Tigranes the Great
~140–55 BCE · Armenian · Late Hellenistic Period
Known for: Built the Armenian Empire to its greatest extent—briefly the most powerful state between Rome and Parthia
Tigranes expanded Armenia into a vast empire stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. He built a new capital (Tigranocerta), controlled the lucrative trade routes between East and West, and styled himself 'King of Kings.' His empire was eventually reduced by Roman intervention under Pompey, but Armenia survived as a client state.
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