Mirian I
| Mirian I | |
|---|---|
| King of Iberia | |
| Reign | 159 BC – 109 BC |
| Predecessor | Saurmag |
| Successor | Pharnajom |
| Died | 109 BC |
| Issue | Pharnajom |
| Dynasty | Nimrodid |
Mirian I (Georgian: მირიანი; more precisely Mirvan, მირვანი) was king of Iberia from 159 BC to 109 BC.[1] His name (Mihrbān), of Middle Iranian origin, means "friendly, kind", and is derived from Old Iranian Mithrāpāna, meaning "having the protection of Mithra".[1]
When Saurmag, the second king of Iberia, died without a male heir, the dynasty survived in the female line through the marriage of Saurmag's daughter to Mirian, who is referred to as Nebrot'iani (ნებროთიანი), which means the "race of Nimrod" a generic term applied to the ancient Iranian nobility.[2] The dynasty that Mirian ruled is thus referred as the Nimrodid or second Pharnavazid dynasty.[3] Mirian had his daughter married to the Artaxiad prince Artaxias, whose father Artavasdes I (r. 160–115 BC) was the incumbent king of Armenia.[3] In c. 120 BC, Mirian most likely became a vassal of the Parthian Empire.[4] Massive circulation of Parthian coins into Iberia, along with Armenia and Caucasian Albania, indicates that these kingdoms had been swayed by the influence of the Parthians.[5]
Mirian is further reported to have defeated a mountaineers' invasion of the province of Kakheti, and is credited with the fortification of the Daryal Pass as well as to contributing to the cult of Ainina and Danina.[6] He was succeeded by his son Pharnajom.
References
- ^ a b Rapp 2014, p. 222.
- ^ Toumanoff 1969, p. 10; Rapp 2009, p. 674
- ^ a b Toumanoff 1969, p. 10.
- ^ Olbrycht 2009, pp. 170–171.
- ^ Olbrycht 2009, p. 171.
- ^ Rapp 2003, p. 281.
Sources
- Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2009). "Mithridates VI Eupator and Iran". In Højte, Jakob Munk (ed.). Mithridates VI and the Pontic Kingdom. Black Sea Studies. Vol. 9. Aarhus University Press. pp. 163–190. ISBN 978-8779344433. ISSN 1903-4873.
- Rapp, Stephen H. (2003). Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts and Eurasian Contexts. Peeters. ISBN 978-2-87723-723-9.
- Rapp, Stephen H. (2009). "The Iranian Heritage of Georgia (2009)". Russian State Humanities University: 645–692.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Rapp, Stephen H. (2014). The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes: Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-1472425522.
- Toumanoff, Cyril (1969). "Chronology of the early kings of Iberia". Traditio. 25. Cambridge University Press: 1–33. doi:10.1017/S0362152900010898. JSTOR 27830864. (registration required)