King Tigran II (r. 95-55 BC) holds a special place in Armenian history. During his reign, he unified all of the Armenian speaking peoples for the first time under the rule of one king. Despite powerful imperialist neighbors, Tigran took the fight to those that wished to bully Armenia into submission and for a short period of time he was able to control territory from the Caspian Sea to the shores of the Mediterranean. 

However, several questions remain about Tigran II. Did he even speak Armenian? What did he think about his identity as King of Armenia? How exactly did his empire collapse? Nshan Kesecker will attempt to tackle these issues and more in this presentation.