Kingdom of Iberia

Quick Facts: Who was Kingdom of Iberia?

Subject:

Kingdom of Iberia

Known for:

Ancient Georgian kingdom (Kartli), a key cultural center in the Caucasus region.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

In Greco-Roman geography, Iberia was an exonym for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli, known after its core province. The kingdom existed during Classical Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, either as an independent state or as a dependent of larger empires, notably the Sassanid and Roman empires. Iberia, centered on present-day eastern Georgia, was bordered by Colchis in the west, Caucasian Albania in the east and Armenia in the south. Its population, the Iberians, formed the nucleus of the Kartvelians (i.e., Georgians). Iberia, ruled by the Pharnavazid, Artaxiad, Arsacid and Chosroid royal dynasties, together with Colchis to its west, would form the nucleus of the unified medieval Kingdom of Georgia under the Bagrationi dynasty.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In the 4th century, during the reign of King Mirian III, Christianity was made the state religion of the kingdom. Starting in the early 6th century AD, the kingdom's position as a Sassanian vassal state was changed into direct Persian rule. In 580, king 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). The term "Caucasian Iberia" is also used to distinguish it from the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. All exonyms are likely derived from gorgān (گرگان), the Persian designation of the Georgians, evolving from Parthian wurgān (𐭅𐭓𐭊𐭍) and Middle Persian wiručān (𐭥𐭫𐭥𐭰𐭠𐭭), rooting out from Old Persian vrkān (𐎺𐎼𐎣𐎠𐎴) meaning "the land of the wolves".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

This is also reflected in Old Armenian virk (վիրք), it being a source of Ancient Greek ibēríā (Ἰβηρία), that entered Latin as Hiberia. The transformation of vrkān into gorgān and alteration of v into g was a phonetic phenomenon in the word formation of Proto-Aryan and ancient Iranian languages. All exonyms are simply phonetic variations of the same root vrk/varka (𐎺𐎼𐎣) meaning wolf. Historian Adolfo Domínguez Monedero argues that the name Iberian was given by Ancient Greeks to two different peoples located at the extremities of their world (in the Iberian Peninsula and the Caucasus) due to the mythical wealth associated with them (Tartessos and the Golden Fleece of Colchis). In earliest times, the area of Caucasian Iberia was inhabited by several related tribes stemming from the Kura-Araxes culture.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Kingdom of Iberia

True or False: “The name 'Iberia' was derived from the Greek word for wolf, reflecting a shared cultural root with other regions.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): The exonyms are believed to derive from *gorgān*, which is linked phonetically to Old Persian *vrkān* meaning 'the land of the wolves'.

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