Proceedings. Institute of Georgian History. Faculty of Humanities. Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

ABOUT THE NOTE OF MOSES KHORENATS’I (CHRONOLOGY OF IBERO-PONTIC POLITICAL RELATIONS)

2019-01-09T15:01:22+04:00

Very strange dynasty appears in “History of the Armenians” written by Pseudo-Moses Khorenats’i. 1) Alexander appoints Dareh’s (Darius) nakharar (satrap) Mihrdat (Mithridates) to rule over the Iberians (Georgians); 2) king Valarshak alloted vitaxate of Gugark (Gogarene) to head of Mihrdat’s descendants; 3) Mihrdat, one of the pitiaxes, a contemporary of Artashes and Tigranes (Armenian kings), fights Pompejus to defend Pontus in the name of the Armenians; 4) taking advantage of chaos in Rome, Artashes attacks land between two seas (Asia Minor) and also Greece, with a large number of the ships; at last, he is killed by his own soldiers; 5) son of Mihrdat, named after his father, is captured by the Romans.

Quite similar information is preserved in “Armenian Geography”. Here Artashes conquers the Greek islands in Aegean Sea, besieges the “famous castle”.

The Pontic dynasty of Mithridatids is presented in Pseudo-Moses’ work, but ascribed to Georgian speaking Armenian province of Gugark (Gogarene). Why? To prescribe all the deeds of Mithridates VI Eupator to his ally Tigranes and also to king Artashes. How? Perhaps, seeing a formation of the theme Armeniakon in the early years of Heraclius rule, including also Pontus, why not to declare Pontus as subjugated to Armenia land in the past times?! Of course, there is no mention of Armeniakon in the narrative, as if the story passed on by mouth.

Then, what was to be done with the Pontic royal dynasty? Keeping in mind that, for example, according to Josephus, Mithridates, a contemporary of Tigranes, defeated by Lucullus, fled to the Iberians, Pseudo-Moses transferred the whole dynasty into southern Georgian domains by that time subjugated to the Armenians. There the dynasty received new function as a fiction, that of pitiaxes of Gugark. They were ordered to defend Armenian Pontus from the Romans. And all the grand expeditions towards the West were headed by the Armenian kings.

For the same tendencies in “Armenian Geography” it could be also written by Pseudo-Moses in the 10s of the 7th c.

Those scholars who think Moses to rely on some oral tradition are quite sure about kingdom of Pontus to intervent into Kartli/Iberia affairs as early as in the beginning of the 3rd c. B.C.

Those scholars who think about the notes of Pseudo-Moses to be merely a fiction name Lysimachus in the same context. He assisted Azo, a pretender to Iberian throne. Next pretender, Pharnavaz, was assisted by Seleucus, and he was victorious.

QUESTION OF ATTRIBUTION OF THE COINS WITH THE EFFIGY OF HELIOS ON OBVERSE ISSUED IN BOSPHORUS AND CHERSONESUS

2019-01-09T15:17:14+04:00

The study of the antiquities of the ancient Northern Black Sea region has been going on for more than one century. The objects of research were not only written sources, but also archaeological artifacts found during the excavations. Lapidary monuments are actively studied, as well as ancient seals and coins. Moreover, coins are the most numerous and, sometimes, the only sources of historical information.

However, their research is unlikely to be considered complete. It is not only about the latest coins, the attribution of which is difficult because of the extremely stylized image of them and numerous errors in the inscriptions. The definitions of coins issued during one of the most studied periods in the history of the region, under the rule of Mithridates VI Eupator Dionysus, are still not clear.

Taking this circumstance into account, the objects to be studied were coins issued at the end of the 2nd c. BCE. Their distinguishing feature is the presence of Helios on the obverse. Such coins were minted in Gorgippia, in Chersonesus, and they were struck by king Saumakos.

The appearance of the same type of image on the obverse cannot be accidental. We believe that Gorgippia, Chersonesus and king Saumakos voluntarily recognized the authority of Mithridates VI Eupator Dionysus. A sign of respect for this sovereign was the placement on the coins of the image of a deity revered on the southern coast of Pontus.

The order of receipt of these coins in circulation is also interesting. We believe that they were not struck at the same time. The first coins with Helios were minted in Gorgippia. No wonder they were drachmas – relatively large, but at the same time, the usual money for the population.

We believe that the issue of the coins of Gorgippia testifies to the withdrawal of this city from the Kingdom of Bosphorus. Gorgippia for a time became an independent state and made an alliance with the Kingdom of Pontus. Thus it is not accidental that Gorgippia issued own silver coins.

