Sophene

• a district in Armenia, Mel. 1, 11; Luc. 2, 592; Plin. 5, 12, 13, § 66.

SOPHE´NE (Σωφηνή, Strab. et alii; Σωφανηνή, Dio Cass.; Procop. de Aedif. 3.2, B. Pers. 1.21: Eth. Σωφηνός), a district of Armenia, lying between Antitaurus and Mount Masius, separated by the Euphrates from Melitene in Armenia Minor, and by Antitaurus from Mesopotamia. Its capital was Carcathiocerta. (Strab. xi. pp. 521, 522, 527.) It formed at one time, with the neighbouring districts, a separate west Armenian kingdom, governed by the Sophenian Artanes, but was annexed to the east Armenian kingdom by Tigranes. Sophene was taken away from Tigranes by Pompey. (Strab. 11. p. 532; Dio Cass.; Plut. Luc. 24, Pomp. 33.) Nero gave Sophene as a separate kingdom to Sohaemus. (Tac. Ann. 13.7.)

(Σωφηνή). A district of Armenia Maior, lying between the ranges of Antitaurus and Masius; separated from Melitené, in Armenia Minor, by the Euphrates, from Mesopotamia by the Antitaurus, and from the eastern part of Armenia Maior by the river Nymphius. It fell to the Romans in the time of Pompey (cf. Tac. Ann. xiii. 7).