Tamaz Beradze Institute of Kartvelology, University of Georgia
Academic Doctor of History
Tbilisi, Georgia
Abstract
The gold signet ring with a sard intaglio of Aspavruk the Pitiakhsh, discovered in Tomb N1 at Armaziskhevi, represents the earliest known example in Georgia of a portrait gem depicting a historically attested individual identified by inscription (2nd–3rd centuries AD). The Greek negative inscription engraved on the ring “Ἀσπαυρούκις πιτιάξης” (Aspavruk Pitiakhsh) confirms both the identity of the depicted figure and the function of the object: it served as the official signet of the Pitiakhsh, the highest-ranking official of Iberia, and as a material expression of state authority.
Based on an iconographic and stylistic analysis of the intaglio, the paper emphasizes the pronounced realism of Aspavruk’s portrait, which corresponds to the veristic tendencies characteristic of Roman glyptic art. Particular attention is paid to the rendering of individual features, psychological expressiveness, and plastic modeling, revealing a synthesis of Greco-Roman artistic influences and local traditions.
The monument is further examined within a broader comparative framework. Drawing on Old Georgian literary texts, Greco-Roman written sources, and archaeological parallels, the study highlights the signet ring’s role as a legal instrument, a marker of social status, and an insignia of delegated authority. The symbolic and practical significance of sard is also considered from the perspective of ancient mineralogical thought.
In addition to the ring, other items from the burial assemblage associated with Aspavruk (including a gold belt and the gold sheath of a ceremonial dagger) indicate that, in late antique Iberia, the Pitiakhsh occupied a position second only to the king, representing the highest level of both administrative and military authority. The signet ring thus serves as key evidence for the integration of Iberian elites into the cultural sphere of the classical world, while also supporting the local production of glyptic works.
Keywords: Iberia, Armaziskhevi, Aspavruk the Pitiakhsh, signet ring, insignia, glyptics, intaglio, Roman influence