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Modern Description: Founded by Tigranes (95 to 54BCE), the greatest of the Armenian kings; the site of Tigranocerta was identified by several scholars with Martyropolis (others said Tell Armen, south of Mardin and now Kızıltepe). Convincingly demonstrated by Sinclair as Arzen, the ancient town lies east of Batman on the Garzan Su – in antiquity, the river ‘Nicephorius’ - and eponymous capital of Arzanene (‘Aghdznik’ in Armenian). First captured by Lucullus in 69BC, the city was destroyed by Shapur II in 364. It seems to have recovered, although at some point, perhaps in the sixth century the population moved north to Chlomaron (now ‘Golamasya’ – see Fortresses below). It lay on the route from Amida via Bitlis and Lake Van to Artaxata, the capital of Armenia, later replaced by Dvin. During the hostilities of the 5th and 6th centuries Arzanene was in Persian territory and was regularly ravaged by the Romans under Maurice. There was a bishop of ‘Arzun’ under the Nestorian metropolis at Nisibis in the 6th century. It was the centre of Persian defence of the province but in AD578 10 000 people are said to have been transported by the Romans to Cyprus. Today little remains of ancient Arzen or of Golamasya, 14km to the north-east. The circuit of the walls can be made out in part but the plan of the internal layout drawn up by Consul Taylor is no longer apparent because of ploughing and agricultural activity. The site and its surroundings are described by Sinclair. https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10036/68213
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigranocerta
Wikidata ID: Q720583
Trismegistos Geo: 41530

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(JBK)

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