Mirian I of Iberia
Encyclopedia
Mirian I was a monarch of Kartli
(an ancient Georgian
kingdom known as Iberia
to the Classical
sources) listed as the third king in the traditional royal list of medieval Georgian chronicles. Professor Toumanoff
suggest the years 159-109 BC as the period of his reign.
According to the chronicle, Saurmag
, the 2nd king of Kartli, died without a male heir, and the dynasty survived in the female line through the marriage of Saurmag's daughter to Mirian, who is referred to in this account as Nebrot'iani (ნებროთიანი), which means the "race of Nimrod
" and seems to be the generic term applied to the ancient Iranian nobility. He is further reported to have defeated a mountaineers' invasion of the province of Kakheti
, and credited with fortifying the Daryal Pass.
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...
(an ancient Georgian
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...
kingdom known as 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...
to the 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) listed as the third king in the traditional royal list of medieval Georgian chronicles. Professor Toumanoff
Cyril Toumanoff
Cyril Leo Heraclius, Prince Toumanoff was an United States-based historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, the Byzantine Empire, and Iran...
suggest the years 159-109 BC as the period of his reign.
According to the chronicle, Saurmag
Saurmag I of Iberia
Saurmag was a monarch of Kartli listed as the second king in the traditional royal list of medieval Georgian chronicles. Professor Toumanoff suggest the years 234-159 BC as the period of his reign.The Life of Kings, written c...
, the 2nd king of Kartli, died without a male heir, and the dynasty survived in the female line through the marriage of Saurmag's daughter to Mirian, who is referred to in this account as Nebrot'iani (ნებროთიანი), which means the "race of Nimrod
Nimrod
Nimrod means "Hunter"; was a Biblical Mesopotamian king mentioned in the Table of Nations; an eponym for the city of Nimrud.Nimrod can also refer to any of the following:*Nimród Antal, a director...
" and seems to be the generic term applied to the ancient Iranian nobility. He is further reported to have defeated a mountaineers' invasion of the province of Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
, and credited with fortifying the Daryal Pass.