The Orontid dynasty, also known as the Eruandids or Eruandunis, ruled the Satrapy of Armenia until 330 BC and the Kingdom of Armenia from 321 BC to 200 BC. The Orontids ruled first as client kings or satraps of the Achaemenid Empire and after the collapse of the Achaemenid Empire established an independent kingdom. Later, a branch of the Orontids ruled as kings of Sophene and Commagene. They are the first of the three royal dynasties that successively ruled the ancient Kingdom of Armenia (321 BC–428 AD). Although the overthrow of Orontes IV and the accession of Artaxias I to the throne of Armenia in the early 2nd century BC is traditionally treated as the start of a new dynasty, Artaxias probably belonged to a branch of the Orontid dynasty. His descendants ruled Armenia until the 1st century AD.
Some historians state that the Orontids were of Iranian origin,[5][6][1][7][8] and suggest that it held dynastic familial linkages to the ruling Achaemenid dynasty.[9][8][10][11] Throughout their existence, the Orontids stressed their lineage from the Achaemenids in order to strengthen their political legitimacy.[12] Their presence in Armenia is traced back to Orontes I, Satrap of Armenia in 401 BC,[13] or further back to his ancestor Hydarnes, in the last quarter of the 6th century BC (see below).[a][15]
Other historians state the Orontids were of Armenian origin,[16][17] while according to Razmik Panossian, the Orontids probably had marriage links to the rulers of Persia and other leading noble houses in Armenia, and states their Armenian ethnicity is uncertain.[18] Soviet Armenian historian Suren Yeremian writes that the Orontids were an Armenian dynasty based in the area around Lake Van, the former center of the Kingdom of Urartu.[b] He argues that the Orontids established their rule in the Urartian capital Tushpa in 6th century BC, as that kingdom was collapsing. They expanded to other parts of Armenia to form the first Armenian kingdom. Per Yeremian, the Orontids originally came from the vicinity of Musasir (in modern-day northern Iraq),[c] but because of the forced relocation policies of the Urartians, they came to form an Armenian enclave in the Hurro-Urartian-populated region around Lake Van.[21]
The name Orontes is the Hellenized form of a masculine name of Iranian origin, rendered Eruand (Երուանդ) in Old Armenian (Yervand in Modern Armenian). The name is only attested in Greek (Gr.:Ὀρόντης). Its cognates are Avestan Auruuant ('brave, hero') and Middle Persian Arwand (Modern Persian Arvand). Various Greek versions of the name appear in classical sources, such as Orontas, Aroandes and Oruandes.[13]
Language
Despite the Hellenistic invasion of Persia, Persian and local Armenian culture remained the strongest element within society and the elites.[d][22]
The imperial administration used Aramaic, where it was used in official documents for centuries.[23] Whereas most inscriptions used Old Persian cuneiform.[23] Xenophon used an interpreter to speak to Armenians, while some Armenian villages were conversant in Persian.[23]
The Greek inscriptions at Armavir indicate that the upper classes used Greek as one of their languages.[24] Under Ervand the Last (r. ca. 210–200 B.C.), the structure of government had begun to resemble Greek institutions, and Greek was used as the language of the royal court. Ervand had surrounded himself by the Hellenized nobility and sponsored the establishment of a Greek school in Armavir, the capital of the Ervanduni kingdom.[25][26]
Religion
While there is no direct evidence of the Orontids' religion prior to Antiochus I of Commagene, their Iranian background and connection to the Achaemenid dynasty make it highly plausible that they followed some form of Zoroastrianism.[27]James R. Russell contends the Armenians likely embraced Zoroastrianism during the Achaemenid era while integrating it with regional traditions.[28]
Orontid satraps and kings of Armenia
Orontid Armenia in 250 BC
Information about the Orontids is fragmentary, and historians' reconstruction of their history and genealogy is tentative and mainly based on evidence from inscriptions and coins. In particular, the inscriptions left by the Orontid king Antiochus I of Commagene (r.70–31BC) at Mount Nemrut contain the most information about the genealogy of the Orontids.[29] Their presence as a ruling dynasty in Armenia can be traced back to at least 400 BC,[30] at which time Orontes I appears as the Satrap of Armenia under the Achaemenid Empire.[13]
In his largely fictional Cyropaedia, the Greek author Xenophon (died c.354/355 BC) mentions Tigranes, the son of an unnamed king of Armenia, who was a friend of Cyrus the Great (r.550–530BC), the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.[31] Tigranes was the name of later Armenian monarchs of the Artaxiad dynasty (probably a branch of the Orontids).[32] The later Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi, possibly drawing from a common tradition as Xenophon, writes of an Armenian king named Tigran (Tigranes), the son of King Eruand (Orontes) the Short-Lived.[e] Khorenatsi's Tigran allies with Cyrus the Great against the Median king Astyages.[34] According to A. Shapour Shahbazi, Xenophon's account of Tigranes is fictional, and Xenophon based Tigranes on a contemporary of the same name who was a son-in-law of the Achaemenid satrap Struthas.[35]Suren Yeremian used Xenophon's and Khorenatsi's accounts to argue that Eruand the Short-Lived and his son Tigran were actual Orontid kings of Armenia in the 6th century BC.[36] In Cyril Toumanoff's view, the succession of Tigran after Eruand in Khorenatsi's version allegorically represents the Artaxiad dynasty succeeding the Orontids.[37] Commenting on Khorenatsi's account, Igor M. Diakonoff did not rule out that the Orontids had married into a pre-existing Armenian royal house.[38]
