled as satraps closely tied to the Persian court, sending horses as tribute, while Xenophon described the villages and wheat beer of Armenia in 401 BCE. After Alexander the Great, they ruled as effectively independent kings from Armavir and then Yervandashat. Their culture blended Iranian religion and Aramaic administration with local traditions.

Decline and legacy

Around 200 BCE the Seleucid king Antiochus III defeated Orontes IV and divided the land between his generals Artaxias and Zariadres. After the Seleucid defeat at Magnesia in 190 BCE, Artaxias founded the Kingdom of Armenia (Artaxiad), which kept many Orontid traditions.