The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature

540 Pages·2019·20.18 MB·English

by  Stephen H. Rapp Jr

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The SaSanian World Through georgian eyeS
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The Sasanian World through
georgian eyes
Caucasia and the iranian Commonwealth in
late antique georgian literature
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] a STephen h. rapp Jr
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d Sam Houston State University, USA
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First published 2014 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © Stephen h. rapp Jr 2014
7 Stephen h. rapp Jr has asserted his right under the Copyright, designs and patents act,
1 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
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y All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
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u form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
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4 including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
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4 without permission in writing from the publishers.
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1: Notice..
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t Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only
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] for identification and explanation without intent to infringe .
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or British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Fl A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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u The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
o
S
f rapp, Stephen h.
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y The Sasanian World through georgian eyes: Caucasia and the iranian
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si Commonwealth in late antique georgian literature / by Stephen h. rapp Jr.
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e pages cm
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ni includes bibliographical references and index.
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1. Sassanids – historiography. 2. Sassanids – history – Sources. 3. iran – history –
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y To 640 – historiography. 4. georgia (republic) – history – To 1801 – historiography.
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d 5. georgia (republic) – Kings and rulers – historiography. 6. Caucasus –
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d historiography. 7. georgian literature – history and criticism. 8. hagiography –
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o history and criticism. 9. georgian language – To 1100 – Texts. i. Title.
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n dS286.r29 2014
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o 935’.707072039536–dc23 2014001008
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ISBN 9781472425522 (hbk)
The Armenian font in this work is available from www.linguistsoftware.com/larmu.htm.
Contents
List of Figures and Maps vii
Preface and Acknowledgements xi
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2 Note on Transliteration xvii
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4 Maps xxv
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1 introduction: Contexts 1
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a parT i: hagiographiCal TexTS
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Fl 1 The Vitae of Šušanik and Evstat‛i 33
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o 2 The nino Cycle 105
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o parT ii: hiSToriographiCal TexTS
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r 3 K‛art‛lis c‛xovreba and the historiographical Mok‛c‛evay k‛art‛lisay 169
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b 5 The Life of the Successors of Mirian 261
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a 6 The Life of Vaxtang Gorgasali 271
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w 7 ps.-Juanšer’s Continuation 331
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epilogue: Hambavi mep‛et‛a and Sasanian Caucasia 353
appendix i: Terminological note 377
appendix ii: georgian literary Sources for the Sasanian era 379
Appendix III: K‛art‛velian Kings and Presiding Princes until the End of
the Sasanian empire 385
vi The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes
Appendix IV: Mihrānid Bidaxšes of Somxit‛i-Gugark‛ 389
appendix V: Sasanian Šāhan šāhs 391
Bibliography 393
Index 499
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List of Figures and Maps
Figures
photographs are by the author unless otherwise noted.
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2 i.1 opening of The Life of the Kings in Patmut‛iwn Vrac‛, the medieval
y armenian-language adaptation of K‛art‛lis c‛xovreba, “a”
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J or “arm/a” redaction, 1274–1311. Matenadaran 1902, 218.
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2 photograph courtesy of the Matenadaran, erevan. 10
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: i.2 Closing of The Life of the Successors of Mirian and beginning of The
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1 Life of Vaxtang Gorgasali in the oldest georgian-language variant
