T H E    A R S A C I D    D Y N A S T Y



THE FLAG OF THE ARSACID ARMENIA. UPON THE BLUE
BANNER TWO FLANKING GOLDEN EAGLES FACING THE SUN.

Arshak I (34-35)
Mithridates the Usurper (35-37 and 47-51) [non-dynastic]
Trdat I (52-75) [official est. of Arsacid dynasty]
Sanatruk (75-110)
Ashkhadar (110-113)
Partamasir (113-114)
Vagharsh I (117-144)
Bakur II (161-163)
Vagharsh II (186-198)
Khosrov I (198-216)
Trdat II (217-252)
Khosrov II (279-287)
Trdat III the Great (287-330)
Khosrov III (330-338)
Tiran (338-350)
Arshak II (350-368)
Pap (369-374)
Varazdat (374-378)
Arshak III (378-389)
Khosrov IV co-rule (384-389)
Vramshapuh (389-417)
                                                                                        Artashes III (422-428)

G. FUSARO. KING ARSACES I THRUSTS HIS SPEAR INTO THE COLUMN SLAB.

KING TIRIDATES I SCORES A VICTORY AGAINST THE INVADERS.

THE REMARKABLY PRESERVED FIRST CENTURY ROMAN STATUE
OF TIRIDATES I IN MITHRAIC CASUAL ROBES AS THE
GOOD SHEPHERD. NOTE THE STAFF AND THE SWORD. RULE
OF THE REAL BY DIVINE RIGHT THROUGH WISDOM AND STRENGTH.
THE REMARKABLE STATUE WAS RECENTLY DISPLAYED IN THE LOUVRE
IN PARIS IN MONTHS LONG SPECIAL EXHIBITION CALLED ARMENIA SACRA
DEDICATED TO THE MILLENNIA OLD HERITAGE OF ARMENIA.

STATUE OF TRDAT I [TIRIDATES] IN THE PARK AND GARDEN OF
THE CHÂTEAU OF VERSAILLES IN THE SUBURBS OF PARIS.
THE ARMENIAN KING IS WEARING THE NATIONAL MITHRAIC GARB.

THE COIN OF TIRIDATES I AND QUEEN. OBVERSE: BUST OF THE KING WITH
THE ROYAL ARMENIAN CROWN. REVERSE: THE ARMENIAN QUEEN ENTHRONED. (52-68).

RHADAMISTUS STABS HIS WIFE ZENOBIA AFTER FLEEING THE
PURSUING SOLDIERS OF KING TIRIDATES I.  PAINTING BY LUIGI SABATELLI.
RHADAMISTUS IN 51 TRIED TO SEIZE THE ARMENIAN THRONE BY
KILLING HIS USURPER UNCLE MITHRIDATES,
WHO HAD USURPED THE CROWN OF KING ARSACES I. HOWEVER, TIRIDATES I
WAS ABLE TO RALLY HIS FORCES AND ESTABLISHED THE ARSACID DYNASTY
THAT RULED ARMENIA FROM THE FIRST TO THE FIFTH CENTURY AD.

SHEPHERDS FIND THE BODY OF WOUNDED ZENOBIA ON THE BANKS OF RIVER
ARAXES. SHE WAS TAKEN TO THE COURT OF KING TIRIDATES I AND TREATED
WITH DIGNITY AND HONOR. PAINTING BY PAUL-JACQUES-AIMÉ-BAUDRY. CA. 1848.

KING KHOSROV I TAKES CAPTIVES AFTER MILITARY VICTORIES IN THE NORTH.

