The Orontid Dynasty, or known by their native name, Eruandid or Yervanduni, was a hereditary dynasty of ancient Armenia, and the rulers of the successor state to the Iron Age kingdom of Urartu (Ararat).[1][2][3] Historians state that the dynasty was of Iranian origin,[4][5][6][7][8] and suggest, albeit not clearly, that it held dynastic familial linkages to the ruling Achaemenid dynasty.[9] Throughout their existence, the Orontids stressed their lineage from the Achaemenids in order to strengthen their political legitimacy.[10]