Rome, in collaboration with Armenia, was able to reach the highest administrative organisation that the world had seen until that point. Its main goals were Lex (law) and Pax (peace) and until now these remain the main goal of any government which considers itself worthy of these concepts. Rome tried to achieve peace by building its own organisation and initiate a policy in which Armenia had a leading role. As far as the laws in the empire were concerned, Rome tried to implement these with new legislation and the creation of new organisations which were made possible with the assistance of enormous riches, which in their turn brought great poverty and misery.
The debt of Armenia to Rome is thus in no way less than the debt of Rome to Armenia. If Rome had not existed, and by that we mean as a balancing power, Armenia would have most likely been annexed to the Persian Empire.
Moreover, the influence of Rome in Armenia reflected the force which originally developed the Armenian civilisation and brought it closer to the western world, a west that shared Armenian genetic traits from an ethnic point of view. This contact between Armenia and Rome meant also a new bond which replaced the old one between Armenia and the ancient Greeks. Even if Rome attributed the emergence of its laws ad traditions to the city of Rome and Italy, the major part of its culture and way of thinking originated from Greece.
Armenia was not affected as much as, for instance, Gaul was by Rome, but the kings and the princes who grew up in Rome or had contacts with the Romans in the east ensured a clear Roman influence in Armenia. Furthermore we concur with Paul Valèry who noted: "In all places where Rome had influence of power or thoughts and in all places where the empire was a source of fear, admiration, anger or envy, there you can find traces of European existence." 104
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