Caucasian Iberia 336787 223627886 2008-07-04T23:35:44Z Hugh16 4202160 /* Between Rome/Byzantium and Persia */ copyedit [[Image:Georgianiberia andersen565.JPG|thumb|300px|Ancient Georgian Kingdoms of '''Iberia''', Copyright©2004 Andrew Andersen]] '''Iberia''' ([[Georgian language|Georgian]] &mdash; '''იბერია''', [[Latin language|Latin]]: ''Iberia'' or ''Iberi'' and [[Ancient Greek|Greek]]: {{polytonic|Ἰβηρία}}), also known as '''Iveria''' ({{lang-ka|ივერია}}), was a name given by the ancient [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[Roman Empire|Romans]] to the ancient [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] kingdom of [[Kartli]] <ref>Course of Ancient Geography, Henry Immanuel Smith, p. 279 </ref> ([[4th century BC]]-[[5th century]] AD) corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia. <ref>The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars, Geoffrey Greatrex, Samuel N. C. Lieu, p. 82 </ref><ref> The Emperor Domitian, Brian W. Jones, p. 156 </ref> The term '''[[Caucasus (geographic region)|Caucasian]] Iberia''' (or '''Eastern Iberia''') is used to distinguish it from the [[Iberian Peninsula]], where the present day states of [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]] are located. The Caucasian Iberians provided a basis for later Georgian statehood and along with [[Colchis]] (early western Georgian state) formed a core of the present day [[Georgian people]] (or [[Kartvelians]]). <ref> The Making of the Georgian Nation, Ronald Grigor Suny, p. 13</ref> <ref> Readings in the History of the Ancient World, William Coffman McDermott, Wallace Everett Caldwell, p. 404 </ref> == History == === Earliest history === The area was inhabited in [[Ancient history|earliest times]] by several related tribes, collectively called [[Caucasian Iberians|Iberians]] (the Eastern Iberians) by ancient authors. Locals called their country [[Kartli]] after a mythic chief, [[Kartlos]]. {{History of Georgia}} The [[Moschi]], mentioned by various classic historians, and their possible descendants, the Saspers (who were mentioned by [[Herodotus]]), may have played a crucial role in the consolidation of the tribes inhabiting the area. The Moschi had moved slowly to the northeast forming settlements as they traveled. The chief of these was [[Mtskheta]], the future capital of the Iberian kingdom. The Mtskheta tribe was later ruled by a principal locally known as ''mamasakhlisi'' (“the father of the household” in [[Georgian language|Georgian]]). The medieval Georgian source ''Moktsevai Kartlisai'' (“Conversion of Kartli”) also speaks about [[Azo (Georgian history)|Azo]] and his people, who came from [[Arian-Kartli]] - the initial home of the proto-Iberians, which had been under [[Achaemenid]] rule until the fall of the [[Persian Empire]] - to settle on the site where [[Mtskheta]] was to be founded. Another Georgian chronicle ''Kartlis Tskhovreba'' (“History of Kartli”) claims Azo to be an officer of [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]’s, who massacred a local ruling family and conquered the area, until being defeated at the end of the [[4th century BC]] by Prince [[Pharnavaz I of Iberia|Pharnavaz]], who was at that time a local chief. === Pharnavaz I and his descendants === Pharnavaz, victorious in a power struggle, became the first [[List of Kings of Iberia|king of Iberia]] (ca. [[302 BC|302]]-ca. [[237 BC]]). Driving back an invasion, he subjugated the neighbouring areas, including a significant part of the western Georgian state of [[Colchis]] (locally known as [[Egrisi]]), and seems to have secured recognition of the newly founded state by the [[Seleucids]] of [[Syria]]. Then Pharnavaz focused on social projects, including the citadel of the capitol, the [[Armaztsikhe]], and the idol of the god [[Armazi]]. He also reformed the [[Georgian alphabet|Georgian written