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Rulers of Armenia Minor
¤ Deiotorus of Galatia - given throne by Pompey.
¤ Pharnaces - usurped the throne.
¤ Ariobarzanes of Cappadocia - given throne by Julius Caesar in 47 B.C.
¤ Polemo of Pontus - given throne by Marc Antony circa 37 B.C.
¤ Artavasdes of Media - given throne by Augustus circa 30 B.C.
¤ Archelaus of Cappadocia - replaced Artavasdes in 20 B.C.
¤ Cotys, grandson of Polemo - given throne by Gaius Caligula in 38 A.D.
¤ Aristobulus, son of Herod of Chalcis - given throne by Nero in 54 A.D.
In 72 A.D., as part of his general reorganization of the Empire, Vespasian seized Armenia Minor and
placed it under direct Roman supervision. Henceforth Armenians living west of the Euphrates were part of
the province of Cappadocia. Dio and Tacitus, along with Strabo, commented on the Armenians
themselves. They were a proud people, caught up in the struggles of rival empires. Thus they were
wavering in their allegiance and unreliable. Christianity, however, imbedded the concept of nationalism
among the people, a factor that no occupying power could suppress with lasting success. See also
ARTAXATA; and other individual rulers and imperial and senatorial provinces.
¤ ARMINIUS (Hermann) (d. 19 A.D.) Prince of the CHERUSCI and one of Germanic folklore's greatest
heroes; responsible in 9 A. D. for one of the worst defeats ever inflicted on the Roman legions. Arminius
served as an auxiliary of the Roman army but remained loyal to his own tribe. In 7 A.D., VARUS was
placed in command of the three legions posted to Germany, with the intention of Romanizing the entire
area. These plans were proceeding successfully when, in 9 A.D., Varus advanced to the Weser River,
heading to a Roman fort at Aliso.
Arminius, who had previously voiced no opposition to Rome, suddenly led his people and nearly all of
the Germanic tribes in revolt. Varus marched his three legions through the rough, impenetrable terrain of
the Teutoburg Forest of Lower Saxony, and there he encountered the determined enemy. Nearly 20,000
men were killed in one disastrous episode. Even in the Punic Wars, Rome had never witnessed such a
debacle. Imperial policy over the Rhine territory would never recover, and Germany was lost as a
province forever. Six years later the gifted Roman general, GERMANICUS, mounted an expedition
against the CHATTI, while Arminius was beset with troubles of his own. The Cherusci were divided into
two uneven camps because of a quarrel between Arminius and his father-in-law, Segestes. (Arminius had
stolen his daughter, although she was betrothed to another man.) Segestes was subsequently besieged by
Arminius, and Germanicus, seizing the opportunity offered to him, marched to Segestes' rescue. The
Roman pursued Arminius, dispatching his deputy, Aulus Severus Caecina, with 40 cohorts, ahead of him.
Arminius turned to fight, and a general battle followed, with victory to the Romans. The German leader
escaped, but four years later, in an attempt to regain his power, he was killed by treachery. Arminius was
intensely popular during his days of victory but was hated in his later years, despite his pivotal role in the
liberation of Germania.
¤ ARMOR See LEGIONS.
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