Doctor of Philosophy
Senior Research Fellow
Tamaz Beradze Institute of Georgian Studies, the University of Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID: 0009-0007-2448-6243
mar.gvelesiani@ug.edu.ge

The Scabbard Sheath of Aspavruk the Pitiakhsh’s Sword from Burial No. 1 at Armaziskhevi

In 1940, a tomb was excavated near Mtskheta, in Armaziskhevi, identified as the burial of Aspavruk the Pitiakhsh (Pers. Bidaxš – marcher lord) based on an inscription on a signet ring discovered there. The tomb (Burial No. 1, dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD) contained a rich inventory, with the quadrilobe scabbard sheath of a sword standing out.

The sheath, made from a thick gold sheet, narrows toward the bottom. At the top, it features two horizontally protruding lobes; similar, rounded lobes appear at the bottom. Along the vertical axis, square gold settings with green glass stones are placed. The lobes’ edges are accented with red garnets, inlaid using the cloisonné technique.

Weapons of precious metal in elite burials served ceremonial and ritual functions, representing wealth and the owner’s high social status. The 5th-century AD bas-relief from Lamazi Gora shows a pitiakhsh holding a sword and scabbard, confirming their ceremonial role.

Quadrilobe swords appear from the early 1st millennium BC and spread widely across Afghanistan, Western Siberia, and the Northern Black Sea. Similar scabbards are known from Commagene, Parthia, and nomadic Sarmatian burials, serving as ceremonial insignia. The Armaziskhevi scabbard differs from the Sarmatian “gold-turquoise” animal-style artifacts: its restrained decoration emphasizes vertical and horizontal axes, highlighting the monolithic strength of the sheath.

 

Keywords: Armaziskhevi, sword, sheath, insignia, incrustation