Visual Timeline: Armenia

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3500 BCE 3000 BCE 2500 BCE 2000 BCE 1500 BCE 1000 BCE 500 BCE 0 CE 500 CE 1000 CE  
 
 
3500 BCE - 1000 BCE: The Hurrian culture flourishes in the Near East.
 
 
3500 BCE - 2200 BCE: Occupation of Shnagavit in ancient Armenia.
 
 
1500 BCE - 1200 BCE: The Hayasa-Azzi confederation flourishes in ancient Turkey and Armenia.
 
 
1320 BCE: The Hittite king Musili II attacks the Hayasa-Azzi confederation.
 
900 BCE - 590 BCE: The Urartu civilization flourishes in ancient Armenia, eastern Turkey and western Iran.
 
 
782 BCE: The fortress of Erebuni is constructed in ancient Armenia.
 
 
585 BCE: The Erebuni fortress in ancient Armenia is occupied by the Median Empire.
 
 
570 BCE - 200 BCE: The Orontid dynasty rules in ancient Armenia.
 
 
570 BCE - 560 BCE: Orontes (Yervand) Sakavakyats reigns in Armenia, founder of the Orontid dynasty.
 
 
522 BCE: The Persian satrapy of Armenia briefly cedes from the Achaemenid Empire but is brought under control by Darius I.
 
 
333 BCE: The Armenian Orontid dynasty provides troops for the Persian cause at the Battle of Issus.
 
 
331 BCE: The Armenian Orontid dynasty provides troops for the Persian cause at the Battle of Gaugamela.
 
 
330 BCE: Armavir is made the capital of Armenia, a state under control of the Macedonian Empire.
 
260 BCE: The unified kingdom of Commagene and Sophene rises in western Armenia.
 
 
212 BCE - 200 BCE: Reign of king Orontes IV (aka Yervand IV), last ruler of the Orontid dynasty.
 
 
200 BCE - 14 CE: The Artaxiad dynasty rules in Armenia.
 
 
200 BCE - 160 BCE: Reign of Artaxias I, founder of the Artaxiad dynasty in Armenia.
 
 
188 BCE: Artaxata replaces Erebuni as the Armenian capital.
 
 
176 BCE: Artashat (Artaxata) is made the new capital of Armenia by Artaxias I.
 
 
95 BCE - 56 BCE: Reign of Tigranes II, king of Armenia.
 
 
94 BCE: Armenia king Tigranes II annexes the kingdom of Sophene.
 
 
87 BCE: Armenian king Tigranes II sacks Ecbatana, the Parthian royal summer residence.
 
 
83 BCE: Armenian king Tigranes II founds a new capital at Tigranocerta (aka Tigranakert).
 
 
69 BCE: Licinius Lucullus leads a Roman army which defeats Armenian king Tigranes II and his capital Tigranocerta is captured. Artashat becomes the capital again.
 
66 BCE: Pompey the Great rebuilds the Armenian city of Tigranocerta.
 
 
66 BCE: A Roman army led by Pompey the Great besieges Artashat in Armenia.
 
 
56 BCE - 34 BCE: Reign of Armenian king Artavasdes II.
 
 
53 BCE: Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus compels Armenia to provide troops for his campaigns against Parthia.
 
 
34 BCE: Roman general Mark Antony attacks Armenia. The Armenian king Artavasdes II is taken captive to Alexandria.
 
 
30 BCE: Arteses (Artashes) II is made king of Armenia by the Parthians.
 
 
20 BCE: Roman emperor Augustus makes Tigranes III king of Armenia.
 
 
6 CE - 12 CE: Reign of Tigran V, last Artaxiad king of Armenia.
 
 
12 CE - 428 CE: Reign of the Arsacid dynasty in Armenia.
 
 
52 CE: Parthian king Vologases I invades Armenia.
 
 
54 CE - 60 CE: Roman general Corbulo successfully campaigns in Armenia.
 
 
58 CE: The Roman general Corbulo captures the Armenian capital Artashat without a fight.
 
 
63 CE - 88 CE: Reign of Tiridates I in Armenia.
 
 
63 CE: The Treaty of Rhandia gives Rome and Parthia equality over Armenia rulers and government.
 
 
72 CE: Roman emperor Vespasian annexes the kingdoms of Commagene and Lesser Armenia.
 
 
114 CE: Roman emperor Trajan annexes Armenia and declares war on Parthia.
 
 
117 CE: Roman emperor Hadrian grants independence to the Kingdom of Armenia.
 
 
166 CE: A Roman army sacks the Armenia capital of Artashat.
 
 
239 CE - 330 CE: Life of Saint Gregory the Illuminator who is credited with bringing Christianity to Armenia (dates disputed).
 