TRAITOR ANAK [WHO HAD ASSASSINATED KING KHOSROV I ON BEHALF OF SASSANID
KING ARTAXERXES I] IS PURSUED AND EXECUTED BY THE ROYAL BODYGUARDS
OF KING KHOSROV I WHILE CROSSING THE TABER BRIDGE NEAR METSAMOR
IN THE ARARAT VALLEY. ANAK WAS ONE OF THE SURVIVING ARSACIDS
IN PARTHIA, WHO AFTER THE OVERTHROW OF THE ARSACID DYNASTY
THERE HAD AGREED TO ASSASSINATE KING KHOSROV I - WHO HAD TAKEN UPON
HIMSELF THE FIGHT TO RESTORE THE ARSACID DYNASTY TO THE THRONE OF
PARTHIA. KHOSROV I'S TREACHEROUS ASSASSINATION DID NOT STOP THE
ARMENIAN ARSACIDS FROM CONTINUING TO PURSUE THEIR GOAL OF SEEING THE
RESTORATION OF THEIR COUSINS ON THE PARTHIAN THRONE.

G R E A T E R  A R M E N I A CIRCA 150 AD. AFTER ROMAN INCURSIONS TO THE EAST

THE ONLY SURVIVING MITHRÆVM IN GARNI FROM THE FIRST CENTURY AD.
ERECTED BY TIRIDATES I ARSACID DEDICATED TO THE ARMENIAN
PRIMORDIAL SUN GOD MITHRA-MIHR] [WHOSE WORSHIP GOES BACK TO AT
LEAST SECOND MILLENNIUM BC AND IS FOUND IN THE MITANNIAN
INSCRIPTIONS, WHILE THE HITTITE INSCRIPTIONS TELL US THAT
MITHRA WAS THE DEITY OF RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THE KINDRED
HITTITE AND HAYASAN [ARMENIAN] PEOPLES. IN FACT HITTITES WERE
SIMPLY AN EXTENSION OF PROTO-INDO-EUROPEAN SUPERETHNOS
FROM THE ORIGINAL HOMELAND IN ARMENIAN HIGHLAND.

SEVERAL SCHOLARS HAVE WRONGLY CLAIMED THAT ORIGINALLY MITHRA
[ALONG WITH ARMENIAN GODDESS ANAHID] WAS AN 'IRANIAN' DEITY.
THIS IS NOT CORRECT, BECAUSE IN THE AVESTA AND OTHER SACRED
ZOROASTRIAN TEXTS, ZOROASTER ACTUALLY 'DECRIES' MITHRA
AND ANAHIT [OR ANAHID] CALLING THEM "DEMONIC" AND "FOREIGN."

IT WAS MUCH LATER IN THE FOURTH CENTURY BC DURING THE REIGN
OF THE ACHAEMENIDS THAT MITHRA ALONG WITH ANAHIT [WHOSE EARLIEST
MENTION ONCE AGAIN IS FROM
ARMENIAN CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SECOND MILLENNIUM BC
AS THE NATIVE MATRON GODDESS OF ARMENIA]
WERE "IMPORTED" FROM ARMENIA AND WERE INSTITUTED IN THE
ZOROASTRIAN PANTHEON AND WORSHIPPED ALONG WITH
SUPREME AHURA-MAZDA [ONCE AGAIN SIMPLY THE IRANIAN
VERSION OF ARAMAZD]. TO UNDERSTAND AVESTA AND ITS SOURCE,
ONE HAS TO KNOW THAT ZOROASTER WAS BORN AND SPENT
MUCH OF HIS EARLY LIFE IN ARMENIA [PROBABLY SCHOOLED
IN THE RENOWNED WISDOM TEMPLES OF MUSASIR-ARDINI OR
ONE OF THE NEARBY TEMPLES IN THE ARMENIAN PROVINCE OF
AR-MINA OR AR-MANA - NEAR THE BANKS OF LAKE URMIA [KAPUTAN].
 BEFORE THE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE OF
MUSASIR-ARDINI BY THE INVADING ASSYRIAN ARMIES
IN LATE EIGHTH CENTURY BC THE [C]HALDEAN-MITHRAIC
DOCTRINES WERE PRESERVED AND IN FACT SPREAD
ALL OVER THE WORLD, BY LATE ANTIQUITY MITHRAISM
WAS VIRTUALLY THE RELIGION OF THE STATE THROUGHOUT
THE ROMAN EMPIRE...

