Pharnajom of Iberia
P'arnajom or P'arnajob (Georgian: ფარნაჯომი, ფარნაჯობი; died 90 BC) was a king of Iberia from 109 to 90 BC, the fourth in the P'arnavaziani line. He is known exclusively from the royal list included in the medieval Georgian chronicles.
| Parnajom | |
|---|---|
| King of Iberia | |
| Reign | 109–90 BC |
| Predecessor | Mirian I |
| Successor | Artaxias I |
| Dynasty | Pharnavazid |
| Father | Mirian I |
| Mother | Sauromaces I's daughter |
P'arnajom succeeded on death of his father, Mirian I in 109 BC. He is reported to have added another idol, that of the god Zaden, to the Iberian pagan pantheon, and to have built a fortress to house it.
Prior to 90 BC, P'arnajom converted to Zoroastrianism, abandoning K'art'velian polytheism.[1] His nobles sent an ambassador to the king of Armenia promising the throne to his son, Artaxias.[2] At the battle of Tasiri between P'arnajom and his nobles, the king is defeated and killed, and the crown given to Artaxias I of Iberia.[3] P'arnajom's son, Mirian (Mirvan), survives, however, to be taken and brought up at the Parthian court.
Sources
- Thomson, Robert W. (1996), Rewriting Caucasian History: The Medieval Armenian Adaptation of the Georgian Chronicles, p. 42. Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-826373-2.
- Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts, pp. 282–284. Peeters Bvba ISBN 90-429-1318-5.
- Rapp, Stephen H. (2014). The Sasanian World Through Georgian Eyes: The Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature. Routledge.
- Toumanoff, Cyril. Chronology of the Early Kings of Iberia. Traditio 25 (1969), pp. 10–11.