Cassius Dio (155 – 235 AD). “[Resolving matters in Armenia], he [Pompey] overwintered in the Anahitida district (in Akilisen) and near the Kournas River, dividing the troops into three [parts] and receiving from Tigran many different [supplies] and money, much more than the set [amount]. However, he did not manage to spend the winter quietly because Oroz, the king of the Albanians who lived above Kournas, went against them at the very beginning of [holiday] Cronius.”
Cassius Dio, XXXVI, 53, 5; 54, 1.
Pavstos Buzand (5th century AD) “On the robber raid of the Maskut King on the land subject to the Armenian King, on the great war that took place, and on how he died together with his army.
At that time, the Maskut king Sanesan was filled with enmity towards his brother, Armenian King Khosrov. And he gathered all the troops – the Huns, Pokhs, Tavaspars, Hechmataks, Izhmahs, Gatovs, Gluars, Gugars, Shichbians, Chilbs, Balasiches, Yegersvans, and a great many other disparate nomadic tribes, all the multitude of troops that he commanded. He crossed his frontier, the great Kur River, and overran the Armenian country.”
Book III, Chapter VII
“On how the Armenian kingdom collapsed, on how many of the Armenian Nakharars rebelled and sided with the Persian king Shapur, and on how the Armenian kingdom soon dispersed in different directions and thinned.
For thirty-four years, our Armenian country has fought against the Persian king. Then, both sides got exhausted, suffered defeat, and lost heart. Decomposition began in the camp of the Armenian king – people began to leave their king Arshak, and this decomposition began with the great nobles. First were the bdeshkh [province ruler] of Aghdznik and bdeshkh of Noshirakan…
After this, the bdeshkh of Gugark and after him the ruler of the Dzor district, the ruler of the Kolb district, with them also the ruler of Gardmanadzor, and all those who were in these lands around them rebelled against the Armenian King Arshak and went and appeared before the Persian King Shapur. The fortified Artsakh district, the fortified Tmorik district, and the fortified Kordik district also rose against the Armenian King Arshak…
After that, the Armenian domain of the Armenian royal house in the country of Atrapatakan also separated from the Armenian King… And the [Armenian] kingdom was greatly shaken…”
Book V, Chapter VIII
“On how the war against the Persians ended, after which Sparapet Mushegh began to fight against those who had rebelled against the Armenian king, and a number of fierce battles won a lot of lands.
Then, when the war against the Persians ended and [Armenians] were secured from this side, the Armenian Sparapet Mushegh began to smash those who had rebelled against the Arshakuni Kingdom. First, he conquered the possessions of the Armenian King in Atrapatakan…”
Book V, Chapter XII
“On Artsakh.
He [Sparapet Mushegh] defeated the country of Artsakh in a big battle as well, took many of its residents as prisoners, took the rest as hostages, and imposed tribute on them.”
Book V, Chapter XIII
“On the Albanians.
He also waged war on the Albanian country and brutally defeated them. He took away many districts that they had captured – Uti, Shakashen, Gardmanadzor, Kolb, and the adjacent districts. He made the Kur River a border between his country and Albania, as it had been before…”
Book V, Chapter XV
“On the Iberians.
Then, Sparapet Mushegh went to the Iberian king… And seizing the territory up until the old border, which had been between Armenia and Iberia, that is, had been the great Kur River, he returned.”
Pavstos Buzand, “History of Armenia”
“When he put in order and restored all the churches of that side, he [Grigoris] crossed the Kur River into the possessions of the barbarian country of the great king and reached the camp of the Arshakid King of the Maskuts. “
Book III, Chapter VI. Galust Ter-Mkrtchyan, “Armenian studies: Book I”, Yerevan 1979, p. 361 (in Armenian).
Menander Protector (6th century AD). “Roman commanders again entered Albania and forced the Sabir people and the Albanians to move to this side of the Cyrnus (Kur) River…”
“Byzantine historians”, Volume II, St. Petersburg., 1860, p. 41-412.
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This is a valuable contribution to our claim to Artsakh. But I wish in the Cassius Dio writing, the author had indicated how the place names correspond to the borders of contemporary Artsakh. Anahitide district, Akilisen, and Kournas River mean nothing to me.