Artaxiad dynasty of Iberia
Encyclopedia
The Artaxiads a branch of the eponymous dynasty
of Armenia, ruled Iberia
(ancient Georgia
) from c.
90 BC to 30 AD. According to the medieval Georgian chronicles, they acquired the crown of Iberia after the Iberian nobles revolted against their king P’arnajom, of the Pharnabazid dynasty
, and petitioned the king of Armenia to send his son, who was married to a Pharnabazid princess, as their new monarch. Both the king of Armenia and his son are referred to in the chronicles as “Arshak”, probably a confusion with Artaxias which seems to be taken as a general term in reference to the Artaxiad kings of Armenia. Professor Cyril Toumanoff
identifies the king of Armenia of this account as Artavasdes I
(r.
c. 161-post-123 BC) and considers the newly installed Iberian king, Artaxias I
(r. 90-78 BC), to have been his son. The chronicle goes on to describe a great battle between a combined Iberian-Armenian army against P’arnajom and his followers. In the end, P’arnajom is defeated and killed, and thereafter the Armenian prince becomes the king of Iberia.
Little is known about the early years of the Iberian Artaxiad rule. They seem to have been under the influence of their Armenian cousins to whom Iberia had relinquished a significant portion of its territory. This association with the Armenian Artaxiads, who were at their acme during the reign of Tigranes the Great
(r. 95-55 BC), brought about Iberia’s involvement in the Third Mithridatic War
between the Pontus
-Armenian alliance and Rome
(75-65 BC). Plutarch
and Licinius Macer
inform us that the Iberian contingents featured prominently at the battles of Tigranocerta
(69 BC) and Artaxata
(68 BC). Even after the surrender of Tigranes to the mercy of Pompey
, the Artaxiad king of Iberia Artoces (r. 78-63 BC) continued to offer a stubborn resistance to the invading Romans, but was eventually defeated and forced to plea for peace. This Artoces well-known to the Classical
sources is apparently the Artag (Artog), son of Arshak/Artaxias, of the Georgian annals which surprisingly omit any mention of the Roman invasion, but instead report the king’s fighting with the “Persians”.
Roman hegemony over Iberia proved to be impermanent, however, and, in 36 BC, the legate
Publius Canidius Crassus
had to lead his army into Iberia to force its king Pharnabazus
into a new alliance with Rome. Neither Pharnabazus nor his relations with Rome are recorded in the Georgian chronicles whose narrative focuses on King Bartom, son of Artag, and his demise in the struggle with the once exile prince Mirian
who eventually restored the Pharnabazid dynasty to the throne of Iberia. Modern scholars tend to identify Pharnabazus with Bartom and consider him the last in the Artaxiad line.
Artaxiad Dynasty
The Artaxiad Dynasty or Ardaxiad Dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC until their overthrow by the Romans in AD 12. Their realm included Greater Armenia, Sophene and intermittently Lesser Armenia and parts of Mesopotamia...
of Armenia, ruled Iberia
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
(ancient Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
) from c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
90 BC to 30 AD. According to the medieval Georgian chronicles, they acquired the crown of Iberia after the Iberian nobles revolted against their king P’arnajom, of the Pharnabazid dynasty
Pharnabazid Dynasty
The Pharnabazid or P’arnavaziani is the name of the first dynasty of Georgian kings of Kartli preserved by the Georgian historical tradition. Their rule lasted, with intermissions, from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD. The main male line is reported to have become extinct early on and...
, and petitioned the king of Armenia to send his son, who was married to a Pharnabazid princess, as their new monarch. Both the king of Armenia and his son are referred to in the chronicles as “Arshak”, probably a confusion with Artaxias which seems to be taken as a general term in reference to the Artaxiad kings of Armenia. Professor Cyril Toumanoff
Cyril Toumanoff
Cyril Leo Heraclius, Prince Toumanoff was an United States-based historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, the Byzantine Empire, and Iran...
identifies the king of Armenia of this account as Artavasdes I
Artavasdes I of Armenia
Artavasdes I of Armenia was the son of Artaxias I and Queen Satenik....
(r.