Xenophon's contemporary Orontes I, satrap of Armenia, is regarded as the ancestor of the later Orontid rulers; it is possible that the Orontids were already established in Armenia before him. Orontes was the son of a Bactrian nobleman, Artasyrus, and claimed descent from Hydarnes, presumably through the maternal line.[29] Hydarnes was one of the "Seven Persians" who overthrew Bardiya and placed Darius the Great on the Achaemenid throne in 522 BC.[15] After Darius's takeover, Armenia revolted and was subdued after three Persian campaigns, led by the Armenian Dadarshish.[39] Hydarnes may have been granted the Satrapy of Armenia as a quasi-hereditary office. A later Hydarnes, who married his daughter to Artaxerxes II (r.405/404–359/358BC), may have been a descendant of the first Hydarnes and served as Satrap of Armenia.[15] In 401 BC, Orontes I appears as the Satrap of Armenia and the son-in-law of Artaxerxes II, having married the latter's daughter Rhodogune. This Orontes is frequently mentioned in accounts of Persian affairs in the first half of 4th century BC. He fought against the Ten Thousand Greeks during their escape through Armenia.[13] At this time, Armenia was organized into two satrapies, divided by the Teleboas River: one ruled by Orontes, and another, distinguished as "Western" Armenia, ruled by Tiribazus.[40] Orontes led the Persian infantry against Evagoras, the King of Salamis on Cyprus, after which he lost Artaxerxes's favor. He later reappears as the subordinate governor of a coastal province. He led revolt against the king but ultimately made peace with him. He died c.344 BC.[13]
During the reign of Artaxerxes III, the Satrapy of Armenia was granted to Artashata, a member of the Achaemenid dynasty who later ruled the empire as Darius III.[41] The next known Orontid satrap of Armenia is Orontes II, a son or grandson of Orontes I.[42][43] He led the Armenian contingent in Darius III's army at the Battle of Gaugamela.[13] Another Armenian commander is mentioned is mentioned in this context, Mithraustes, who may have been the satrap of another part of Armenia.[44] After conquering the Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great appointed as Satrap of Armenia Mithrenes, a satrap of Sardis who had defected to his side.[45] Some historians doubt whether Mithrenes ever actually ruled in Armenia, as the Macedonians never established firm control over the country.[46] In Cyril Toumanoff's view, Mithrenes was actually a member of the Orontid dynasty. The Mount Nemrut inscriptions bear a partially legible name following that of Orontes II, which one scholar read as Mithranes.[45] More recent studies have identified the name as ending in -danes (perhaps Bardanes),[29] referring to a son of Orontes II.[47][48] An Orontes (III) is mentioned by Diodorus Siculus as ruling Armenia in about 316 BC.[45] The Macedonian general Neoptolemus is mentioned as Satrap of Armenia not long after the death of Alexander the Great, but he seems to have failed to take control of the country, possibly because of Orontes's resistance.[49] Diodorus also refers to Ardoates, whom he calls King of Armenia, and who helped Ariarathes II of Cappadocia break away from the Seleucids. This probably happened after the battle of Battle of Corupedium.[29] According to Toumanoff, this "Ardoates" is identical with Orontes III.[45] Regardless of their formal submission to more powerful rulers, the Orontids ruled as kings in practice and presented themselves as kings.[29]
An Armenian tribute bearer carrying a metal vessel with griffin handles. 5th century BC.Armenian soldier of the Achaemenid army, circa 470 BC. Xerxes I tomb relief. Gold coin of Orontes I held at the National Library, Paris, dated to 362 BC.
Starting from 301 BC Armenia is included within the sphere of influence of the Seleucid Empire, but it maintained a considerable degree of autonomy, retaining its native rulers. According to Polyaenus, in 227 BC the Seleucid rebel king Antiochus Hierax took refuge in Armenian territory governed by King Arsames, founder of the city Arsamosata. Towards the end of 212 BC the country was divided into two kingdoms, both vassal states of the Seleucids: Greater Armenia and Armenia Sophene, including Commagene or Armenia Minor. Antiochus III the Great decided to suppress the local dynasties, and besieged Arsamosata. Xerxes, the satrap of Sophene and Commagene, surrendered and implored the clemency of the king, whom he accepted as his sovereign. Antiochus gave his sister Antiochis as a wife to Xerxes; she would later murder him. Greater Armenia was ruled by an Orontid descendant of Hydarnes, the last Orontid ruler of Greater Armenia (Strabo xi.14.15); he was apparently subdued by Antiochus III the Great, who then divided the land between his generals Artaxias (Artashes) and Zariadres (Zareh), both of whom would claim descent from the Orontid family.
