Parnavaz II of Iberia
Encyclopedia
Parnavaz II (died 30 BC), of the Artaxiad Dynasty
, was a king of Iberia
(Kartli
, eastern Georgia
) 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 Roman
general Pompey
in 65 BC. However, Roman hegemony over Iberia proved to be impermanent, and, in 36 BC, the legate
Publius Canidius Crassus
led his army into Iberia, forcing Parnavaz to make an alliance against Zober, king of neighboring Albania
. Canidius and Parnavaz marched to Albania and subdued its people. Incidentally, no Georgian source documents these events reported by Cassius Dio in his Roman History Instead, the Georgian annals concentrates upon the homecoming of Mirvan
, the exiled son of Parnajom, who had been brought up in Iran
. Mirvan returned to Kartli at the head of an Iranian army, killed Bartom and became a king. Bartom is said to have adopted Kartam, the grandson of Kuji (the alleged ruler of Egrisi
in the time of the first Iberian king Parnavaz). But Kartam had also been killed in battle against Mirvan. Nevertheless, Kartam’s pregnant wife – the daughter of Bartom – fled to Armenia
where she gave birth to a son named Aderki.
Artaxiad dynasty of Iberia
The Artaxiads , a branch of the eponymous dynasty of Armenia, ruled Iberia 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...
, was a king of 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...
(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...
, 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...
) from 63 to 30 BC. He is known as Pharnabazus in 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, 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 Roman
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....
general Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
in 65 BC. However, Roman hegemony over Iberia proved to be impermanent, 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...
led his army into Iberia, forcing Parnavaz to make an alliance against Zober, king of neighboring Albania
Caucasian Albania
Albania is a name for the historical region of the eastern Caucasus, that existed on the territory of present-day republic of...
. Canidius and Parnavaz marched to Albania and subdued its people. Incidentally, no Georgian source documents these events reported by Cassius Dio in his Roman History Instead, the Georgian annals concentrates upon the homecoming of Mirvan
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....
, the exiled son of Parnajom, who had been brought up in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Mirvan returned to Kartli at the head of an Iranian army, killed Bartom and became a king. Bartom is said to have adopted Kartam, the grandson of Kuji (the alleged ruler of Egrisi
Egrisi
Lazica or Egrisi in Georgian |Georgia]], named after the Laz tribe, which at some time dominated the local ruling élite.The kingdom flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It covered part of the territory of the former kingdom Colchis and subjugated the territory of modern...
in the time of the first Iberian king Parnavaz). But Kartam had also been killed in battle against Mirvan. Nevertheless, Kartam’s pregnant wife – the daughter of Bartom – fled to Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
where she gave birth to a son named Aderki.