§11.14.15ὁ μὲν δὴ παλαιὸς λόγος οὗτος, ὁ δὲ τούτου νεώτερος καὶ κατὰ Πέρσας εἰς τὸ ἐφεξῆς μέχρι εἰς ἡμᾶς ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ πρέποι ἂν μέχρι τοσούτου λεχθείς, ὅτι κατεῖχον τὴν Ἀρμενίαν Πέρσαι καὶ Μακεδόνες, μετὰ ταῦτα οἱ τὴν Συρίαν ἔχοντες καὶ τὴν Μηδίαν·
Such is the ancient account; but the history subsequent to this, from the Persians down to our own times, would be sufficiently told in summary as follows: namely, that the Persians and Macedonians held Armenia, and after that, those who ruled over Syria and Media.
τελευταῖος δʼ ὑπῆρξεν Ὀρόντης ἀπόγονος Ὑδάρνου τῶν ἑπτὰ Περσῶν ἑνός·
The last ruler was Orontes, a descendant of Hydarnes, one of the seven Persians.
εἶθʼ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀντιόχου τοῦ μεγάλου στρατηγῶν τοῦ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πολεμήσαντος διῃρέθη δίχα, Ἀρταξίου τε καὶ Ζαριάδριος·
Then the country was divided into two parts by Artaxias and Zariadres, the generals of Antiochus the Great, who made war against the Romans.
καὶ ἦρχον οὗτοι τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιτρέψαντος· ἡττηθέντος δʼ ἐκείνου προσθέμενοι Ῥωμαίοις καθʼ αὑτοὺς ἐτάττοντο βασιλεῖς προσαγορευθέντες.
These ruled with the permission of the king, but when he was defeated, they allied themselves with the Romans and established themselves as independent rulers, being addressed as kings.
τοῦ μὲν οὖν Ἀρταξίου Τιγράνης ἦν ἀπόγονος καὶ εἶχε τὴν ἰδίως λεγομένην Ἀρμενίαν (αὕτη δʼ ἦν προσεχὴς τῇ τε Μηδίᾳ καὶ Ἀλβανοῖς καὶ Ἴβηρσι μέχρι Κολχίδος καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ Εὐξείνῳ Καππαδοκίας), τοῦ δὲ Ζαριάδριος ὁ Σωφηνὸς Ἀρτάνης ἔχων τὰ νότια μέρη καὶ τούτων τὰ πρὸς δύσιν μᾶλλον.
Tigranes was a descendant of Artaxias and held Armenia proper (this was adjacent to Media, the Albanians, and the Iberians, as far as Colchis and Cappadocia on the Euxine Sea), while Artanes, the Sophenian, a descendant of Zariadres, held the southern parts, and especially those towards the west.
κατελύθη δʼ οὗτος ὑπὸ τοῦ Τιγράνου, καὶ πάντων κατέστη κύριος ἐκεῖνος.
But the latter was overthrown by Tigranes, who became master of all.
τύχαις δʼ ἐχρήσατο ποικίλαις· κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν γὰρ ὡμήρευσε παρὰ Πάρθοις, ἔπειτα διʼ ἐκείνων ἔτυχε καθόδου, λαβόντων μισθὸν ἑβδομήκοντα αὐλῶνας τῆς Ἀρμενίας·
He experienced various fortunes; for at first he was a hostage among the Parthians, but later obtained his return through them, they receiving as reward seventy valleys of Armenia.
αὐξηθεὶς δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ἀπέλαβε τὰ χωρία καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων ἐπόρθησε τήν τε περὶ Νίνον καὶ τὴν περὶ Ἄρβηλα·
But when he grew in power, he took back these places and even ravaged their territory around Ninus and Arbela.
ὑπηκόους δʼ ἔσχε καὶ τὸν Ἀτροπατηνὸν καὶ τὸν Γορδυαῖον, μεθʼ ὧν καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν Μεσοποταμίαν, ἔτι δὲ τὴν Συρίαν αὐτὴν καὶ Φοινίκην διαβὰς τὸν Εὐφράτην ἀνὰ κράτος εἷλεν.
He also had as subjects the ruler of Atropatene and the ruler of Gordyene, and with them, crossing the Euphrates, he took by force the rest of Mesopotamia, and even Syria itself and Phoenicia.
ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δʼ ἐξαρθεὶς καὶ πόλιν ἔκτισε πλησίον τῆς Ἰβηρίας μεταξὺ ταύτης τε καὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην Ζεύγματος, ἣν ὠνόμασε Τιγρανόκερτα, ἐκ δώδεκα ἐρημωθεισῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πόλεων Ἑλληνίδων ἀνθρώπους συναγαγών.