Orontids of Commagene
Nemrut Dağı, Statues at East Terrace
In Nemrut Dagi, opposite the statues of Gods there are a long row of pedestals, on which stood the steles of the Greek ancestors of Antiochos. At a right angle to this row stood another row of steles, depicting his Orontid and Achaemenid ancestors. From these steles the ones of Darius and Xerxes are well preserved. In front of each stele is a small altar. Inscriptions have been found on two of those altars. Antiochos expended great effort to ensure that everyone was aware that he was related to the dynasty of the King of Kings, Darius I, by the marriage of princess Rhodogune to his ancestor Orontes. The father of Rhodogune was the Persian king, Artaxerxes. In 401 BC Artaxerxes defeated his younger brother, who tried to depose him. Because of the help Artaxerxes received from Orontes—his military commander and satrap of Armenia—he gave his daughter in marriage to him. Their descendant, the Orontid Mithridates I Callinicus married Seleucid Princess Laodice VII Thea.
In the Armenian tradition recorded by Movses Khorenatsi, Eruand (Orontes) the Short-Lived is one of the kings in the line of the legendary Armenian patriarch Hayk, separated from the latter by 43 generations.[33] He is made a contemporary of Cyrus the Great, and Khorenatsi's account of Tigran, son of Eruand, helping Cyrus against the Medes may derive from the same tradition as Xenophon's account of Tigranes, a companion of Cyrus.[34] Starting with Eruand, Khorenatsi lists the following succession:[33]
Eruand the Short-Lived
Tigran
Vahagn (Khorenatsi believed that this Armenian god was a deified king)[50]
Aravan (possibly another version of the name Orontes)[5]
Vahe, died fighting Alexander the Great; end of the Haykid line.
Memory of the real conflict between the Orontid king Orontes IV and Artaxias I is also preserved in Khorenatsi's account of Artashes, a member of the royal family, overthrowing King Eruand.[52] Khorenatsi makes Eruand and Artashes members of the Arsacid dynasty and contemporaries of the Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus (1st century AD).[53]
↑ J.R. Russell states, "According to Strabo, the Orontids traced their descent from Aroandes, whose ancestor was Hydarnes, one of the companions of Darius I and the head of one of the seven great noble clans of the Persians."[14]
↑ He cites as evidence a number of placenames in the area containing the name Eruand (the Armenian equivalent of Orontes); for example, the district of Hayots Dzor south of Lake Van was also known as Aruantunik or Eruandunik, and in some medieval Armenian sources the city of Van (the old Urartian capital Tushpa) is called Eruandavan.[19]
↑ Yeremian cites as evidence a passage from Pliny the Elder's Natural History (6.30) in which a tribe called the Orontes, who live east of Gaugamela, are mentioned.[20]
↑ The Hellenistic invasion of Persia partially influenced Armenia as well, but Persian and local Armenian culture remained the strongest element within society and the elites.[22]
↑ In Khorenatsi's history, these are members of the line of Armenian kings going back to the legendary progenitor of the Armenian people, Hayk.[33]
↑ Garsoian, Nina (2004). "ARMENO-IRANIAN RELATIONS in the pre-Islamic period". Encyclopaedia Iranica. However, the recent discovery in Armenia of boundary stones with Aramaic inscriptions, in which the ruler Artašēs proclaims himself 'the son of Zareh' and an 'Eruandid king' (Perikhanian, 1966), demonstrates that both 'generals' [Artaxias and Zariadris], far from being Macedonians, belonged in fact to the earlier native dynasty, albeit probably to collateral branches, and that the Eruandids, or Artaxiad/Artašēsids as they came to be known, with their Iranian antecedents, continued to rule Armenia as before. An unexpected corroboration of this dynastic continuity is also provided by Xenophon's much earlier choice of the name 'Tigranes' for the crown prince of Armenia in his historical romance, the Cyropaedia (Xen., Cyr. 3.1.7). (...) Except for the occasional princes imposed by the Romans, none of whom succeeded in consolidating himself on the throne, all the dynasties to rule pre-Islamic Armenia were of Iranian stock.
↑ Chahin, M. (2001). The Kingdom of Armenia: A History. Psychology Press. p.226. ISBN978-0700714520. The Artsruni Princes were, like the Artaxiads, related to the ancient Orontid line.
↑ Diakonoff 1984, p.181, note 306: "However there is nothing improbable for the Orontids (Eruandids), satraps of the Armeno-Alarodian (XVIIIth) province of the Achaemenian Empire, to have really been related by marriage to the old Armenian royal house".
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Further reading
Cyril Toumanoff. "A Note on the Orontids." Le Muséon. 72 (1959), pp.1–36 and 73 (1960), pp.73–106.
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