language]], and created a new system of administration, subdividing the country into several counties called ''[[Eristavi|saeristavo]]s''. His successors managed to gain control over the mountainous passes of the [[Caucasus Mountains|Caucasus]] with the [[Daryal]] (also known as the Iberian Gates) being the most important of them. {{main|Pharnabazid Dynasty}} The period following this time of prosperity was one of incessant warfare as Iberia was forced to defend against numerous invasions into its territories. Iberia lost some of its southern provinces to [[Armenia]], and the [[Colchis|Colchian]] lands seceded to form separate princedoms (''sceptuchoi''). At the end of the [[2nd century BC]], the [[Parnavazian|Pharnavazid]] king [[Farnadjom of Iberia|Farnadjom]] was dethroned by his own subjects and the crown given to the Armenian prince [[Arshak I of Iberia|Arshak]] who ascended the Iberian throne in [[93 BC]], establishing the Arshakids dynasty. === Roman period === This close association with [[Armenia]] brought upon the country an invasion ([[65 BC]]) by the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] general [[Pompey]], who was then at war with [[Mithradates VI of Pontus]], and Armenia; but Rome did not establish her power permanently over Iberia. Nineteen years later, the Romans again marched ([[36 BC]]) on Iberia forcing King [[Pharnavaz II of Iberia|Pharnavaz II]] to join their campaign against [[Caucasian Albania|Albania]]. While another Georgian kingdom of [[Colchis]] was administered as a Roman province, Iberia freely accepted the Roman Imperial protection. A stone inscription discovered at [[Mtskheta]] speaks of the first-century ruler [[Mihdrat I]] (AD 58-106) as "the friend of the Caesars" and the king "of the Roman-loving Iberians." Emperor [[Vespasian]] fortified the ancient Mtskheta site of Arzami for the Iberian kings in 75 AD. The next two centuries saw a continuation of Roman influence over the area, but by the reign of King [[Pharsman II of Iberia|Pharsman II]] ([[116]] – [[132]]) Iberia had regained some of its former power. Relations between the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Hadrian]] and Pharsman II were strained, though Hadrian is said to have sought to appease Pharsman. However, it was only under Hadrian's successor [[Antoninus Pius]] that relations improved to the extent that Pharsman is said to have even visited [[Ancient Rome|Rome]], where [[Dio Cassius]] reports that a statue was erected in his honor and that rights to sacrifice were given. The period brought a major change to the political status of Iberia with Rome recognizing them as an ally, rather than their former status as a subject state, a political situation which remained the same, even during the Empire's hostilities with the [[Parthia]]ns. === Between Rome/Byzantium and Persia === [[Image:RomanEmpire 117.svg|300px|thumb| Iberia during the Roman Empire]] Decisive for the future history of Iberia was the foundation of the [[Sassanian]] Empire in [[224]]. By replacing the weak Parthian realm with a strong, centralized state, it changed the political orientation of Iberia away from [[Roman Empire|Rome]]. Iberia became a tributary of the Sassanian state during the reign of [[Shapur I]] ([[241]]-[[272]]). Relations between the two countries seem to have been friendly at first, as Iberia cooperated in Persian campaigns against Rome, and the Iberian king [[Amazasp III of Iberia|Amazasp III]] (260-265) was listed as a high dignitary of the Sassanian realm, not a [[vassal]] who had been subdued by force of arms. But the aggressive tendencies of the Sasanians were evident in their propagation of [[Zoroastrianism]], which was probably established in Iberia between the [[260]]s and [[290]]s. However, in the [[Peace of Nisibis]] ([[298]]) while Rome acknowledged their reign over the area, it