THE SACRED MITHRAIC [MEHIAN] SCRIPT BASED ON THE CONSTELLATION OF
ORION [HAYK] ...BECAME THE BASIS OF THE NEW REVIVED ALPHABET OF
IMMORTAL SAINT MESROP MASHTOTS WHO INCORPORATED THE ANCESTRAL
COSMIC SIGNS INTO THE REVIVED NATIONAL ALPHABET.

ARMENIAN CATAPHRACT [HEAVILY ARMED AND HEAVILY ARMORED CAVALRYMAN]
OF THIRD CENTURY AD. THE KNIGHTS OF THE MIDDLE AGES WERE IN
CONTINUATION OF THIS FINE TRADITION [BOTH GREEKS AND ROMAN ARMIES
LATER ON INCLUDED SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CATAPHRACTS, MANY OF WHOM
WERE ARMENIAN AZAT KNIGHTS AND SEPUH NOBLES]. BY RENOWNED MILITARY
HISTORY ARTIST ANGUS MCBRIDE. NOTE THE FLAG-BEARER WITH THE STANDARD
VIŠAP [DRAGON] - ONE OF THE MILITARY SYMBOLS OF ARMENIAN WARRIORS.

THE ARMENIAN MIGHT OF THE KINGDOM OF VAN-ARARAT IN THE FIRST MILLENNIUM
BC SIMPLY CONTINUED THE TRADITION OF THE ARMENIAN KINGDOMS OF MITANNI
AND HAYASA AND THAT OF THE MOUNTED ARMORED HEAVY CAVALRY.
THE ARMENIAN CAVALRY DURING THE ORONTID DYNASTY STOOD AT SOME
50,000 CAVALIERS, WHICH AS THE SOURCES ACCOUNT WAS UNSURPASSED IN
STRENGTH AND NUMBER IN THE ANCIENT WORLD. HORSE-BREEDING AND CARE MANUALS
WERE ALREADY WRITTEN DOWN BY ARMENIANS IN THE SECOND MILLENNIUM BC.
THE FINE AND UNBROKEN TRADITION HAS CONTINUED ALL THE WAY TO
OUR OWN DAYS.

DURING THE REIGN OF THE KING OF KINGS TIGRAN THE GREAT OF THE ARTAXIAD
DYNASTY, IN THE FIRST CENTURY BC, THE ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES CONSISTED OF
SOME 300,000 WARRIORS MADE UP OF THE INFANTRY, THE NAVY [CONTROLLING MOST
NOTABLY THE OUTLET PORTS OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN THROUGHOUT
 THE SYRIAN-CILICIAN COASTLINE] AND MOST OF ALL THE ALL-IMPORTANT
CAVALRY MADE UP OF SOME 70,000 CAVALIERS [!] WITH THE CORE
MADE UP OF THE FOOT TO TOE - ALONG WITH THEIR HORSES -
ARMOR COVERED CATAPHRACTS. THE MIGHT OF THE ARMENIAN ARMY
DID NOT DIMINISH EVEN CENTURIES AFTER THE END OF REIGN OF THE KING OF
KINGS. THE PRIMARY SOURCES, INCLUDING GRECO-ROMAN ACCOUNTS STATE
THAT DURING THE REIGN OF THE LEGENDARY ARMENIAN KING PAP (369-374)
OF THE ARSACID DYNASTY THE ARMENIAN ARMY AGAIN CONSISTED OF SOME
300,000 WARRIORS WHICH SERVED AS THE CRITICAL FACTOR IN THE OUTCOME
OF ANY BATTLE BETWEEN VARIOUS SUPERPOWERS, MOST NOTABLY THAT OF
ROME AND PARTHIA.

COUNT OTA INTRODUCES PRINCESS XOSROVIDUXT TO TIRIDATES III THE GREAT.

1687 STATUE OF TRDAT III [TIRIDATES] BY ANDRÉ. IN NORTHERN RAMP OF
THE PARK AND GARDEN OF THE CHÂTEAU OF VERSAILLES.
THE ARMENIAN KING IS IN THE NATIONAL MITHRAIC DRESS.