In 331 BC, the Achaemenid Empire collapsed with the victory of Alexander the Great. Armenia became independent and split into two kingdoms: Greater Armenia (Armenia Major) and Lesser Armenia (Armenia Minor). In 201 BC, Artashes I declared the independence of Greater Armenia and founded the capital of Artashat in 189 BC. The most prominent king of the Artaxiad dynasty was Tigranes II the Great. Continuing the policies of Artashes I, he joined Sophene and Cappadocia into the Kingdom of Greater Armenia, uniting all Armenian lands into one state. In the 80s and 70s BC, Tigranes’ rule extended from the Caspian Sea to the shores of the Mediterranean and from the Greater Caucasus to the Red Sea. He held the title “King of Kings”.

The exhibition presents:

• The boundary stones with Aramaic inscriptions of King Artashes I, tombstones and stelae with Greek and Latin inscriptions.
• The silver and copper coins of Tigranes the Great, which were minted in the cities of his vast kingdom: Damascus, Tigranakert, Artashat and bore the Greek inscription: “OF TIGRANES KING OF KINGS”.
• Finds from Artashat, Garni, Armavir, Sisian, Vagharshapat and other archaeological sites: architectural details, sculptures, examples of jewellery, terracotta figurines, marble statues, ceramic vessels and glass flasks.