Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History

Abstract Until recently, little was known about the third Sasanian shahanshah, Hormizd I (Hormizd-Ardashir), whose short reign left no royal inscription. Scholars therefore reconstruct his biography through the inscriptipns of other Sassanian rulers and indirect evidences. This article offers an attempt to fill some missing parts of Hormizd I’s life and continues the author’s earlier studies. In previous works, the author identified the “King of the Persians Ardashir”, named by the eleventh-century Georgian historian Leonti Mroveli as the father of Mirian III, the first Christian king of Kartli (Iberia), with Hormizd-Ardashir. According to Leonti Mroveli, Mirian—born from Hormizd’s concubine—ascended the Kartlian throne at the age of seven through an agreement between Georgian and Iranian political elites. Leonti MroveIi describes the mutual benefits of this arrangement: Kartli avoided destructive Iranian raids without losing its religious identity, while Iran secured stability in a strategically crucial region of the Byzantine–Iranian rivalry. Kartli, as Leonti Mroveli notes, could offer the most effective defense of Iran from northern attacks. Although the medieval historian is silent on this point, the author’s earlier studies argue that the agreement also served Hormizd’s personal goal of ensuring that his own son—not his younger brother Narseh, king of Armenia and a likely heir—would succeed to the Sasanian throne. Hormizd’s early death prevented the realization of this plan, but it persisted thanks to the strong military force he left in Kartli and Mirian’s regent Mirvanoz, who governed the kingdom, including its religious sphere, until Mirian came of age. After the Shahanshah Narseh’s death, Mirian, according to Leonti Mroveli, launched a campaign into Iran in an attempt to implement his father’s “Georgian Project” and occupy the imperial throne. This article offers the first detailed analysis of that campaign and its narrative. Though previously dismissed as implausible, the account is shown here to be fully compatible with the historical context and therefore credible, despite the lack of direct corroboration. It reflects both Hormizd’s dynastic strategy and Mirian’s evolving political self-assertion.

Abstract The arrival of Sasanian gems in the Kingdom of Kartli mainly starts from the 4^th century, and their intensive spread begins from the second half of the 5^th century and continues throughout the Sasanian period. Archaeological excavations have confirmed the presence of distinctive Sasanian glyptic motifs during this time, including the crescent moon with eight-pointed star, the pomegranate flower, the Zoroastrian fire altar (ātaš-dān), birds, gazelles, etc. This article examines the glyptic monuments featuring the Zoroastrian symbols of the ātaš-dān and the pomegranate flower found in Georgia. The study of these motifs is of great importance for analyzing the cultural, religious and political interactions of Kartli in the late antique and pre-feudal periods.
The Zoroastrian fire altar, i.e. ātaš-dān, in which the sacred fire was kept, is one of the symbols of Zoroastrianism. The ātaš-dān was considered a pillar of the Sasanian throne. Impressions depicting ātaš-dān (three instances) have been found in the regions of Samtvro, Pikrisgora and Karsniskhevi, dating back to the 4^th to 6^th centuries. Moreover, in Sasanian glyptic art, the pomegranate flower is associated with the triad of the three main deities of the Zoroastrian pantheon: Ahuramazda, Mithra and Anahita. Impressions featuring the pomegranate flower (two instances) have been found in the cemeteries of Samtvoro and Pikrisgora, dated to the 4^th-5^th centuries.
The research has established that the studied glyptic monuments are an integral part of Sasanian art, which reflected the political and religious processes in the region. Symbols related to the Zoroastrian religion brought from Sasanian Iran date back to the 4^th-6^th centuries. They are not recorded in large numbers on the territory of the Kingdom of Kartli. Accordingly, the distribution of seals with Zoroastrian symbols in the Kingdom of Kartli is not regarded intensive.