Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

B l a c k S e a
Trapezus
MOSSYNOECI
C H A L Y B E S
R. Halys
T I B A R E N I
R. Euphrates
27 Protection of the frontier 189
40 °E 45 °E
H E N I O C H I
Pitiunt
Dioscurias
(Sukhumi)
Phasis
M A C R O N E S
( LAZ)
S A S P E R O I
CIMME RIAN S
Bathys
(Batumı)
T A O KHOI
Mt Elbruz
S A R M AT I A N S
C a u c a s u s
C O L C H I S
R.Chorokhi
S V A N S
R Rioni
Sachkhere
Aea
(Kutaisi)
A R M E N I A
(URARTU)
Mt Kazbek
R. Araxes
INNER
KARTLI
Uplistsikhe
R. Mtkvari
I B E R I A
M O S K H O I ( M E S H E C H )
Map 12: The Caucasus
Daryal Pass
R. Aragvi
Mtskheta
Armazi
TRIALETI
L.Sevan
Range
SCYTHIANS
R. Alazani
Ujarma
Tbilisi
(Tiflis)
R. Mtkvari (Kura)
A L B A N I A
0 100 km
0 miles 100
precipitations; that when they went through other passes they did so with
great difficulty, had to change their horses and were forced to make great
detours through steep territory. 71
The great powers showed great interest in the Caucasian countries
because they were hoping to engage in trade in the area 72 while staying
off the enemy’s territory and also because of the necessity to protect
the frontier against attacks from the north. Already during the Arsacid
period the Transcaucasian peoples had represented a lingering force that
was easily mobilised and intervened in the rivalries of the areas in the
Caucasus and along the Caspian Sea and seriously affected the balance of
power. 73
Ibēria was a small but because of its location an important country,
which represented a bulwark against the peoples attacking from the north
(map 12). 74 The fact that they controlled the portae Caucasiae enabled
71 Proc. BP i.10.3–8; in this passage Procopius also confuses the Caspian with the Iberian Gates; Veh
1970: 465–6 and Standish 1970: 17–24.
72 Cf. the references on p. 202 with n. 147. 73 Halfmann 1986: 43; Toumanoff 1971: 111–58.
74 On the trade related aspects of controlling Ibēria see Magie 1919: 302–3 and Charlesworth 1970: 106;
on the geographical situation of Ibēria see Hewsen 1992: 128–41; Kettenhofen 1995c: 22–3.
40°N