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{{Short description|King of Iberia and Colchis}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name            = Pharnavaz I
| title           = [[List of Georgian monarchs|King]] of [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Iberia]] and [[Colchis]]<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 6–7</ref>
| succession      = [[King of Iberia]]
| moretext = ([[Style of the Georgian sovereign|more...]])
| image           = Pharnavaz I relief (2).jpg
| caption         = [[Relief]] of King Pharnavaz I{{where|date=June 2025}}
| image_size      = 
| reign           = 302–237 BC{{cref2|b}} <br />299–234 BC{{cref2|c}} <br />284–219 BC{{cref2|d}}
| successor       = [[Sauromaces I]]
| coronation      =
| predecessor     = [[Azo of Iberia]] <br />(office created)
| spouse          = [[Durdzuks|Durdzuk]] woman
| issue           = [[Sauromaces I]]
| dynasty         = [[Pharnavazid dynasty|Pharnavazid]]
| father          = [[Georgians|Georgian]] prince<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 20, line of edition 17</ref>
| mother          = [[Persian people|Persian]] woman<ref name="GRA 20-18">Georgian royal annals, page of edition 20, line of edition 18</ref>
| birth_date      = 329, 326<ref name="Tmn9">Toumanoff, p. 9</ref> or 311 BC
| birth_place     = [[Mtskheta]], [[Kartli]]
| death_date      = 237, 234 or 219 BC (aged 92)
| death_place     = [[Mtskheta]], [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Iberia]]
| place of burial = [[Armazi]], [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Iberia]] (undisclosed)
| religion        = [[Georgian paganism]] ([[Armazi (god)|God Armazi]]) (''[[Self-deification]]'')
}}

'''Pharnavaz I'''{{cref2|a}} ({{IPAc-en|f|ɑːr|n|ɑː|v|ɑː|z}}; {{lang-ka|ფარნავაზ I|tr}} {{IPA|ka|pʰaɾnavaz}}) was a [[List of the Kings of Georgia|king]] (''[[Mepe (title)|mepe]]'') of [[Kartli]], an ancient [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] kingdom known as [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Iberia]] in [[classical antiquity]]. ''[[The Georgian Chronicles]]'' credits him with being the first monarch founding the kingship of Kartli and the [[Pharnavazid dynasty]], while other independent chronicles, such as ''[[The Conversion of Kartli]]'' make him the second Georgian monarch. Based on the medieval evidence, most scholars locate Pharnavaz's rule in the 3rd century BC: 302–237 BC according to [[Prince Vakhushti of Kartli]], 299–234 BC according to [[Cyril Toumanoff]] and 284–219 BC according to [[Pavle Ingoroqva]].<ref>Rapp, p. 274.</ref> Pharnavaz's rise, advent and imperial expansion of the Iberian monarchy was directly tied to the victory of [[Alexander the Great]] over the [[Achaemenid Empire]].<ref>Rapp (2014), p. 203</ref><ref>Rayfield (2013), p. 23</ref> Pharnavaz ruled under the [[suzerainty]] of the [[Seleucid Empire]].<ref>Rayfield (2013), pp. 22-23</ref>

==Life==
According to the ''[[Georgian royal annals]]'', Pharnavaz descended from Uplos, son of [[Mtskhetos]], son of [[Kartlos]], who was one of the powerful and famous eight brothers, who from their part were descendants of [[Togarmah|Targamos]], son of [[Tiras|Tarsi]], the grandson of [[Japheth]], son of the Biblical [[Noah]]. He is not directly attested in non-Georgian sources and there is no definite contemporary indication that he was indeed the first of the Georgian kings. His story is saturated with legendary imagery and symbols, and it seems feasible that, as the memory of the historical facts faded, the real Pharnavaz "accumulated a legendary façade" and emerged as the model pre-[[Christianity|Christian]] monarch in the Georgian annals.<ref name="Rapp, p. 276">Rapp, p. 276.</ref>

