Pitiakhshs in ancient Iberia.

Abstract

1.6.1.2.9. Pitiakhshs in ancient Iberia. /Z. Bragvadze/. West Coucasus - Archaeological Context. – 2020. – #1. – pp. 80-93. – geo.; abs.: geo., eng., rus.

Archaeological artifacts found in Bori village in 1902 are preserved in the State Hrmitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Among the material particularly interesting is a silver cup with an Aramaic inscription: ‘Kind Pitiakhsh Buzmihri. The inscription revealed that the office of pitiakhsh existed in the kingdom of Iberia in Roman epoch. Indeed, it is interesting whether the burial in which the object in question was discovered was the ossuary of a pitiakhsh. The point is that generally sarcophagi or crypts are not found in Bori – there are only pit-burials there - which, in my opinion, excludes the presence of the burial of a pitiakhsh here, and the rich   inventory discovered alongside the cup with the inscription does not belong to a pitiakhsh either. It is more believable that this cup is Pitiakhsh Buzmihr’s gift. There are a few similar occasions known in the kingdom of Iberia in Roman period. Where exactly is the burial of Pitiakhsh Buzimihr? This question has not been answered yet. Apart from other problems the article deals with the chronological order of the pitiakhshs of Armaziskhevi cemetery and leads one to an opinion that the pitiakhshs are buried only in burials 1, 2 and 3. In addition, the article looks at the problem of interrelation between the pitiakhshs’ burials and the structures in Armaziskhevi and expresses an idea that the structures date to earlier period than the burials. In the 70s (no later than 75 AD) the residential area was destroyed as a result of an earthquake and since then the area was used as a cemetery of the Armaziskhevi pitiakhshs and their family members. Ref. 43.

Auth.