On Identification of Georgian Prince Mentioned by Theophanes the Confessor

Abstract

Many foreign authors have contributed significant insights into the history of Georgia. Among them is the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, who lived at the turn of the eighth and ninth centuries and authored the work Chronographia. While Theophanes was not primarily a historian—his primary roles were as a monk and theologian—his engagement with historical writing is considered somewhat incidental, stemming from a request by his friend George Syncellus. Nevertheless, Theophanes holds a prominent place in Byzantine historiography, particularly as a vital source for understanding the 7th and 8th centuries. We lack other sources for this period, which was marked by profound upheavals in Byzantine state affairs, driven by the Arab invasions on one hand and the Iconoclastic Controversy on the other” (S. Kaukhchishvili, Georgika, 1941, vol. 4, pp. 171–172).

Theophanes also provides numerous fascinating details about Georgia. One such account recounts the capture of an Iberian prince, Barsamouses//Varsamouses, by Heraclius Caesar during the Battle of Nineveh in 627: "The Romans took many gold swords and gold belts set with pearls, and the shield of Razates, which was all of gold and had 120 laminae, and his gold breastplate; and they brought in his caftan together with his head, and his bracelets and his gold saddle. And Barsamouses, the prince of the Iberians who are subject to Persia, was taken alive" (The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, translated with introduction and commentary by C. Mango and R. Scott, with the assistance of G. Greatrex, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1997, p. 450).

The question of identifying this prince has attracted the attention of numerous researchers, leading to various interpretations. For instance, I. Markwart argued that Theophanes the Confessor had misrepresented the name of the Iberian prince. According to Markwart, the name should not be Barsamouse//Varsamouse but rather Vahram-Ashushan, whom he identified as the Bidaxsh of Kvemo Kartli (Markwart, Streifzüge, pp. 432, 387, n.1). K. Toumanoff largely agreed with this view, identifying Vahram-Ashushan as the Bidaxsh of Gogarene (Toumanoff, Studies in Christian Caucasian History, Georgetown, 1963, p. 263). However, I. Javakhishvili did not dismiss the possibility of Markwart’s interpretation but noted that such an assumption was not logically necessary (I. Javakhishvili, History of the Georgian Nation, Tbilisi, 1979, vol. I, p. 306).

The discussion by the aforementioned researchers constitutes a concise factual note. The issue, however, was the subject of a dedicated study by V. Goiladze (Goiladze, "Is Varsamouse Mentioned in Theophanes the Confessor the Chintain of Kartli" Herald of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, History Series, 1976, no. 1, pp. 134–140). In his article, Goiladze addressed the perspective presented in Essays on the History of Georgia, which identified Varsamouse as the Chintain of Kartli. He criticized this interpretation while simultaneously not ruling out the possibility that Varsamouse could be the Bidaxsh of Gugarkh. Goiladze further highlighted that the Armenian source Book of Epistles references a prince Ashushan at the beginning of the seventh century, who is presumably identified as a Bidaxsh.

However, it appears that the identification of Varsamouse, mentioned by Theophanes, with the Ashushan referenced in the Book of Epistles is incorrect. The political role and identity of Prince Ashushan, as depicted in the Book of Epistles, have been recently analyzed by M. Chkhartishvili (M. Chkhartishvili, "Prince Ashushan: Strokes to the Portrait," Chronos, 2023, no. 4, pp. 65–91). This study reveals that the Ashushan mentioned in the Book of Epistles was not a pro-Persian political figure, whereas the Georgian prince captured near Nineveh fought on the side of Iran. Therefore, the question of the origin of the prince referenced by Theophanes remains unresolved.

The paper hypothesizes that the researchers’ inability to solve the problem must be due to Theophanes’ mistake: the latter interpreted the phrase “Georgian Prince” used by him, presumably from a Pahlavi source, as personal name “Varsamouse”. So, it is obvious: the search for a prince with this name will not yield any results, it does not come from the primary source.

The paper will present evidence supporting the author's perspective.