 
252 CE: The Sasanid Empire invades the Kingdom of Armenia.
 
 
298 CE - 330 CE: Reign of Armenian king Tiridates the Great.
 
 
298 CE: Roman Emperor Diocletian reunifies the Kingdom of Armenia.
 
 
303 CE: Work is begun on Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Vagharshapat, Armenia.
 
314 CE: Armenia adopts Christianity as the state religion.
 
 
368 CE - 369 CE: The Sasanid Empire destroys several cities in the kingdom of Armenia.
 
 
368 CE: The Sasanian ruler Shapur II sacks the Armenian city of Artashat.
 
 
387 CE: Partition of Armenia between the Roman and Sasanian Empires.
 
 
387 CE: Roman emperor Theodosius I and Shapur III of Persia agree to formally divide Armenia between the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and the Sasanian Empire.
 
387 CE: Tigranocerta in Armenia is renamed Martyropolis.
 
 
405 CE: The Armenian alphabet is invented by Mesrop Mashtots.
 
 
410 CE - 490 CE: Life of the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi.
 
 
422 CE - 428 CE: Reign of Armenia king Artashes IV, last ruler of the Arsacid dynasty.
 
 
428 CE - 652 CE: Persia rules one half of Armenia as the Marzpanate, that is with marzpan viceroys.
 
 
439 CE: Mamikonian prince Hamazasp marries Sahakanyush and so unifies the estates of the Mamikonians and descendants of Saint Gregory the Illuminator.
 
 
451 CE: Battle of Avarayr between Armenian forces and those of the Sasanian Empire.
 
483 CE: Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Vagharshapat, Armenia is rebuilt by Vahan Mamikonian.
 
 
484 CE: The Treaty of Nvarsak is signed between Persia and Armenia giving the latter a greater political autonomy and freedom of religious thought.
 
 
485 CE: Vahan Mamikonian is made marzpan of Armenia.
 
506 CE: First Council of Dvin establishes that the Armenian Church did not recognize the Fourth Ecumenical Council.
 
 
554 CE: The Council of Dvin declares the Armenian Church's adherence to the doctrine of monophysitism.
 
 
562 CE: Artashat in Armenia is confirmed as an official trading post between Persia and the Byzantine Empire.
 
 
623 CE: The Byzantine emperor Heraclius attacks the Armenian capital of Dvin.
 
 
640 CE - 650 CE: The Rashidun Caliphate conquers Armenia.
 
 
640 CE: A Muslim Arab force attacks and captures the Armenian capital of Dvin.
 
 
642 CE: Byzantine emperor Constans II attacks the Armenian capital of Dvin.
 
651 CE: Arab Rashidun Caliphate conquers the Sasanian Empire.
 
 
701 CE: Armenia is formally annexed as a province of the Umayyad Caliphate.
 
 
746 CE - 752 CE: Byzantine emperor Constantine V conducts successful campaigns in northern Syria and Armenia.
 
 
789 CE: Partav replaces Dvin as the capital of Armenia.
 
862 CE: Council of Sirakawan between the Armenian and Byzantine Orthodox Churches discuss Christological issues in an effort to reunify, although ultimately unsuccessful.
 
 
892 CE: A huge earthquake destroys much of Dvin, the Armenian capital.
 
 
961 CE: Ani is made the capital of Armenia.
 
 
1001 CE - 1006 CE: The cathedral at Ani is completed by Trdat the Architect.
 
 
1021 CE - 1022 CE: Byzantine emperor Basil II wins victories in Armenia and Georgia.
 
 
1064 CE: Seljuk Turks, under Alp Arslan, sack the former Armenian capital of Ani, then under Byzantine control.
 
1124 CE: Georgia captures the city of Ani at the invitation of its Armenian population.
 
 
1137 CE: Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos conquers the Rubenids in Armenia and occupies the capital at Anazarbos.
 
1206 CE: Georgian forces under Tamar occupy the Armenian cities Erzurum and Kars.
 
1209 CE: The Sultan of Ardabil sacks the Georgian-held Armenian city of Ani.
 
 
1236 CE: Dvin, the former capital of Armenia, is destroyed during the Mongol invasion and definitively abandoned.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3500 BCE 3000 BCE 2500 BCE 2000 BCE 1500 BCE 1000 BCE 500 BCE 0 CE 500 CE