After the first campaign of Diophantus, coins with the image of Helios on obverse started to be issued in Chersonesus. But they were minted not from silver, but from bronze. The reality is that during this period money of base metals circulated in Chersonesus. And the coins with the image of Helios had the function of political manifestation.

Soon a military coup occurred in Panticapaeum, and Saumakos began minting coins with the image of Helios on obverse. Most likely, he was a representative of the local barbarian aristocracy. With the connivance of the Pontians, Saumakos hoped to usurp the throne of Bosporus. He was supported by the inhabitants of the largest cities of Bosporus: Panticapaeum, Phanagoria and Theodosia. And it was not accidental. The elites of these cities were interested in the preservation and development of trade relations with the barbarians. They also wanted to preserve the integrity of the Bosporan State.

So it is not by chance that Saumakos minted his silver coins. There is every reason to believe that they were claimed as means of payment. Especially since the symbols typical for the coinage of Panticapaeum – the “bull”, and Phanagoria – the “pomegranate flower”, are placed on them. It is possible that coins with them were issued in these cities.

Saumakos and his supporters were defeated. But before that, a part of the elite of the Bosporan cities reached a consensus with the king of Pontus. We judge by the fact that the inhabitants of Phanagoria did not support him in the fight against Diophantus and were neutral to the appointment of Mithridates the Junior as the governor of the Bosporus.

The study of coins with the image of Helios on obverse made it possible to trace the stages of the formation of the Pontic protectorate in Taurica and in the northern Black Sea Region. It made it possible to clarify our understanding of the course of events at late 2nd-early 1st cc. BCE.

261 CE – Revolution in Caucasian Iberia

2019-01-09T15:24:50+04:00

The Caucasian kingdom of Iberia had been, at first, relatively preserved from the profound mutations that accompanied the overthrow of Arsacids by the new Sasanian power in Iran. The builder of the new Empire, Ardaxšīr I (r. 224- 242), did not interfere with the ruling dynasties in Media Atropatene, Armenia, Albania and the rest of South Caucasia. It was during the reign of his successor, Šāpūr I (r. 239-270), that the Sasanian revolution affected this part of Asia. The Roman Empire was again struggling with an Iranian expansionism much more assertive than under the last Arsacids. For Caucasian history, this period marked by profound upheavals remains quite obscure, not only due to the lack of sources, but also to the contradictions between divergent documents. However, some testimonies found in chronicles, epigraphy and archaeology are likely to cast new light on the events which changed Caucasus during the period that scholars have traditionally referred to as the “Third Century Crisis”.

SASSANIAN MOTIFS IN ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ART OF THE KINGDOM OF KARTLI (IBERIA)

2019-01-09T15:49:42+04:00

For centuries, Georgian states retained close links with the pre-Islamic Iran. In addition to the economy and politics, Georgia and Iran developed strong ties in the cultural sphere as well. Territory of the East Georgia has been under the sphere of influence of the Sassanian Empire in the periods of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Iranian culture and Zoroastrianism had strong impact on the Georgian art from these historical periods that is evident in architecture, reliefs, glyptic and other objects of fine and applied arts. Sometimes we can notice also Zoroastrian reminiscences in the first stage of the development of the Christian art in Georgia. Eastern Georgia (especially regions of Lower an Inner Kartlii, and cities like Mtskheta, Tbilisi, Ujarma and others) had Iranian, Zoroastrian population in these periods. Therefore, the map of Georgia is enriched with Iranian toponymics. From the ancient times, there have been fire temples of the different type as well (Samadlo, Tsikhiagora, Dedoflis Mindori etc.). Iranian population, Zoroastrian communities, fire temples and altars are mentioned in many Georgian written sources. Such communities were often multi-ethnic – along with Iranians, they had Georgian members as well. In a similar vein, we can delineate the group of churches of the early Middle Ages, that has strong influence of Zoroastrian temple architecture – e.g. Tcheremi, Tskhrakara of Matani, Nekresi, Uplistsikhe etc. In addition, article covers the objects of fine and applied arts, such as reliefs, silverworks, gemstones etc. Such samples possess extremely interesting synthesis of local Georgian art and Sassanian iconographic and decorative motifs: the ways of depiction of characters, their clothes and accessories, Zoroastrian and Christian religious symbols, stylistic peculiarities, ornaments etc.