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
c. 161-post-123 BC) and considers the newly installed Iberian king, Artaxias I
Artaxias I of Iberia
Artaxias I, of the Artaxiad dynasty, was a king of Iberia from 90 to 78 BC. He is known exclusively from the medieval Georgian chronicles which gives his name as Arshak .A son of the king of Armenia, purportedly of Artavasdes I Artaxias I, of the Artaxiad dynasty, was a king of Iberia (modern-day...
(r. 90-78 BC), to have been his son. The chronicle goes on to describe a great battle between a combined Iberian-Armenian army against P’arnajom and his followers. In the end, P’arnajom is defeated and killed, and thereafter the Armenian prince becomes the king of Iberia.
Little is known about the early years of the Iberian Artaxiad rule. They seem to have been under the influence of their Armenian cousins to whom Iberia had relinquished a significant portion of its territory. This association with the Armenian Artaxiads, who were at their acme during the reign of Tigranes the Great
Tigranes the Great
Tigranes the Great was emperor of Armenia under whom the country became, for a short time, the strongest state east of the Roman Republic. He was a member of the Artaxiad Royal House...
(r. 95-55 BC), brought about Iberia’s involvement in the Third Mithridatic War
Third Mithridatic War
The Third Mithridatic War was the last and longest of three Mithridatic Wars fought between Mithridates VI of Pontus and his allies and the Roman Republic...
between the Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
-Armenian alliance and Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
(75-65 BC). Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
and Licinius Macer
Licinius Macer
Gaius Licinius Macer was an official and annalist of ancient Rome.A member of the ancient plebeian gens Licinia, he was tribune in 73 BC; Sallust mentions him agitating for the people's rights...
inform us that the Iberian contingents featured prominently at the battles of Tigranocerta
Battle of Tigranocerta
The Battle of Tigranocerta was fought on October 6, 69 BC between the forces of the Roman Republic and the army of the Kingdom of Armenia led by King Tigranes the Great. The Roman force was led by Consul Lucius Licinius Lucullus, and Tigranes was defeated...
(69 BC) and Artaxata
Battle of Artaxata
The Battle of Artaxata was fought in 68 BC between the Roman Republic and the Kingdom of Armenia. The Romans were led by Consul Lucius Licinius Lucullus, while the Armenians were led by King Tigranes II, who was sheltering King Mithridates VI of Pontus...
(68 BC). Even after the surrender of Tigranes to the mercy of Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
, the Artaxiad king of Iberia Artoces (r. 78-63 BC) continued to offer a stubborn resistance to the invading Romans, but was eventually defeated and forced to plea for peace. This Artoces well-known to the Classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
sources is apparently the Artag (Artog), son of Arshak/Artaxias, of the Georgian annals which surprisingly omit any mention of the Roman invasion, but instead report the king’s fighting with the “Persians”.
Roman hegemony over Iberia proved to be impermanent, however, and, in 36 BC, the legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
Publius Canidius Crassus
Publius Canidius Crassus
Publius Canidius Crassus was a Roman general and Mark Antony's lieutenant. He served under Lepidus in southern Gallia in 43 BC, and was henceforth allied with Antony. He became suffect consul in 40 BC and then served as a commander in Armenia whence he invaded, in 36 BC, Iberia , and forced its...
had to lead his army into Iberia to force its king Pharnabazus
Parnavaz II of Iberia
Parnavaz II , of the Artaxiad Dynasty, was a king of Iberia from 63 to 30 BC. He is known as Pharnabazus in Classical sources, and is commonly identified with the Bartom or Bratman of the medieval Georgian chronicles.He succeeded upon the death of his father Artag who had been defeated by the...
into a new alliance with Rome. Neither Pharnabazus nor his relations with Rome are recorded in the Georgian chronicles whose narrative focuses on King Bartom, son of Artag, and his demise in the struggle with the once exile prince Mirian
Mirian II of Iberia
Mirian II or Mirvan was a king of Iberia from 30 to 20 BC. His reign marked the reinstatement of the Nimrodid Dynasty, a continuation of the P'arnabazids....
who eventually restored the Pharnabazid dynasty to the throne of Iberia. Modern scholars tend to identify Pharnabazus with Bartom and consider him the last in the Artaxiad line.