Pharasmanes II of Iberia
Encyclopedia
Pharasmanes II was a king of Iberia
, or Kartli
(in modern Georgia
), contemporary of the Roman emperor
Hadrian
(r. 117-138). Professor Cyril Toumanoff
suggests AD 116-132 as the years of Pharasmanes’ reign. He features in several Classical
accounts and can be identified with P’arsman K’ueli, "the Valiant" or "the Good", of the medieval Georgian tradition.
The medieval Georgian annals report P’arsman K’ueli’s joint rule with P’arsman Avaz, diarchs
(one source has the extra pair: Rok and Mihrdat), but several modern scholars consider the Iberian diarchy unlikely as it is not corroborated by the contemporary evidence. P’arsman is reported to have been the son of his predecessor, Amazasp I
. He is said to have married Ghadana, daughter of the king of Armenia (who must have been Vologases I). According to the medieval Life of Kings, the traditional friendship of the two dyarchs soured at the instigation of the Iranian wife of Mihrdat. Toumanoff regards this information a back-projection of the historically recorded enmity of Pharasmanes I of Iberia and his brother Mithridates of Armenia
. The chronicle then continues a story of an Armenian-Roman
alliance and their invasion of the Iranian-backed Iberia in which P’arsman finds his death.
The contemporary Classical authors, with more solid historical background, focus on Pharasmanes’ uneasy relations with Rome. He refused in 129 to come and pay homage to the emperor Hadrian
then touring the East, and prompted the Alans
to attack the neighboring Roman provinces by giving them a passage through his realm, even though the emperor had sent him greater gifts — including an elephant — than to any other king of the East. In his pique, Hadrian dressed some 300 criminals in the gold-embroidered cloaks which were part of the return gift of Pharasmanes, and sent them into the arena. Eventually, the ancient sources report a highly honored visit paid by Pharasmanes of Iberia to Hadrian’s successor Antoninus Pius
. This Pharasmanes, however, might have been Pharasmanes III
, Pharasmanes II’s possible grandson.
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...
, or Kartli
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...
(in modern Georgia
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...
), contemporary of the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
(r. 117-138). Professor Cyril 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...
suggests AD 116-132 as the years of Pharasmanes’ reign. He features in several 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...
accounts and can be identified with P’arsman K’ueli, "the Valiant" or "the Good", of the medieval Georgian tradition.
The medieval Georgian annals report P’arsman K’ueli’s joint rule with P’arsman Avaz, diarchs
Diarchy
Diarchy , from the Greek δι- "twice" and αρχια, "rule", is a form of government in which two individuals, the diarchs, are the heads of state. In most diarchies, the diarchs hold their position for life and pass the responsibilities and power of the position to their children or family when they...
(one source has the extra pair: Rok and Mihrdat), but several modern scholars consider the Iberian diarchy unlikely as it is not corroborated by the contemporary evidence. P’arsman is reported to have been the son of his predecessor, Amazasp I
Amazasp I of Iberia
Amazasp I was a king of Iberia whose reign is placed by the early medieval Georgian historical compendia in the 2nd century...
. He is said to have married Ghadana, daughter of the king of Armenia (who must have been Vologases I). According to the medieval Life of Kings, the traditional friendship of the two dyarchs soured at the instigation of the Iranian wife of Mihrdat. Toumanoff regards this information a back-projection of the historically recorded enmity of Pharasmanes I of Iberia and his brother Mithridates of Armenia
Mithridates of Armenia
Mithridates of Armenia was an Iberian prince and a king of Armenia under the protection of the Roman Empire.Mithridates was installed by his brother Pharasmanes I of Iberia who, encouraged by Tiberius, invaded Armenia and captured its capital Artaxata in 35...
. The chronicle then continues a story of an Armenian-Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
alliance and their invasion of the Iranian-backed Iberia in which P’arsman finds his death.
The contemporary Classical authors, with more solid historical background, focus on Pharasmanes’ uneasy relations with Rome. He refused in 129 to come and pay homage to the emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
then touring the East, and prompted the Alans
Alans
The Alans, or the Alani, occasionally termed Alauni or Halani, were a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian.-Name:The various forms of Alan —...
to attack the neighboring Roman provinces by giving them a passage through his realm, even though the emperor had sent him greater gifts — including an elephant — than to any other king of the East. In his pique, Hadrian dressed some 300 criminals in the gold-embroidered cloaks which were part of the return gift of Pharasmanes, and sent them into the arena. Eventually, the ancient sources report a highly honored visit paid by Pharasmanes of Iberia to Hadrian’s successor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
. This Pharasmanes, however, might have been Pharasmanes III
Pharasmanes III of Iberia
Pharasmanes III or P’arsman III was a king of Iberia , a contemporary of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius...
, Pharasmanes II’s possible grandson.