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] a of K‛art‛lis c‛xovreba, anaseuli (“a”) or “Queen anne” redaction,
a 1479–1495. georgian national Centre of Manuscripts Q-795,
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ri 125. photograph courtesy of the georgian national Centre of
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Fl Manuscripts, T‛bilisi. 11
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ou I.3 Opening of Iakob C‛urtaveli’s Passion of Šušanik in the Parxali
S mravalt‛avi (polykephalon), eleventh century. Written in nusxuri
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o script. Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts A-95, 353r.
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t Photograph courtesy of the Georgian National Centre of
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r Manuscripts, T‛bilisi. 14
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U i.4 opening of The Martyrdom of Evstat‛i in an ecclesiastical collection
y [ (“Krebuli”), late tenth/early eleventh century. Written in
b nusxuri script. georgian national Centre of Manuscripts h-341,
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e 416r. photograph courtesy of the georgian national Centre of
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a Manuscripts, T‛bilisi. 16
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w i.5 Closing of Royal List I and beginning of The Conversion of
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D K‛art‛li in the Šatberdi variant of Mok‛c‛evay k‛art‛lisay, tenth
century. georgian national Centre of Manuscripts S-1141,
216v. photograph courtesy of the georgian national Centre of
Manuscripts, T‛bilisi. 18
I.6 Mc‛xet‛a and Armazis-c‛ixe. 20
I.7 The Achaemenid-like building at Gumbat‛i. Used with the
permission of dr Florian Knauss. 24
viii The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes
I.8 The palace at Dedop‛lis Gora. Used with the permission of
prof dr andreas Furtwängler. 26
1.1 Bolnisi Sioni. 40
1.2 Foundational inscription, Bolnisi Sioni. photograph courtesy of
the Georgian National Museum, T‛bilisi. 40
1.3 Foundational inscription, Bolnisi Sioni. Detail of precise in situ copy. 40
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2 1.4 Signet of Aspaurouk[is] pitiaxēs. Photograph courtesy of the
y Georgian National Museum, T‛bilisi. 66
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2 1.5 Ruins of Samšwlde Sioni. 70
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: 1.6 Asomt‛avruli inscription mentioning local pitiaxšis, Samšwlde Sioni. 70
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] a 1.7 Presumed site of a late antique Zoroastrian temple, T‛bilisi. 93
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ri 1.8 Sixth-century basilica, Nekresi monastic complex. 101
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h 2.1 Etching of St Nino from Sabinin’s 1882 collection of Georgian
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ou vitae, Sak‛art‛ūēlos samot‛xe, opposite p. 119. 109
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o 2.2 Church of St Hṙip‛simē, Vałaršapat (Ēǰmiacin), Armenia. 116
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b 2.5 The Caucasus Mountains and Mt Šxara from Ušguli, Svanet‛i. 135
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a 2.6 Ruins of the fortress of Çırax-qala, northeastern Azerbaijan. 137
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D convent, Mc‛xet‛a. 143
2.8 Foundation of the temple at Armazis-c‛ixe. 148
2.9 Ruins of Armazis-c‛ixe and the peak above associated with the
idol Armaz. 154
2.10 Armazis-c‛ixe, including a six-columned hall (lower walled
structure) from the second to first century BC. 155
List of Figures and Maps ix
2.11 Mazdean temple, Nekresi. 159
3.1 Sasanian silver bowl of Bidaxš Pāpag, second half of the third
century, found at Armazis-q‛evi near Mc‛xet‛a. Photograph
courtesy of the Georgian National Museum, T‛bilisi. 180
4.1 Modern statue of Hayk, Erevan. 190
4.2 Modern statue of King P‛arnavaz, T‛bilisi. 206
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y the Georgian National Museum, T‛bilisi. 217
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2 4.4 Sculpture of a sacred bull, interior of Bolnisi Sioni. 253
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: 4.5 Cross with spread wings motif, exterior of Bolnisi Sioni. 254
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] a 4.6 Cross with spread wings motif, exterior of Juari (Mc‛xet‛a). 255
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ri 4.7 Cross with spread wings motif, interior of Cilkani.
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Fl Photographed with the assistance of Julie Nelson. 256
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o 5.1 Cilkani. 266
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o 6.1 Modern statue of Vaxtang gorgasali outside the Metexi
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v 6.2 Scene from Amirandarejaniani on the exterior of the Lašt‛xveri
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b 6.3 Sueti-c‛xoveli, Mc‛xet‛a. 304
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a 6.4 Manglisi. 307
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w 6.5 Sasanian seal-stamp inscribed Vrϑangi. British Museum, no.
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D 119712. Photograph courtesy of the British Museum, London. 310
6.6 K‛art‛velo-Sasanian coin with obverse asomt‛avruli inscription
GRG, gurgen. american numismatic Society 1999.54.1.
photograph courtesy of the american numismatic Society,
New York. 327