Tiridates I was King of Armenia beginning in 53 AD and the founder of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. His early reign was marked by a brief interruption towards the end of the year 54 and a much longer one from 58 to 63. In an agreement to resolve the Roman–Parthian conflict in and over Armenia, Tiridates I was crowned king of Armenia by the Roman emperor Nero in 66; in the future, the king of Armenia was to be a Parthian prince, but his appointment required approval from the Romans. Even though this made Armenia a client kingdom, various contemporary Roman sources thought that Nero had de facto ceded Armenia to the Parthian Empire.
A painting of the statue of Tiridates I in the Louvre Museum by Panos Terlemezian
Coin of Tiridates' brother Vologases I
A painting of the statue by Panos Terlemezian
Greek inscription attributed to Tiridates I on basalt rock from the fortress of Garni, within the grounds of the Garni Temple complex.
Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)
Armenia, also the Kingdom of Greater Armenia, or simply Greater Armenia or Armenia Major sometimes referred to as the Armenian Empire, was a kingdom in the Ancient Near East which existed from 331 BC to 428 AD. Its history is divided into the successive reigns of three royal dynasties: Orontid, Artaxiad and Arsacid (52–428).
Roman coin of 141 AD, showing emperor Antoninus Pius holding a crown on the Armenia King's head
Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of Armenian Alphabet, by Francesco Maggiotto (1750–1805)
Historical provinces of Greater Armenia
World in 323 BC