Kingdom of Sophene Information & Kingdom of Sophene Links at HealthHaven.com

History of Armenia
	; This article is part of a series
Prehistoric Armenia
	Hayasa-Azzi
	Armens
	Nairi
	Urartu
Kingdom of Armenia
	Orontid Armenia
	Kingdom of Sophene
	Artaxiad Dynasty
	Kingdom of Commagene
	Arsacid Dynasty
Medieval history
	Marzpanate Period
	Byzantine Armenia
	Arab conquest of Armenia
	Principality of Armenia
	Bagratuni Armenia
	Kingdom of Vaspurakan
	Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
	Zakarid Armenia
Foreign rule
	Persian
	Ottoman
	Russian
	Hamidian massacres
	Armenian Genocide
Contemporary Armenia
	Democratic Republic of Armenia
	Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
	Republic of Armenia
	Armenia Portal; v • d • e

Sophene as part of the Empire of Tigranes

The Kingdom of Sophene (Armenian: Ծոփքի Թագավորութիւն) was an ancient Armenian kingdom.^[1]^[2]^[3] Founded sometime around the 3rd century B.C. the kingdom maintained independence until 90's B.C. when Tigranes the Great conquered these territories as part of his empire^[3] . An offshoot of this kingdom was the Kingdom of Commagene, when the Seleucids detached Commagene from Sophene.^[1]

[edit] Origins

Initially a part of Urartu, Sophene became a province of the newly emerged ancient Armenian Kingdom of Orontids around 600 BC.

After Alexander the Great's campaigns in 330s BC and the subsequent collapse of the Achaemenid Empire, it became one of the first regions of Armenia to be exposed to Greek influence and adopted some aspects of Greek culture. Sophene remained part of the newly independent kingdom of Greater Armenia. Around the 3rd century BC, the Seleucid Empire forced Sophene to split from Greater Armenia, giving rise to the Kingdom of Sophene. The kingdom was ruled by a branch of the Armenian royal dynasty of Orontids^[1].

[edit] Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Toumanoff, Cyril(1963) Studies in Christian Caucasian History, Georgetown University Press
^ Traditio, By Institute of Research and Study in Medieval Canon Law Summary(1943)Contributor Johannes Quasten, Stephan Kuttner, Fordham University Press
^ ^a ^b Bedoukian, Paul (1985). Coinage of the Armenia Kingdoms of Sophene and Commagene. Los Angeles: Armenian Numismatic Society. pp. 30 pages. ISBN 0960684239.

[toumanoff-0] Toumanoff, Cyril(1963) Studies in Christian Caucasian History, Georgetown University Press

[1] Traditio, By Institute of Research and Study in Medieval Canon Law Summary(1943)Contributor Johannes Quasten, Stephan Kuttner, Fordham University Press

[bedoukian-2] Bedoukian, Paul (1985). Coinage of the Armenia Kingdoms of Sophene and Commagene. Los Angeles: Armenian Numismatic Society. pp. 30 pages. ISBN 0960684239.

[1]

[2]

[3]