According to the {{circa|800}} chronicle ''The Life of Kings'', Pharnavaz had a distinguished genealogy, tracing back to [[Kartlos]], the mythical [[ethnarch]] of Kartli.<ref>Rayfield (2013), p. 15</ref> His paternal uncle, [[Samara of Mtskheta|Samara]], held the position of ''[[mamasakhlisi]]'' ("father of the house") of the Georgian tribes around [[Mtskheta]].<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 20, line of edition 17-18-19</ref> Pharnavaz's mother is claimed to have been a [[Persian people|Persian]] woman from [[Isfahan|Gabai]],<ref name="GRA 20-18"/><ref>Rapp (2014), p. 205-239</ref> whom [[Prince Teimuraz of Georgia]] and Patriarch [[Anton I of Georgia]] identify with a daughter of King [[Darius III]].<ref>Prince Royal Teimuraz, History of Iberia or Georgia, that is All of Sakartvelo, 1832, pp. 111-112</ref> The entire story of Pharnavaz, although written by a Christian chronicler, abounds in ancient Iranian-like imagery and mystic allusions, a reflection of the archaeologically confirmed cultural and presumably political ties between Iran and Kartli of that time. The name "Pharnavaz" is also an illustrative example with its root ''par''- being based upon the [[Persian language|Persian]] ''farnah'', the divine radiance believed by the ancient Iranians to mark a legitimate dynast ([[cf.]] ''[[khvarenah]]'').<ref>Rapp, pp. 275-276.</ref> The dynastic tag Parnavaziani ("of/from/named for Pharnavaz") is also preserved in the early [[Armenia]]n histories as P'arnawazean (''[[Faustus of Byzantium]]'' 5.15; fifth century) and P'arazean (''[[History of Armenia (book)|History of Armenia]]'' 14; probably the early fifth century), an acknowledgment that a king named Pharnavaz was understood to have been the founder of a Georgian dynasty.<ref name="Rapp, p. 276"/><ref>Rayfield (2013), p. 22</ref> Pharnavaz is also mentioned in the [[Stele of Serapit]].<ref>Gamkrelidze, p. 122</ref><ref>Rapp (2014), p. 216</ref>

Perhaps the most artistically rounded section of the Georgian annals, the narrative follows Pharnavaz's life from birth to burial.<ref>Rayfield, p. 60.</ref> Aged 3,<ref>Toumanoff, p. 8</ref><ref>Rapp (2014), p. 205</ref> small Pharnavaz's family is destroyed, and his heritage is usurped by [[Azo of Iberia|Azon]] installed by [[Alexander the Great]] during his campaign in Kartli. Alexander's invasion of Iberia, remembered not only by the Georgian historical tradition, but also by [[Pliny the Elder]] (4.10.39) and [[Gaius Julius Solinus]] (9.19), appears to be memory of some [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] interference in Iberia, which must have taken place in connection with the expedition mentioned by [[Strabo]] (11.14.9) sent by Alexander in 323 BC to the confines of Iberia, in search of [[gold mine]]s.<ref name="Tmn9"/>

Pharnavaz is brought up fatherless, but a magic dream, in which he anoints himself with the essence of the Sun, heralds the [[peripeteia]]. He is persuaded by this vision to "devote [himself] to noble deeds". He then sets off and goes hunting. In a pursuit of a deer, he encounters a mass of treasure stored in a hidden cave.<ref>Rayfield, p. 61; Rapp, p. 276.</ref> Pharnavaz retrieves the treasure and exploits it to mount a loyal army against the tyrannical Azon. He is aided by [[Kuji of Colchis]], who eventually marries Pharnavaz's sister.<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 3</ref> The rebels are also joined by 1,000 soldiers from Azon's camp; they are anachronistically referred to by the author as [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], and claimed to have been entitled by the victorious Pharnavaz as ''[[aznauri]]'' (i.e., nobles) after Azon (this etymology is false, however).<ref name="Rapp, p. 276"/>

The main threads of Pharnavaz's story - a fatherless boy hidden and raised in a remote mountains, a forgotten lineage, his dreams, sacral kingship, solar imagery, the hunt, discovery of cave-concealed treasure etc. are reminiscent of legends about [[Iran]]'s founding kings, like [[Cyrus the Great]] and [[Ardashir I]].<ref>Rapp (2014), p. 208</ref> Pharnavaz's self-anointment may have been a later [[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian]] inspiration, as some early ''[[Shahanshah]]s'' crowned themselves.<ref>Rapp (2014), p. 209</ref>

==Reign==
[[File:Iberia-en.svg|thumb|The kingdom's borders per the ''[[Georgian royal annals]]''.]]
In the ensuing battle, Azon is defeated and killed, and Pharnavaz becomes the king of Kartli at the age of 27.<ref name="Tmn9"/> He is reported to have acknowledged the suzerainty of the [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucids]], the [[Hellenistic]] successors of Alexander in the [[Middle East]], who are afforded by the Georgian chronicles the generic name of [[Antiochus (disambiguation)#The Seleucid Empire|Antiochus]].<ref name="Rapp, p. 276"/>

{{cquote|ფარნავაზ წარავლინნა მოციქულნი წინაშე მეფისა ანტიოქოს ასურასტანისა, და წარსცა ძღუენი დიდ-ძალი. და აღუთქუა მას მსახურება, და ითხოვა მისგან შეწევნა ბერძენთა ზედა. ხოლო ანტიოქოს შეიწყნარა ძღუენი მისი, და უწოდა შვილად თჳსად, და წარმოსცა გჳრგჳნი. <br />Pharnavaz sent his apostles towards the King Antiochus of [[Assyria]], and gave him huge gifts. And promised to serve him, and asked him for help against the [[Greeks]]. And Antiochus received his gifts, and called him a son, and gave him the [[Crown (headgear)|crown]].<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 23, line of edition 12-13-14-15</ref>}}

