After the fall of Urartu around 585 BCE, the Satrapy of Armenia arose, ruled by the Armenian Orontid Dynasty, also known by their native name Eruandid or Yervanduni, which governed the state in 585–190 BCE. Under the Orontids, Armenia during this era was a satrapy of the Persian Empire, and after its disintegration (in 330 BCE), it became an independent kingdom. During the rule of the Orontid dynasty, most Armenians adopted the Zoroastrian religion.

The Orontids ruled first as client kings or satraps of the Achaemenid Empire and after the collapse of the Achaemenid Empire established an independent kingdom. Later, a branch of the Orontids ruled as kings of Sophene and Commagene. They are the first of the three royal dynasties that successively ruled the ancient Kingdom of Armenia (321 BCE–428 CE).