Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)

In the history of Armenia, Greater Armenia (Armenian: Մեծ Հայք Mets Hayk or Mec Hayk; Latin: Armenia Maior or Armenia Magna) was the name given to the larger eastern part of Armenia, which in ancient times extended from the heartland of Armenia at times to the Caspian Sea. Besides Greater Armenia, with the actual meaning the greater Armenia ("Armenia Maior"), existed the Lesser Armenia, literally the smaller Armenia ("Armenia Minor"), located west of the upper Euphrates. At times, as long as the Sophene formed its own state, the designation Greater Armenia was even narrower, namely excluding the Sophene.

The term Greater Armenia is also used in reference to the Middle Ages, in which case Lesser Armenia refers to the High Medieval Kingdom of Armenia in Cilicia, which was located south of ancient Lesser Armenia.

Furthermore, in the Middle Ages the name Armenia Magna, which can also be translated as Greater Armenia, or Armenia Maritima, was used to refer to territories in the Crimea, after the Armenians who had settled there in greater numbers after the end of the medieval Bagratid Empire.

The term is also used as a catchword for a political concept from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, for example, in relation to the "expansionism" of the Russian Tsarist Empire and the Treaty of Sèvres or Armenian nationalism.