Ketevan Nadareishvili
Doctor of Philological Sciences
Associate Professor
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID: 0000-0003-3739-1394
Ketevan.nadareishvili@tsu.ge
Tamar Cheishvili
Doctor of Philological Sciences
Associate Professor
Ilia State University
Tbilisi, Georgia
tamar.cheishvili@iliauni.edu.ge
Caucasus and the Kartvelian Ethnoses, as ”the Other”, in the Representations of Greek and Roman Authors of the Roman Period
During the period of Roman domination (1st century B.C. – 5th century A.D.), especially after defeating the Seleucid Empire, Rome demonstrated particular interest towards the Caucasian region. From the time of the Mithridatic wars onward, the Caucasian ethnoses, the Kartvelian people included, played a significant role in key arenas of political action.
Our paper studies the issues that were of particular interest the ancient authors (Memnon, Cassius Dio, Plutarch, Strabo, Cicero, Florus, and Tacitus) concerning Caucasus and the Caucasian peoples, as “the Other” through the lens of a Western audience. The research reveals the two main areas of interest/focus: a) geopolitical role of these tribes, especially during Rome’s three sharp confrontations with the East: the Mithridatic Wars; Roman-Parthian conflict (35 A.D.), and the complex relations of Iberia and Rome in the 2nd century A.D. during the reign of Parasmanes II; b) cultural identity of these peoples.
The analysis of the cultural identity issues shows that the aforementioned authors thoroughly discussed the themes already considered by earlier writers regarding the Caucasian ethnoses. Their interest focused on: a) the discourse of so-called mythological memory – particularly the links of this region with the myths of Argonauts and Prometheus; b) the problem of their genesis and kinship with some Western tribes; c) the question of their settlements in Europe; d) similarities between certain artifacts of material culture with Western production. Our study highlights why the Caucasian peoples’ identity, famous for their ethnic variety and different levels of social development, was of such significance to the Roman world. For Roman authors the Caucasus region and its inhabitants were noteworthy for assessing the degree of cultural closeness/remoteness between the Caucasian tribes and Western civilization.
The conclusions of the paper will offer valuable insights for the research of “the Other” through an imagological approach, as well the studies of the role of the Caucasus, as the unified geopolitical part of the ancient world, within the broader context of Europe-Asia opposition.
Keywords: Caucasus; Kartvelian ethnoses; identity; ancient authors of the Roman Era.