An ancient kingdom established at the exit of the Darial Gorge, where the Roman Empire, Iran and the nomads of the northern steppes all met, played a pivotal role in the history of Southern Caucasia from the Hellenistic period until the 6th century CE. This country amalgamated various peoples and communities around the middle course of the Kura River. Juggling with dynastic rivalries, ethnic fragmentation, multiple languages and diverse cultures, the kings and princes of Caucasian Iberia demonstrated remarkable powers of adaptation to ensure their territorial influence, assert their legitimacy and occupy a place of choice in transnational alliance networks. The Iberian political system struck a balance between the aristocracy and the court through a diarchy which associated the king and his pitiaxēs. Entering Rome’s orbit after Pompey’s invasion in 65 BCE, the Iberians forged a partnership with the Roman leaders until the late-ancient period which was, however, not free from ambivalence. The 260s CE marked a momentous turning point in the evolution of Iberian royal power, when the growing influence of the Sasanians instigated a dynastic change for the benefit of the Mihranids. In a context of spiritual ferment bringing various religions into competition, Iberian leaders gradually decided to reform the sacred bases of their power. At the beginning of the 5th century CE, the invention of a first official form of Georgian writing illustrated this new political and religious consensus around a kingship that had become Christian—a crucial step in the process of ethnogenesis. From the Hellenistic period to the advent of Islam, ancient Iberian society, shaped on an Iranian model with a strong aristocratic component, highlighted certain charismatic women who occupied leading functions in religious and social life. The adaptability to circumstances demonstrated by the Iberians provides a remarkable example of a country of modest size evolving through the age of the great empires of Antiquity. In their epigraphy and Georgian chronicles, the Iberians have also left us their own vision of History over these thousand years of existence.
Publisher: Ausonius Éditions
Place of publication: Bordeaux
Published on OpenEdition Books: September 11, 2026
Digital ISBN: 978-2-35613-767-8
DOI: 10.4000/16rge
Series: Scripta Antiqua | 181
Year of publication: 2024
ISBN (Print version): 978-2-35613-608-4
Number of pages: 564
Chapitre 1
La genèse du peuple des “Hommes”Chapitre 5
La topographie du pouvoir en IbérieChapitre 10
Langues et signes du pouvoir en Ibérie
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