Iberia in Late Antiquity - a petty state between the poles of two empires

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Timo Stickler
• Subject Area: Ancient History
• Term: from 2015 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 275870375

While recent research concerning Late Antiquity take the manifold relationships between Rome and Persia into account, as well as the contact and conflict zones of both Empires in Armenia, Mesopotamia and in the Arabic steppe zone, the Transcaucasian area between the Black and the Caspian Sea remains in the realm of shades of scientific research. However, this region was an essential reference point for the late antique Roman Emperors as well as for the Sasanids concerning their geostrategic alignment towards the other great empire: As the northern end of the conflict zone between both empires, the area bore a great meaning in the political and military conflicts, on the other hand it possessed a key position in the security of the borders of both empires against the steppe people who settled north of the Caucasus (Huns, Alans, Khazars). To examine the importance of the Transcaucasian region for the two late antique empires and the repercussion of this position for the local development, the proposed study wants to focus exemplarily on the comparatively well documented kingdom of Iberia that shared a relationship of dependency with each empire. The political and cultural development of Iberia in Late Antiquity, that has been looked upon rather barely respectively uncritically, concerning the evaluation of the source material, by western and oriental traditions, shall be comprehensively examined. On the one hand, the history of Iberia will be analyzed under an imperial perspective as a case study of the role and positioning of a dependent petty state at the borders of the empires. On the other hand, under a local perspective, the consequences of this geopolitical area for the development of the public and social structures of Iberia, the scope of action of the Iberian monarchs and the consolidation of the local kingdom towards the both imperial rulers and the Iberian nobility, as well as the religious and cultural influences on this region by the empires, will be worked out. Thereby, also the relevance of Christendom within the formation of a local identity will be looked upon. Eventually under a third perspective, the importance of the kingdom within the contact zone between steppe nomads and the great empires will be analyzed. In this study the different types of sources shall be critically evaluated and be looked upon in their own questionability to gain a new overall ranking of the development of Iberia between the 3rd and 7th c. and so to make a contribution to the reconstruction of its history between antiquity and the Middle Ages. Likewise, the study contributes to a better understanding of the role of dependent states between Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants