At this time there were two countries in northern Armenia: Iberia (present Georgia) and Albania (present-day Azerbaijan), whose people were not the present-day Turkic people, but Albanians (Aghvans in Armenian).
The predecessors of Tigran, especially Artashes I, had earlier expanded the northern borders of Armenia and one could claim that Armenia ruled over a number of warlike and courageous peoples in these areas. These, however, were more primitive than other people in the region, because of the geographical position of their homelands which isolated them from the outside world and from contact with the new civilisations (first Persia and later Greece and Rome). Plutarchos claimed that it was relatively easy for the Armenians to gain control over the people in these areas, (presentday Transcaucasia), maintain their superiority over them and use them for their own ends. 11
During the reign of Tigran the northern borders of Armenia stretched even further and Armenia came to include the whole of Gogarčne (present-day Lori) and Ghorzčne (present Akhalkalak), which lay on the border of Iberia (present-day Georgia), and even the areas between the rivers of Kur and Araxes and next to the Caspian Sea.
On the diplomatic front Tigran managed,, through agreements with the remaining areas of Iberia and Albania and gain control over the entire region (except for some areas by the Black Sea that were regarded as the domain of king Mithradates VI) and these people provided him with soldiers. "It was especially the Iberians and the Albanians who constituted an important part of the infantry and were very efficient during the campaigns in the mountainous areas. This was despite the fact that they had very weak weapons and their leather armours did not protect them sufficiently against the enemy." 16
Nevertheless, the core of Tigran's mighty army were the Armenian units and, in particular, the heavily armed cavalry equipped with the fine horses bred in Armenia and the soldiers provided by Armenia's own princes.
After having defeated the Arsacids in Iranian Azerbaijan and gaining control over the region, Tigran turned to the other enemy of Armenia,. the Seleucids in Syria, who had repeatedly attacked Armenia during its first centuries of independence. The people of that empire, who earlier had been able to withstand the Hellenicly influenced Persians (namely the Arsacids of Iranian Azerbaijan), were not able to defend themselves against Tigran.
nternal conflict had weakened them and he.managed to conquer all of Syria and Cilicia, which were under their rule, and even occupied parts of Palestine.
By conquering Syria, Tigran was given access to the capital of Antiochia and its treasures. Syria remained under Armenian rule and the city of Antiochia even minted some coins for Tigran II. 18
During this campaign Tigran occupied Cappadocia once more and forced some of the population to move to Armenia. He settled them in newly built cities that he had erected on the southern hills of the Taurus Mountains. In this way he managed to move some of the Greek or, more correctly, Hellenic population of Asia Minor to Armenia.
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