Sophene Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sophene
Province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia
189 BC–530 AD. Area = 350 000 Km 2
Sophene in the south-west of the Kingdom of Armenia (spelled "Dsopk" in the Western Armenian dialect).
Capital	Carcathiocerta, later Arshamashat
History

• Artaxias I declaring himself independent	189 BC
• Included in the province of Armenia	530 AD. Area = 350 000 Km 2

Sophene (in Armenian: Tsopk) was an important area in ancient times. It was a province of both the Armenian Kingdom and later the Roman Empire. You can find this region today in southeastern Turkey.

According to an old book called Ashkharatsuyts (meaning "World Atlas") by Anania Shirakatsi from the 7th century, Sophene was the second largest of the 15 provinces in Greater Armenia. It was made up of eight smaller areas called cantons or gavars. These were Khordzyan, Hashtyank, Paghnatun, Balahovit, Tsopk (Shahunyats), Andzit, Degiq, and Gavreq (Goreq).

Sophene's Early History
- Part of Urartu and Armenia
- Sophene After Alexander the Great
Sophene and the Roman Empire
- Becoming Part of Greater Armenia Again
- Sophene as a Roman Province
Images for kids
See also

Sophene's Early History

Part of Urartu and Armenia

Sophene was part of the kingdom of Urartu during the 8th and 7th centuries BC. In the early 700s BC, King Argishtis I of Urartu brought the region under his control. He moved many people from Sophene to his new city, Erebuni. Erebuni is now the modern capital of Armenia, Yerevan.

Around 600 BC, Sophene became part of the new Armenian Kingdom. This kingdom was ruled by the Orontid family.

Sophene After Alexander the Great

After Alexander the Great's military campaigns in the 330s BC, the large Achaemenid Empire fell apart. Sophene remained part of the newly independent kingdom of Greater Armenia.

In the early 200s BC, the Seleucid Empire wanted to make the Armenian kingdom weaker. So, they encouraged Sophene and a nearby region called Commagene to break away. This led to the creation of the Hellenistic kingdom of Tsopk-Commagene. This new kingdom was ruled by a branch of the Armenian royal family, the Orontids. Later, Sophene even split from Tsopk-Commagene to become its own independent kingdom.

Sophene and the Roman Empire

Becoming Part of Greater Armenia Again

Around 200 BC, the Seleucian king Antiochus III tried to take over Armenia. He conquered both Greater Armenia and Sophene. He then put two Armenian generals in charge: Artaxias I in Greater Armenia and Zariadres in Sophene.

However, Antiochus was defeated by the Romans in a big battle called Magnesia in 190 BC. After this defeat, both Zareh (Zariadres) and Artashes (Artaxias I) declared themselves independent kings. Zareh and his family ruled the kingdom of Sophene for a while. Later, Tigranes the Great reunified Sophene with Greater Armenia in the 80s BC.

Sophene as a Roman Province

After defeating Tigranes the Great, the Roman general Pompey gave Sophene back to Tigranes. Sophene later became a part of the powerful Roman Empire. It was made into a Roman province. The capital city of this Roman province was Amida, which is known today as Diyarbakır. Around the year 54 AD, a person named Gaius Julius Sohaemus ruled the province.

Finally, in the year 530 AD, Sophene was included into a larger Roman province called Armenia IV.