Ancient Artashat According to ancient authors (
Strabo and
Plutarch), the city was founded around 176 BC. The choice of location in the Ararat Valley, at the confluence of the Araks and Metsamor (Sevjur) rivers, was dictated by strategic considerations: the city was located at the intersection of trade routes and was protected by
riverbeds and surrounding
hills. Tradition attributes the design of the city's
fortifications to the
Carthaginian general
Hannibal, who found refuge at the court of the Armenian king after Carthage's defeat in the war with
Rome. Thanks to his participation in the planning, Artashat received the epithet “Armenian Carthage” in ancient sources. During the reign of
Tigranes the Great (95–55 BCE), Artashat remained the most important center of the country even after the construction of the new capital,
Tigranakert. The city became a center of
Hellenistic culture in the region. In 53 BCE,
Euripides' tragedy "
The Bacchae" was staged in the city
theater to commemorate the victory over the Romans at the
Battle of Carrhae, marking the beginning of professional
Armenian theater. In 58 CE, the city was captured and burned by the Roman general
Corbulo during the war for the Armenian throne. The city was later rebuilt with the support of Emperor
Nero, who provided funds to King
Trdat I, and was temporarily renamed Neronia. By the 4th century CE, the city began to lose its importance due to the shifting course of the Araks River and the
swamping of the area. The final blow to the capital came with the Persian invasion led by
Shapur II in the 360s, when the city's population was deported. The country's administrative center was subsequently moved to nearby
Dvin.
Modern Artashat The modern period of Artashat's history began in the first half of the 20th century. Unlike the ancient capital, which was located directly on the hills of
Khor Virap, the modern settlement developed several kilometers to the northwest. Until 1945, the site of the modern city was occupied by the village of Verkhniy Kamarlu. In September 1945, by decree of the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the
Armenian SSR, the settlement was renamed Artashat. In 1962, during the administrative-territorial reform and rapid industrial growth, the village received the status of a city of republican subordination. The city's development during the Soviet years was determined by the master plans of 1948 and 1968 (architects O. Kasabyan and G. Muradyan). Artashat was designed as an industrial center for the
Ararat Plain. The main emphasis was on the processing industry: the republic's largest
wine and
cognac factory, a
canning factory, a
cotton gin, and a
furniture factory were built here. During this period, the main architectural ensembles of the central streets were laid out and social infrastructure was formed: schools, libraries and medical institutions. Following Armenia's independence in 1991, Artashat faced economic challenges typical of the
post-Soviet space, leading to the temporary closure of large enterprises and an outflow of the population. However, in 1995, the city received a new status, becoming the administrative center of the newly formed
Ararat Province, which stimulated the development of the public services sector. In the 2000s, economic recovery began thanks to private investment in the agro-industrial complex. The city has secured its status as a key center for winemaking and production of canned fruits and vegetables in Armenia. ==Geography==