recognized [[Mirian III of Iberia|Mirian III]], the first of the Chosroid dynasty, as [[List of Kings of Iberia|King of Iberia]]. [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] predominance proved crucial, since King Mirian II and leading nobles converted to [[Christianity]] around [[317]]. The event is related with the mission of a [[Cappadocia]]n woman, [[Saint Nino]], who since 303 had preached Christianity in the Georgian kingdom of Iberia (Eastern Georgia). {{Georgian statehood}} The religion would become a strong tie between [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and Rome (later [[Byzantium]]) and have a large scale impact on the state's culture and society. However, after the [[Julian the Apostate|emperor Julian]] was slain during his failed campaign in Persia in [[363]], Rome ceded control of Iberia to Persia, and King Varaz-Bakur I (Asphagur) ([[363]]-[[365]]) became a Persian vassal, an outcome confirmed by the Peace of [[Hachdeanq|Acilisene]] in [[387]]. Although a later ruler of Kartli, Pharsman IV ([[406]]-[[409]]), preserved his country's autonomy and ceased to pay tribute to Persia. Persia prevailed, and [[Sassanian]] kings began to appoint a viceroy (''pitiaxae''/''bidaxae'') to keep watch on their vassal. They eventually made the office hereditary in the ruling house of [[Lower Kartli]], thus inaugurating the Kartli ''pitiaxate'', which brought an extensive territory under its control. Although it remained a part of the kingdom of Kartli, its viceroys turned their domain into a center of Persian influence. Sassanian rulers put the Christianity of the Georgians to a severe test. They promoted the teachings of [[Zoroaster]], and by the middle of the [[5th century]] [[Zoroastrianism]] had become a second official religion in eastern Georgia alongside [[Christianity]]. However, efforts to convert the common Georgian people were generally unsuccessful. The early reign of the Iberian king [[Vakhtang I of Iberia|Vakhtang I]] dubbed ''Gorgasali'' ([[447]]-[[502]]) was marked by the relative revival of the kingdom. Formally a vassal of the Persians, he secured the northern borders by subjugating the Caucasian mountaineers, and brought the adjacent western and southern Georgian lands under his control. He established an [[autocephaly|autocephalic]] patriarchate at [[Mtskheta]], and made [[Tbilisi]] his capital. In [[482]] he led a general uprising against Persia and started a desperate war for independence that lasted for twenty years. He could not get Byzantine support and was eventually defeated, dying in battle in [[502]]. === Fall of the kingdom === {{seealso|Principate of Iberia}} The continuing rivalry between [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]] and [[Persian Empire|Persia]] for supremacy in the [[Caucasus]], and the next unsuccessful insurrection ([[523]]) of the Georgians under Gurgen had tragic consequences for the country. Thereafter, the king of Iberia had only nominal power, while the country was effectively ruled by the Persians. In [[580]], [[Hormizd IV]] ([[578]]-[[590]]) abolished the monarchy after the death of King Bakur III, and Iberia became a Persian province ruled by a ''[[marzpan]]'' (governor). Georgian nobles urged the Byzantine emperor [[Maurice (emperor)|Maurice]] to revive the kingdom of Iberia in [[582]], but in [[591]] Byzantium and Persia agreed to divide Iberia between them, with [[Tbilisi]] to be in Persian hands and [[Mtskheta]] to be under Byzantine control. At the beginning of the [[7th century]] the truce between Byzantium and Persia collapsed. The Iberian Prince Stephanoz I (ca. [[590]]-[[627]]), decided in [[607]] to join forces with Persia in order to reunite all the territories of Iberia, a goal he seems to have accomplished. But Emperor [[Heraclius]]'s offensive in [[627]] and [[628]] brought victory over the Georgians