Having risen to such power, he also founded a city near Iberia, between it and the Zeugma on the Euphrates, which he named Tigranocerta, gathering there people from twelve Greek cities that had been laid waste by him.
ἔφθη δʼ ἐπελθὼν Λεύκολλος ὁ τῷ Μιθριδάτῃ πολεμήσας καὶ τοὺς μὲν οἰκήτορας εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἑκάστου ἀπέλυσε, τὸ δὲ κτίσμα ἡμιτελὲς ἔτι ὂν κατέσπασε προσβαλὼν καὶ μικρὰν κώμην κατέλιπεν, ἐξήλασε δὲ καὶ τῆς Συρίας αὐτὸν καὶ τῆς Φοινίκης.
But Lucullus, who was waging war against Mithridates, anticipated him and invaded, dismissing the inhabitants to their respective homelands, and attacking and demolishing the construction while it was still unfinished, leaving only a small village, and also expelling him from Syria and Phoenicia.
διαδεξάμενος δʼ Ἀρταουάσδης ἐκεῖνον τέως μὲν ηὐτύχει φίλος ὢν Ῥωμαίοις, Ἀντώνιον δὲ προδιδοὺς Παρθυαίοις ἐν τῷ πρὸς αὐτοὺς πολέμῳ δίκας ἔτισεν· ἀναχθεὶς γὰρ εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, δέσμιος πομπευθεὶς διὰ τῆς πόλεως τέως μὲν ἐφρουρεῖτο, ἔπειτʼ ἀνῃρέθη συνάπτοντος τοῦ Ἀκτιακοῦ πολέμου.
Artavasdes, who succeeded him, was prosperous for a time as a friend to the Romans, but having betrayed Antony to the Parthians in the war against them, he paid the penalty; for being carried off to Alexandria by him, and paraded in chains through the city, he was kept in custody for a time, and then was put to death as the Actian war drew near.
μετʼ ἐκεῖνον δὲ πλείους ἐβασίλευσαν ὑπὸ Καίσαρι καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ὄντες· καὶ νῦν ἔτι συνέχεται τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον.
After him, several kings ruled under the authority of Caesar and the Romans; and even now it is held in the same manner.
§11.14.16ἅπαντα μὲν οὖν τὰ τῶν Περσῶν ἱερὰ καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Ἀρμένιοι τετιμήκασι, τὰ δὲ τῆς Ἀναΐτιδος διαφερόντως Ἀρμένιοι, ἔν τε ἄλλοις ἱδρυσάμενοι τόποις καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀκιλισηνῇ.
Now, all the sacred rites of the Persians are honored by both the Medes and the Armenians, but those of Anaitis are exceptionally revered by the Armenians, who have established temples to her in various places, and especially in Acilisene.
ἀνατιθέασι δʼ ἐνταῦθα δούλους καὶ δούλας· καὶ τοῦτο μὲν οὐ θαυμαστόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θυγατέρας οἱ ἐπιφανέστατοι τοῦ ἔθνους ἀνιεροῦσι παρθένους, αἷς νόμος ἐστὶ καταπορνευθείσαις πολὺν χρόνον παρὰ τῇ θεῷ μετὰ ταῦτα δίδοσθαι πρὸς γάμον, οὐκ ἀπαξιοῦντος τῇ τοιαύτῃ συνοικεῖν οὐδενός.
They dedicate here male and female slaves; and this is not surprising, but even the most illustrious of the nation consecrate their daughters as virgins, for whom it is the custom, after having prostituted themselves for a long time at the temple of the goddess, to be given in marriage afterwards, no one disdaining to live in wedlock with such a woman.
τοιοῦτον δέ τι καὶ Ἡρόδοτος λέγει τὸ περὶ τὰς Λυδάς· πορνεύειν γὰρ ἁπάσας.
Herodotus says something of this kind also concerning the Lydian women, namely, that they all prostitute themselves.
οὕτω δὲ φιλοφρόνως χρῶνται τοῖς ἐρασταῖς ὥστε καὶ ξενίαν παρέχουσι καὶ δῶρα ἀντιδιδόασι πλείω πολλάκις ἢ λαμβάνουσιν, ἅτʼ ἐξ εὐπόρων οἴκων ἐπιχορηγούμεναι·
They treat their lovers so hospitably that they even provide them with entertainment and give them in return gifts that are often of greater value than what they receive, since they are supplied with funds from wealthy houses.
δέχονται δὲ οὐ τοὺς τυχόντας τῶν ξένων, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα τοὺς ἀπὸ ἴσου ἀξιώματος.
They do not receive any chance foreigners, but especially those of equal rank to themselves.