When did Caucasian Iberia exist?

Caucasian Iberia existed 3rd century BC – AD 580. On this map it is drawn AD 1–259, 287–533.

How large was Caucasian Iberia?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Caucasian Iberia covered about 36,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Europe · Antiquity and the Roman world

Caucasian Iberia

3rd century BC – AD 580

See it on the map → Wikipedia ↗

Existed: 3rd century BC – AD 580
Shown on the map: AD 1–259, 287–533 (2 periods)
Peak area: 36k km²
Region: Europe

Overview

Caucasian Iberia (Georgian Kartli; not to be confused with the Iberian Peninsula) was an ancient Georgian kingdom in the eastern Caucasus, with successive capitals at Armazi, Mtskheta, and later Tbilisi. Its languages of governance and culture were Greek and Aramaic, alongside native Old Georgian. Tradition credits the founding of the monarchy to Pharnavaz I and the Pharnavazid dynasty around the late 4th/early 3rd century BC.

History

Iberia's defining moment was its conversion to Christianity in the early 4th century through the preaching of Saint Nino, a Cappadocian woman. King Mirian III (r. traditionally 284–361), founder of the Chosroid dynasty, converted along with his wife Queen Nana. The date is contested: Georgian tradition and the Georgian Chronicles place events around 326/337; the scholar Cyril Toumanoff dated Mirian's personal conversion to 334 and the official baptism/adoption of Christianity as state religion to 337; the Wikipedia "Kingdom of Iberia" article gives c. 319. This made Iberia one of the earliest states to Christianise, following Armenia. The Georgian Orthodox Church additionally claims apostolic origin from Andrew the Apostle, and later writers such as Ephrem Mtsire framed Nino's work as a "second Christening."

Decline and legacy

Iberia lay on the fault line between Rome and Sasanian Persia, and its kings oscillated between the two. After Mirian, the Sasanians temporarily deposed the Romanophile Sauromaces II in favour of the pro-Iranian Aspacures II (361); Emperor Valens restored Sauromaces in 370. Persian influence grew, and Iberia became increasingly a Sasanian dependency (Sasanian Iberia), administered through pitiaxae and later Persian-appointed governors. The monarchy was abolished around 580 under Sasanian Hormizd IV, after which Iberia was governed by leading nobles (erismtavari). The most famous later ruler was Vakhtang I Gorgasali (5th century). Legacy: Iberia is a direct ancestor of the medieval Georgian kingdom and of Georgian Christian identity, architecture, and script.

Common questions

What was Caucasian Iberia?: Caucasian Iberia (Georgian Kartli; not to be confused with the Iberian Peninsula) was an ancient Georgian kingdom in the eastern Caucasus, with successive capitals at Armazi, Mtskheta, and later Tbilisi. Its languages of governance and culture were Greek and Aramaic, alongside native Old Georgian.
When did Caucasian Iberia exist?: Caucasian Iberia existed 3rd century BC – AD 580. On this map it is drawn AD 1–259, 287–533.
How large was Caucasian Iberia?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Caucasian Iberia covered about 36,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled Caucasian Iberia?: Iberia's defining moment was its conversion to Christianity in the early 4th century through the preaching of Saint Nino, a Cappadocian woman. King Mirian III (r. traditionally 284–361), founder of the Chosroid dynasty, converted along with his wife Queen Nana.
How did Caucasian Iberia end?: Iberia lay on the fault line between Rome and Sasanian Persia, and its kings oscillated between the two. After Mirian, the Sasanians temporarily deposed the Romanophile Sauromaces II in favour of the pro-Iranian Aspacures II (361); Emperor Valens restored Sauromaces in 370.

Sources

This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each territory and its key figures as the primary basis, with Encyclopædia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia, and academic and primary sources — Jordanes, Procopius, Gregory of Tours, Bede, Ammianus and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read through the secondary literature. The article this entry is anchored on:

Wikipedia — Kingdom of Iberia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Iberia

This entry was last updated 27 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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