In around 180 BC, Artsakh became one of the 15 provinces of the Armenian Kingdom and remained so until the 4th century. While formally having the status of a province ("nahang"), Artsakh possibly formed a principality on its own — like Armenia's province of Syunik. Other theories suggest that Artsakh was a royal land, belonging to the King of Armenia directly. Tigran the Great, King of Armenia, (ruled from 95 to 55 BC), founded in Artsakh one of four cities named "Tigranakert" after himself. The ruins of the ancient Tigranakert, located north-east of Stepanakert, are being studied by a group of international scholars.