Mithridates I of Iberia
Encyclopedia
Mithridates I was the 1st-century king of Iberia
(Kartli
, modern eastern Georgia
) whose reign is evidenced by epigraphic material. Cyril Toumanoff
suggests AD 58-106 as the years of his reign.
Two inscriptions unearthed at Armazi
, Georgia, – one bilingual in Aramaic
and Greek
, and the other in Greek – identifies Mithridates (Mirdat) as the son of the "great king" Pharsamanes (P'arsman), apparently the Pharasmanes of Iberia of Tacitus
’s Annals
. The stone inscription in Greek speaks of Mithridates as "the friend of the Caesars" and the king "of the Roman-loving Iberians." It also reports that the Roman emperor
Vespasian
fortified Armazi for the Iberian king in 75.
Mithridates is ignored by the medieval Georgian chronicles which, instead, report a joint rule of Kartam (Kardzam) and Bartom (Bratman) – in the time when Vespasian’s destruction of Jerusalem in 70 spurred a wave of the refugee Jews
to Iberia – and then of their sons – Parsman and Kaos – and grandsons – Azork and Armazel. Several moderns scholars, such as Cyril Toumanoff, consider the Iberian diarchy a pure legend and a "deformed memory of the historical reign of Mithridates I". Of these royal pairs, Professor Giorgi Melikishvili
identifies "Azork" as Mithridates’s possible local name and "Armazel" as a territorial epithet, meaning in Georgian "of Armazi."
There is another Greek inscription – found in Rome
– an epitaph
for Amazaspus, who is named as brother of King Mithridates of Iberia. The inscription records Amazapus’s death at Nisibis
, while accompanying the emperor Trajan
on his Parthia
n campaign of 114-117.
Some modern scholars identify Mithridates I with the king Flavius Dades, known from a single Greek inscription around the edge of the base of a large silver dish found at Armazi. The dish was part of the inventory of a rich Roman-era burial conventionally known as "the Bersoumas burial" after the high dignitary Bersoumas to whom, the inscriptions says, this piece was presented by the king Flavius Dades. There is no mention of him in the medieval Georgian written tradition and appears to be the only Roman name attested in the Iberian ruling house, evidently indicating that he held Roman citizenship
. The identification of this monarch and his place in the Iberian royal dynasty remains problematic, however.
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...
(Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
, modern eastern 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...
) whose reign is evidenced by epigraphic material. 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...
suggests AD 58-106 as the years of his reign.
Two inscriptions unearthed at Armazi
Armazi
Armazi was, according to the medieval Georgian chronicles, the supreme deity in a pre-Christian pantheon of ancient Georgians of Kartli ....
, Georgia, – one bilingual in Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and the other in Greek – identifies Mithridates (Mirdat) as the son of the "great king" Pharsamanes (P'arsman), apparently the Pharasmanes of Iberia of Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
’s Annals
Annals (Tacitus)
The Annals by Tacitus is a history of the reigns of the four Roman Emperors succeeding Caesar Augustus. The surviving parts of the Annals extensively cover most of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus, but derives from the fact that he treated this...
. The stone inscription in Greek speaks of Mithridates as "the friend of the Caesars" and the king "of the Roman-loving Iberians." It also reports that the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
fortified Armazi for the Iberian king in 75.
Mithridates is ignored by the medieval Georgian chronicles which, instead, report a joint rule of Kartam (Kardzam) and Bartom (Bratman) – in the time when Vespasian’s destruction of Jerusalem in 70 spurred a wave of the refugee Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
to Iberia – and then of their sons – Parsman and Kaos – and grandsons – Azork and Armazel. Several moderns scholars, such as Cyril Toumanoff, consider the Iberian diarchy a pure legend and a "deformed memory of the historical reign of Mithridates I". Of these royal pairs, Professor Giorgi Melikishvili
Giorgi Melikishvili
Giorgi Melikishvili was a Georgian historian known for his fundamental works in the history of Georgia, Caucasia and the Middle East. He earned an international recognition for his research of Urartu....
identifies "Azork" as Mithridates’s possible local name and "Armazel" as a territorial epithet, meaning in Georgian "of Armazi."
There is another Greek inscription – found in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
– an epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
for Amazaspus, who is named as brother of King Mithridates of Iberia. The inscription records Amazapus’s death at Nisibis
Nisibis
Nusaybin Nisêbîn) is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey, populated mainly by Kurds. Earlier Arameans, Arabs, and Armenians lived in the city. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009.-Ancient Period:...
, while accompanying the emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
on his Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n campaign of 114-117.
Some modern scholars identify Mithridates I with the king Flavius Dades, known from a single Greek inscription around the edge of the base of a large silver dish found at Armazi. The dish was part of the inventory of a rich Roman-era burial conventionally known as "the Bersoumas burial" after the high dignitary Bersoumas to whom, the inscriptions says, this piece was presented by the king Flavius Dades. There is no mention of him in the medieval Georgian written tradition and appears to be the only Roman name attested in the Iberian ruling house, evidently indicating that he held Roman citizenship
Roman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged political and legal status afforded to certain free-born individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance....
. The identification of this monarch and his place in the Iberian royal dynasty remains problematic, however.