Английская Википедия:Artaxata
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Artashat (Шаблон:Lang-hy), Hellenized as Artaxata (Шаблон:Lang-grc) and Artaxiasata (Шаблон:Lang-grc),Шаблон:Sfn was a major city and commercial center of ancient Armenia which served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia from its founding in 176 BC to 120 AD, with some interruptions. It was founded during reign of King Artaxias I (Artashes), the founder of the Artaxiad dynasty. Its ruins are located in the Ararat Province of modern-day Armenia, on the left bank of the Araks River, at the site of the monastery of Khor Virap. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times from the 1st to the 5th centuries AD, before finally being abandoned.
Name
The name of the city is of Iranian origin. Artaxata/Artashat can be interpreted as meaning "the joy of Arta (truth),"Шаблон:Sfn although it is actually a shortening of Artaxšas-šāt, meaning "the joy of Artaxias," as reflected in the alternative Greek form Artaxiasata.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Artaxata was named after its founder, Artaxias I, just as the cities of Arshamashat, Eruandashat, and Zarishat were named after their respective founders (see also: -shat).Шаблон:Sfn It was briefly renamed Neroneia in the first century AD after it was rebuilt by Tiridates I of Armenia with the help of the Roman emperor Nero.Шаблон:Sfn Artaxata was also known as Шаблон:Transliteration, meaning "court/seat of the Armenians," which was also the name of the canton in which it was located.Шаблон:Sfn
History
Antiquity
King Artaxias I founded Artaxata as his new capital in 176 BC in the Шаблон:Transliteration canton of the province of Ayrarat, on a peninsula of nine hills at the confluence of the Araks and Metsamor rivers.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Archaeological evidence may indicate that Artaxata was built upon the remains of an older Urartian settlement.Шаблон:Sfn The story of its foundation is given by the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi: "Artashes [Artaxias] traveled to the confluence of the Yeraskh and Metsamor [rivers] and, taking a liking to the hill there, he chose it as the location of his new city, naming it after himself."Шаблон:Sfn The Greek historians Plutarch and Strabo relate an apocryphal story according to which the site of Artaxata was chosen on the advice of the Carthaginian general Hannibal.Шаблон:Sfn There is, however, no direct evidence to support this story.Шаблон:Sfn
Artaxias I built Artaxata's citadel on the height later called Khor Virap (best known as the location where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned by Tiridates III of Armenia) and added other fortifications, including a moat.Шаблон:Sfn The remains of the great walls of the city and some of its buildings are still visible today.Шаблон:Sfn Strabo and Plutarch describe Artaxata as a large and beautiful city and call it the "Armenian Carthage."Шаблон:Sfn Excavations have revealed that Artaxata was a major urban center with paved streets, numerous bathhouses, markets, workshops and administrative buildings.Шаблон:Sfn The city had its own treasury, mint and customs house.Шаблон:Sfn A focal point of Hellenistic culture in Armenia, Armenia's first theater was built here.Шаблон:Sfn Movses Khorenatsi writes that numerous copper pagan statues of the gods and goddesses of Anahit, Artemis and Tir were brought to Artaxata from the religious center of Bagaran and other regions, and that Jews from the former Armenian capital of Armavir were relocated to the new capital.Шаблон:Sfn Due to its advantageous position, Artaxata soon became an important junction on the trade routes linking Persia and Mesopotamia with the Caucasus, the Black Sea ports and Asia Minor, contributing to its growth and prosperity, as well as that of the surrounding region.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The city had a population of several thousand, consisting of Armenians, Greeks, Jews, and Syrians who worked as artisans, craftsmen, and merchants.Шаблон:Sfn
Wars against Romans and Persians
During the reign of Tigranes II, the Armenian kingdom was expanded to include many territories to the south and west, ultimately reaching the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the remoteness of Artaxata within the expanded empire, Tigranes built a new capital called Tigranocerta in the region of Arzanene. However, in 69 BC, the Roman general Lucullus invaded Armenia, defeated Tigranes' forces in the outskirts of Tigranocerta and sacked the new capital. As the harassed Roman forces continued to move northeast in pursuit of the Armenian king, a second prominent battle took place, this time near Artaxata where, according to Roman sources, Tigranes II was defeated once again, although Lucullus was forced to turn back to Mesopotamia by the threat of mutiny and never took the city.Шаблон:Sfn Artaxata successfully withstood an assault by the Parthians allied with Tigranes's son, but then faced another attack by Pompey.Шаблон:Sfn In order to save Artaxata, Tigranes submitted to the Romans and gave up most of the territories which he had conquered.Шаблон:Sfn
The city remained a hotly contested military target for the next two centuries. Mark Antony marched on Artaxata in 34 BC and took King Artavasdes II captive.Шаблон:Sfn in 58–59 AD, It was occupied and razed to the ground by Capadocian legions under the Roman general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo during the first, short-lived, Roman conquest of Armenia.Шаблон:Sfn After Emperor Nero recognized Tiridates I as king of Armenia in 66 AD, he granted him 50 million sesterces and sent architects and construction experts to aid in the reconstruction of the ruined city.Шаблон:Sfn The city was temporarily renamed Neroneia, in honor of its sponsor.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
The Roman emperor Trajan conquered Armenia in 115/6 AD and briefly made it a Roman province.Шаблон:Sfn The Romans established a garrison at Artaxata during this time, as has been proved by the discovery of Latin inscription there mentioning Trajan.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn After his death, the Romans led by Statius Priscus invaded Armenia and destroyed Artaxata in 163/64 AD.Шаблон:Sfn After this, Artaxata was replaced by Vagharshapat as the capital of Armenia, at least temporarily.Шаблон:Sfn In the mid-3rd century, during the reign of Khosrov III the Small, the royal court was moved to Duin.Шаблон:Sfn In the late 360s, Artaxata was thoroughly destroyed by the invading army of Sasanian king Shapur II, along with the other cities of Armenia.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Following the partition of Armenia between Sasanian Iran and the Eastern Roman Empire, Artaxata became one of three authorized points for trade between the two empires.Шаблон:Sfn
In 449, prior to the Armenian rebellion of 450–451, the political and religious leaders of Christian Armenia convened a council at Artaxata to discuss the threats of the Sasanian king Yazdegerd II. During the rebellion, the city was destroyed again by pro-Sasanian Armenian forces.Шаблон:Sfn With the rise in prominence of Duin as the capital and chief city of Armenia, Artaxata rapidly declined.Шаблон:Sfn The changing courses of the Araks and Mestamor rivers and consequent flooding probably led to the settlement's final abandonment.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
The exact location of ancient Artaxata was identified during the 1920s, with archaeological excavations beginning in 1970. The archaeological site is Шаблон:Convert south of the modern city of Artashat, near the monastery of Khor Virap.
References
Bibliography
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Encyclopaedia Iranica
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Encyclopaedia Iranica
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite encyclopedia
Further reading
Шаблон:Historic capitals of Armenia
- Английская Википедия
- Страницы с неработающими файловыми ссылками
- Former capitals of Armenia
- Archaeological sites in Armenia
- Forts in Armenia
- Buildings and structures in Ararat Province
- Ararat Province
- Страницы, где используется шаблон "Навигационная таблица/Телепорт"
- Страницы с телепортом
- Википедия
- Статья из Википедии
- Статья из Английской Википедии
