The Greek period from which this legend dates began with the defeat
of the Armenian king Vahy, who was overcome by Alexander the Great
somewhere about 328 B.C. [27] The Greeks chose their own representative
to rule over the province, who at the time of Alexander's death was
Seleucus. Historians have taken the name of this governor to indicate
the dynasty of Greek supremacy which followed; i.e., the Seleucid
dynasty. This method of the Greeks of selecting their own man to
govern a subject people, which was of course in pursuance of their
policy of superimposing their own culture upon all subject nations,
was contrary to the policy of the Parthians, Romans, and Persians,
who allowed the Armenians to maintain their national independence
provided they permitted the use of their armies and duly paid their
taxes. And it is this policy of the Greeks that accounts for the fact
that large portions of Greek mythology and religion were taken over
by the Armenians.
Although the period of political supremacy was short-lived, the
influence of Greek culture continued to permeate the social life
of the people through the reign of the Arsacid kings. [28] In 246
B.C. Arsaces, a Parthian, made himself master of the Parthians,
Persians, Medes, Babylonians, and lastly Armenians. [29] His grandson,
Arsaces the Great, conquered as far as India, and after seating himself
securely upon the throne of Persia, placed his brother Valarsace upon
the Armenian throne, so founding the Persian and Armenian Arsacid
dynasties (150 B.C.). [30] The Persian Arsacidae became extinct in
A.D. 226 when they were overthrown by the Persian Sasanidae, whereas
the Armenian Arsacidae line continued up until A.D. 428, when the
Armenian kingdom was divided between Persia and Rome by Shapuh,
the Persian monarch, and Theodosius II. [31] This makes a period
of 578 years (150 B.C.-A.D. 428) during which Armenia was governed
by her own line of kings, and enjoyed the liberties of national
independence. To be sure after the conquest of Lucullus and Pompey
(66 B.C.) Armenia became tributary to Rome, but the right of succession
remained with the Armenian royal family, even during Roman supremacy,
so that the national life was in no manner interfered with. [32] The
greatest Armenian king of the Arsacidae line was Tigranes the Great,
who extended his domains by conquest and established himself in his
capital, Tigranacerta, with a court of matchless splendor. [33] He
is spoken of by historians as a king of kings, and as having ruled
with a pomp, splendor, and pride never before known. Defeated by
Pompey within the walls of his own capital city, his kingdom became
tributary to Rome.