Caucasian Iberia

Caucasian Iberia is the term designated to the Kingdom of Iberia (4th century BC–5th century AD) established in Eastern Georgia by the Georgians (Kartvelians). The king of Iberia, Farnavaz I was a reformer of the Georgian alphabet (284 BC). He was also founder of the dynasty of Farnavazians (284 BC-5th century AD). The capital of this Kingdom was Mtskheta.

In the 4th century AD, Equal-to-the Apostles Saint Nino of Cappadocia took Christianity to the Kingdom of Iberia. In 317 it was adopted as the state religion by the rulers of Iberia, King Mirian and Queen Nana.

The main Georgian sources of the history of the Kingdom of Iberia are old Georgian chronicles collected in Kartlis Tskhovreba ("History of Georgia").

The term "Caucasian Iberia" is an anachronism, used to distinguish it from the Iberian peninsula, where modern day Spain and Portugal are located.

See also

• Ibero-Caucasian peoples.
• Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
• History of Georgia

Literature

• Pavle Ingorokva. Old Georgian chronicle "Moktsevai Kartlisai" and the List of the Kings of Iberia.- Bulletin of the State Museum of Georgia, vol. XI-B, Tbilisi, 1942, pp. 259–320 (in Georgian)
• Leonti Mroveli. "Tskhovreba Kartvelta Mepeta". "Kartlis Tskhovreba" (Edited by Simon Kaukhchishvili), Tbilisi, 1942 (in Georgian)