Artaxias I

Artaxias I
King of Armenia
Reign	190/189 BC–160/159 BC
Predecessor	None
Successor	Artavasdes I
Born	230 BC
Died	160 BC
Consort	Satenik
Dynasty	Artaxiad Dynasty

Artaxias I (Greek: Άρταξίας, Artashes Armenian: Արտաշես; reigned 190/189 BC – 160/159 BC) was the founder of the Artaxiad Dynasty whose members ruled the Kingdom of Armenia for nearly two centuries.

By the end of the 3rd century BC, the kingdom of Armenia was made up of around 120 dynastic domains ruled by nakharars, loosely united under the Orontid kings of Greater and Lesser Armenia. Even though Alexander the Great did not conquer Armenia, Hellenistic culture had strongly impacted Armenian society. When Antiochus the Great wrestled Armenia from Orontid rule, he appointed Artaxias as strategos.

Following his monarch's defeat by the Romans at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC, Artaxias and his co-strategos Zariadres revolted and, with Roman consent, began to reign autonomously with the title of king; Artaxias over Greater Armenia and Zariadres over Sophene/Lesser Armenia.

According to Strabo and Plutarch, Artashes also founded the Armenian capital Artashat (Artaxata) with the aid of the Carthaginian general Hannibal who was being sheltered from the Romans within Artashesians' court. The population of the previous Yervanduni (Orontid) capital of Yervandashat was transferred to Artashat (Artaxata). Over a dozen stone boundary markers have been discovered on the territory of modern Armenia from the time of the reign of Artashes with Aramaic inscriptions, before their discovery the existence of these stones was attested by Moses of Chorene. In these inscriptions Artashes claims descent from the Yervanduni (Orontid) Dynasty: King Artaxias, the son of Orontid Zariadres.

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