A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ARSACIDAE. ARSACIDAE. 361.
tus, and with the Parthians. The history of this the Armenian historians. They were one of the
dynasty is involved in great difficulties, as the most powerful families in Armenia. After they
Latin and Greek authors do not always agree with had come to the throne, they sometimes were comthe Armenian historians, such as Moses Chorenensis, pelled to pay tribute to the khalifs and to the emFaustus Byzantinus, and others. The Romans do perors of Constantinople, and in later times they
not call the dynasty of the Armenian kings by the lost a considerable part of Armenia. A branch of
name of Arsacidae; they mention several kings of this family reigned at Kars for a considerable time
the name of Arsaces, and others descended from the after 1079. Another branch acquired the kingdom
Parthian dynasty of the Arsacidae, and they seem of Georgia, which it possessed down to the present
not to have known several kings mentioned by the day, when the last king, David, ceded his kingdom
Armenian historians. On the other hand, the to Russia, in which country his descendants are
Armenian writers know but one dynasty reigning still living. The princes of Bagration in Russia
in Armenia during that period, and they do not are likewise descended from the Pagratidae, anmention several kings spoken of by the Romans; other branch of whom settled in Imerethia in the
or, if they mention their names, they do not con- Caucasus, and its descendants still belong to the
sider them as kings. The consequence of this is, principal chiefs of that country.
that every account based exclusively on Roman VII. DYNASTY OF THE ARDZRUNIANs, said to
and Greek writers would be incomplete; they have been descended from the ancient kings of
want to be compared with the Armenian historians, Assyria. Several members of it were appointed
and thus only a satisfactory result can be obtained, governors of Armenia by the first khalifs. In A.D.
Several attempts have been made to reconcile the 855, this family became independent in the northern
different statements of the western and eastern part of Armenia in the country round the upper
historians, as the reader may see from the notes of part of the Euphrates. Adom and Abusahl, the
the brothers Whiston and the works of Vaillant, last Ardzrunians, were killed in 1080 by the emDu Four de Longuerue, Richter, and especially peror Nicephorus Botaniates, who united their doSt. Martin, which are cited below, minions with the Byzantine empire.
The expression "kings of Armenia" is in many VIII. MOHAMMEDAN DYNASTIES. 1. Of Kurdinstances vague, and leads to erroneous conclusions, ish origin, from A. D. 984 to A. D. 1085. 2. Of
especially with regard to the Arsacidae. The trans- Turkoman origin, from A. D. 1084 to A. D. 1312.
actions of the Romans with Armenia will present They resided in different places, and the extent
much less difficulties if the student will remember of their dominions varied according to the military
that he has to do with kings in Armenia, and kings success of the khalifs of Egypt and the Seljukian
of Armenian origin reigning in countries beyond princes.
the limits of Armenia. The history of the Arsa- IX. DYNASTIES OF DIFFERENT ORIGIN, from
cidae cannot be well understood without a previous the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Some
knowledge of the other dynasties before and after kings belonged to the Pagratidae, among whom
that of the Arsacidae; for Armenian kings were was the celebrated Haython I. or Hethum in 1224;
known to the Greeks long before the accession of and some were Latin princes, among whom was Leo
the Arsacidae; and the annals of the Eastern em- VI. of Lusignan, who was driven out by the khalif
pire mention many important transactions with of Egypt, and died in Paris in 1393, the last king
kings of Armenia, belonging to those dynasties, of Armenia. Otto, duke of Brunswick, from whom
which reigned in this country during a period of is descended the present house of Hanover, was
almost a thousand years after the fall of the Arsa- crowned as king of Armenia in Germany, but he
cidae. But as any detailed account would be out never entered the country.
of place here, we can give only a short sketch. THE DYNASTY OF THE ARSACIDAE. (See
I. DYNASTY of HAIG, founded by Haig, the son above, No. III.) It has already been said, that
of Gathlas, who is said to have lived B. c. 2107. there are considerable discrepancies between the
Fifty-nine kings belong to this dynasty, and statements of the Romans and those of the Arnneamong them Zarmair, who, according to the Ar- nians concerning this dynasty. The Romans tell
menian historians, assisted the Trojans at the siege us that Artaxias, governor of Armenia Magna for
of their city, where he commanded a body of As- Antiochus the Great, king of Syria, made himself
syrians; Dikran or Tigranes, a prince mentioned independent in his government B. c. 188; and that
by Xenophon (Cyrop. iii. 1, v. 1, 3, viii. 3, 4); Zadriates became king of Armenia Minor, of which
and Wahe, the last of his house, who fell in a country he was praefect. The descendents of Arbattle with Alexander the Great in B. c. 328. taxias became extinct with Tigranes III., who was
The names of the fifty-nine kings, the duration of driven out by Caius Caesar; and among the kings
their reigns, and some other historical facts, mixed who reigned after him, there are many who were
up with fabulous accounts, are given by the Ar- not Arsacidae, but belonged to other Asiatic
menian historians, dynasties. The Armenians on the contrary say,
II. SEVEN GOVERNORS appointed by Alexander, that the dynasty of the Arsacidae was founded by
and after his death by the Seleucidae, during the Valarsaces or Wagharshag, the brother of Mithriperiod from 328 to 149 B. c. dates Arsaces [ARSACES III.], king of Parthia, by
III. DYNASTY OF THE ARSACIDAE, from. c. whom he was established on the throne of Armenia
149 to A. D. 428. See below, in B. c. 149. A younger branch of the Arsacidae
IV. PERSIAN GOVERNORS, from A. D. 428 to was founded by Arsham or Ardsham, son of
625. Ardashes (Artaxes) and brother of the great
V. GREEK AND ARABIAN GOVERNORS, from Tigranes, who reigned at Edessa, and whose deA. D. 632 to 855. scendants became masters of Armenia Magna after
VI. DYNASTY OF THE PAGRATIDAE, from 855 the extinction of the Arsacidae in that country
to 1079. The Pagratidae, a noble family of Jewish with the death of Tiridates I., who was establishorigin, settled in Armenia in B. c. 600, according to ed on the throne by Nero, and who died most