and Persians and ensured Byzantine predominance in western and eastern [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] until the invasion of the Caucasus by the [[Arab Empire|Arab]]s. === Arab period === {{main|Emirate of Tbilisi}} The [[Arab]]s reached Iberia about [[645]] and forced its [[eristavi]] (prince), Stephanoz II ([[637]]-ca. [[650]]), to abandon his allegiance to [[Byzantium]] and recognize the [[Caliph]] as his suzerain. Iberia thus became a tributary state and an Arab [[Emirate of Tbilisi|emir was installed in Tbilisi]] about [[653]]. At the beginning of the [[9th century]], eristavi [[Ashot I of Kartli|Ashot I]] ([[813]]-[[830]]) of the new [[Bagrationi]] dynasty, from his base in southwestern Georgia, took advantage of the weakening of the Arab rule to establish himself as hereditary prince (titled as [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy|''kouropalates'']]) of Iberia. A successor, [[Adarnase II of Tao]], formally vassal of [[Byzantium]], was crowned as the “king of Georgians” in [[888]]. His descendant [[Bagrat III of Georgia|Bagrat III]] ([[975]]-[[1014]]), brought the various principalities together to form a united Georgian state. == Eastern and Western Iberians == The similarity of the name with the old inhabitants of the [[Iberian peninsula]], the 'Western' [[Iberians]], has led to an idea of ethnogenetical kinship between them and the people of Caucasian Iberia (called the 'Eastern' Iberians). It has been advocated by various ancient and medieval authors, although they differed in approach to the problem of the initial place of their origin. The theory seems to have been popular in medieval [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. The prominent Georgian religious writer [[Giorgi Mthatzmindeli]] (George of Mt Athos) ([[1009]]-[[1065]])<ref>Might this ''George of Mt Athos'' be the same person listed in the [[Mount Athos]] article as "George Kedrinos (Γεώργιος Κεδρηνός, 11th century)"? Worth checking.</ref> writes about the wish of certain Georgian nobles to travel to the [[Iberian peninsula]] and visit the local “''Georgians of the West''”, as he called them.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} ==See also== * [[Iberia (disambiguation)]] * [[Caucasian Albania]] * [[Caucasian Iberians]] * [[Iberian War]] * [[Colchis]] * [[History of Georgia (country)|History of Georgia]] * [[Kartli]] (a historic province of Georgia) * [[List of Kings of Iberia]] * [[Theme of Iberia]] * [[Armazi]] * [[Dzalisi]] ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.iranica.com/articles/v10f5/v10f504b.html History of Iranian-Georgian Relations - Encyclopaedia Iranica article] * [http://www.amarcord.be/georgia/iberia01.html Iberia at www.amarcord.be (in Dutch)] * [http://iberiana.iatp.ge/iberia_en.htm Iberia at Iberiana Association web site] * [http://www.intas.be/catalog/961-0054.htm Iberia: history, archaeology] * [http://www.matiane.com/strabo_iberia.htm Strabo on Iberia] == Further reading == * Thomson, R.W. ''Rewriting Caucasian History'' (1996) ISBN 0-19-826373-2 * Braund, David. ''Georgia in Antiquity: A History of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994) ISBN 0-19-814473-3 * Lang, David Marshall. ''The Georgians'' (London: Thames & Hudson, 1966) {{Sassanid Provinces}} [[Category:Former monarchies of Europe]] [[Category:History of Georgia (country)]] [[Category:Provinces of the Sassanid Empire]] {{Link FA|ka}} [[bg:Иверия]] [[ca:Regne d'Ibèria]] [[de:Iberien (Kaukasien)]] [[es:Iberia caucásica]] [[eo:Iberio (Kaŭkazia)]] [[fa:ایبری قفقازی]] [[fr:Ibérie]] [[gl:Iberia caucásica]] [[ia:Iberia Transcaucasian]] [[is:Kákasus-Íbería]] [[he:איבריה הקווקזית]] [[ka:იბერია]] [[hu:Kaukázusi Ibéria]] [[nl:Kaukasisch Iberië]] [[pl:Iberia kaukaska]] [[ro:Iviria]] [[ru:Иберия]] [[fi:Iberia (Kaukasia)]] [[uk:Іберія (Східна Грузія)]] [[zh:高加索伊比利亞王國]]