ARTAXATA
ARTAXATA (
Ἀρτάξατα,
Ἀρταξιάσατα,
Ἀρταξιασώτα: Artaxata sing. and plur.,
Plin. Nat. 6.10;
Juv. 2.170; Tac.
Annal. 2.56, 6.32, 13.41, 14.23: Eth.
Ἀρταξατηνός), the ancient capital of Armenia, situated on a sort of peninsula formed by the curve of the river Araxes. (
Strab. xi. p.529.) Hannibal, who took refuge at the court of Artaxias when Antiochus was no longer able to protect him, superintended the building of this city, which was so called in honour of Artaxias. (Strab. p. 528;
Plut. Luc. 31.) Corbulo, A.D. 58, destroyed the town (
Dict. of Biog. s. v.), which was rebuilt by Tiridates, who gave it the name of Neronia in honour of the Emperor Nero, who had surrendered the kingdom of Armenia to him. (Dio. Cass. 63.7.)
The subsequent history, as given by the native historians, will be found in St. Martin (
Mém. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 118). Formerly a mass of ruins called
Takt Tiridate (Throne of Tiridates), near the junction of the
Aras and the
Zengue, were supposed to represent the ancient Artaxata. Col. Monteith (
London Geog. Journal, vol. iii. p. 47) fixes the site at a remarkable bend in the river, somewhat lower down than this, at the bottom of which were the ruins of a bridge of Greek or Roman architecture.
[
E.B.J]
