Pharasmanes I of Iberia

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Pharasmanes I the Great
ფარსმან I დიდი
Georgian paganism

Pharasmanes I the Great

Iberia. He plays a prominent role in the historian Tacitus' account of policy and campaigns in the eastern lands of the Roman Empire under Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. According to Cyril Toumanoff, Pharasmanes was a member of the third Pharnavazid dynasty and reigned from 1 to 58. Pharasmanes is mentioned on the Stele of Vespasian. During his reign, Iberia was transformed into the Transcaucasian empire,[2] that would dominate the kingdoms of Armenia and Albania.[3]

Life

As allies of Rome, his brother Mithridates was installed as king of Armenia by Roman emperor Tiberius, who invaded Armenia in 35. When the Parthian prince Orodes, son of Artabanus II of Parthia, attempted to dispossess Mithridates of his newly acquired kingdom, Pharasmanes led a large Iberian army and defeated the Parthians in a pitched battle (Tacitus, Annals. vi. 32–35).[4] Pharasmanes personally smashed Orod's helmet with one blow: Orod galloped off, and the rumours of his death demoralized the Parthians.[5]

Around 52, Pharasmanes instigated his son,

Mithridates (Mihrdat) I.[8][9]

Family

At an unknown date, Pharasmanes married an unnamed Armenian princess of the

Mithridates I (Mihrdat), Rhadamistus, and Amazaspus (Amazasp), who is known from the Epigram of Amazaspos found in Rome
.

Diarchy

Toumanoff has tentatively suggested the identification of Pharasmanes with the Aderki (or Rok) of the medieval Georgian chronicles whose reign is said to have coincided with the appearance of the first Christian communities in Iberia, and the travel of the Jews from Mtskheta to Jerusalem whence they witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and brought the Holy Tunic to Iberia. According to the Georgian chronicles, Aderki's division of his kingdom between his two sons, Kartam (Kardzam) and Bartom (Bratman), inaugurated the start of dyarchy in Iberia which would last for five generations. Many modern scholars, however, doubt the existence of the diarchy, for the contemporary foreign source make references only to sole monarch.[10]

See also

  • Iberian–Armenian War

References

  1. ^ A. Furtwängler, I. Gagoshidze, H. Löhr and N. Ludwig(2008) - Iberia and Rome, Page - 253.
  2. ^ Rayfield 2013, p. 418.
  3. ^ Rayfield 2013, p. 29.
  4. ^ Grousset 1947, p. 89, 106.
  5. ^ Rayfield 2013, p. 30.
  6. ^ Rayfield 2013, p. 31.
  7. ^ Tacitus, Annales xii. 42-48, xiii. 6, 37.
  8. ^ Toumanoff 1967, p. 101.
  9. ^ Rayfield 2013, p. 32.
  10. ^ Rapp 2003, p. 285-287.

Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. London: John Murray. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help
)

Bibliography
Preceded by
Artaxias II
King of Iberia

c. 1 – 58 		Succeeded by
Mithridates I
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