15 - Armenia and the eastern marches

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Eastern Anatolia, to which the Romans first came during the campaigns of Lucullus in 70 b.c., is a land characterized by high mountain ranges, isolated but well-watered valleys, and bleak upland pastures or yailas. Physical geography dictates that historically the region has supported only a small and scattered population. In much of eastern Anatolia the hard living conditions are aggravated by a severe climate. In winter deep snow covers the ground and temperatures stay well below zero for many months, while in summer the heat can be intense and water is scarce. These factors have always acted as a constraint on the development of agriculture and the growth of urban centres. They have also hampered internal communications, so that communities have had a very local focus, remote from any central authority. The region was never fashioned into an effective and sustained political unit.

On the other hand, because it stands at the crossroads of various invasion and trade routes, eastern Anatolia has had a lasting strategic importance. To the west it provides access to the central Anatolian plateau and Asia Minor proper; to the north are the Caucasus passes, which brought invaders from the steppes of central Asia; to the east the valleys of the Araxes and Cyrus rivers lead to the Caspian Sea and Atropatene, while to the south lie the plains of Mesopotamia. Consequently, eastern Anatolia has frequently been the stage for wars between imperial powers wishing to extend their control to include this vital region. So it was in the struggles between Rome and her Iranian rivals, although other factors frequently overshadowed this basic reason.