Period | Ancient history |
---|---|
Dates | 401 BC – 387 AD |
Preceded by | Satrapy of Armenia |
Followed by | Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity) |
Armenian Mesopotamia (Armenian: Հայոց Միջագետք) was a region in Northern Mesopotamia that was inhabited partly by Armenians. In antiquity, this region bordered the Armenian provinces of Tsopk and Aghdznik to the North, as well as Assyrian Mesopotamia and Commagene to its south.[1] Northern Mesopotamia came under Armenian rule during the reign of Tigranes the Great (95 BC - 55 BC).[2] However, Tigranes’ empire in Mesopotamia came to an end in 66 BC when he submitted to the Roman statesman and general Pompeius.[3] By 37 BC, only eight of its provinces remained part of the Kingdom of Armenia. The remaining part of the territory was split up between Rome and Persia.[1] For most of its history, Armenian Mesopotamia was primarily composed of the major cities of Diyarbakir (Amid), Tigranocerta, Dara, Tur Abdin (Cephas), Dadima, Arsamosata, and Citharizum.[4] Its Armenian population remained until the Armenian genocide of WWI.[1]