Episode T18 – Tigranes

Synopsis:  The death of King Philip I marks the official end of the Seleucid line.  Invited by the Antiochenes to rule them, King Tigranes II of Armenia proceeds to conquer all of Syria – including Cleopatra Selene’s stronghold of Ptolemais-Akko.  But Tigranes’ refusal to abandon his ally, King Mithridates VI of Pontus, leads to his empire’s destruction.

“Tigranes…marched forth with an army of such huge proportions that he actually laughed heartily at the appearance of the Romans present there.  He is said to have remarked that, in cases where they came to make war, only a few presented themselves, but when it was an embassy, many came.”  – Cassius Dio, Rome, Book 36

“Pompey…expelled Antiochus (XIII), from the government of Syria, although he had done the Romans no wrong…The pretense was that it was unseemly for the Seleucidae, whom Tigranes had dethroned, to govern Syria, rather than the Romans, who had conquered Tigranes.”  – Appian, The Syrian Wars, Book 10

(Absolutely awesome and super-useful) map of Syria and surrounding territories c. 87 BC

https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/87BC.png

Map of the Greater Armenian Empire of King Tigranes II

https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/Armenia1.png

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