Pharnavaz is also said to have patterned his administration upon an "Iranian" model.<ref>Rapp, p. 275.</ref>

{{cquote|ესრეთ განაწესა ესე ყოველი ფარნავაზ მიმსგავსებულად სამეფოსა სპარსთასა. <br />And here Pharnavaz made all and everything alike the Kingdom of the [[Persian people|Persians]].<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 25, line of edition 4</ref> (i.e. the [[Achaemenid Empire]].)<ref>Rapp (2014), p. 211</ref>}}

Pharnavaz had introduced a military-administrative organization based on a network of regional governors or ''[[eristavi]]''.<ref>Rapp, p. 277; Suny, p. 12.</ref> The insignia of the eristavi, received from the king, constituted a [[sceptre]], a special signet [[ring (jewellery)|ring]], [[belt (clothing)|belt]] and [[armament]].<ref>Gamkrelidze, p. 134</ref> Iberia had in total seven [[eristavi]]s, in [[Colchis]],<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 9&ndash;11</ref> [[Kakheti]],<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 12&ndash;13</ref> Khunani<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 14&ndash;15</ref> (modern-day northern [[Azerbaijan]]), Samshvilde<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 16&ndash;17</ref> ([[Kvemo Kartli]]), Tsunda<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 18&ndash;19</ref> (included [[Javakheti]], [[Göle|Kola]] and [[Ardahan|Artaani]]), [[Odzrkhe]]<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 20&ndash;21</ref> and [[Klarjeti]].<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 22&ndash;23</ref> The kingdom had one [[spaspet]] who was under the direct control of the royal power based in Inner [[Kartli]].<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 24&ndash;25; page of edition 25, line of edition 2&ndash;3</ref> Eristavates mimicked aspects of Achaemenid ''[[satrap]]ies'' and Seleucid ''[[Strategos|strategoi]]''. The major motive of later historian of the chronicles was to convince posterity that the basic political structure of [[Kartli]] was created by the very first Georgian monarch in the wake of [[Wars of Alexander the Great]]; was of Achaemenid administrative system and had remained stable throughout [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]], [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] and [[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian]] times. In this way, the long-term viability and stability of the Georgian realm are established.<ref name="Rp14">Rapp (2014), p. 212</ref>

The hierarchic structure created by Pharnavaz was the following: [[king]]; commander-in-chief ([[spaspet]]) of the royal army; [[eristavi]]s; middle commanders (''atasistavis tsikhistavis'') of the garrisons stationed in the royal strongholds; junior commanders (''asistavis'') who were the younger sons of the aristocratic families; mercenary professional warriors from the neighboring countries and all the soldiers organized around the entire kingdom.<ref>Gamkrelidze, p. 135</ref>

It is evident that the division of Iberia by Pharnavaz into [[saeristavo]]s served first and foremost a military aim, namely the organization of people for the purpose of defence. This organization was not so much directed against other countries. Back then the total population of the kingdom would have been, including foreign captives and the population of the tributary areas, about 600,000, which could raise a fairly big army not less than  100,000. According to [[Strabo]] the Iberian army numbered 70–80,000 so it appears that each saeristavo had 10,000 soldiers.<ref>Henri J. M. Claessen, Peter Skalnik, The Early State, p. 263</ref>

While Georgian and Classical evidence makes the contemporaneous Kartlian links with the Seleucids plausible (Toumanoff has even implied that the kings of Kartli might have aided the Seleucids in holding the resurgent [[Orontid Dynasty|Orontids]] of Armenia in check<ref>Toumanoff, p. 185.</ref>), Pharnavaz's alleged reform of the eristavi fiefdoms is most likely a back-projection of the medieval pattern of subdivision to the remote past.<ref name="Rapp, p. 277">Rapp, p. 277.</ref>

Pharnavaz is then reported to have embarked on social and cultural projects; he supervised two building projects: the raising of the idol [[Armazi (god)|Armazi]] – reputedly named after him – on a mountain ledge and the construction of a [[Armazi|similarly named fortress]].<ref name="Rapp, p. 277"/>

Pharnavaz made alliances with various North Caucasian peoples during his reign, to whom he called upon for help against both Macedonia and internal foes. He took a [[Durdzuks|Durdzuk]] woman in marriage, in order to consolidate the alliance of Iberia with the Durdzuks, who helped him consolidate his reign against his unruly vassals.<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 25, line of edition 5</ref> Similarly he married his sister to a [[Sarmatian]] chief.<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 24, line of edition 2</ref>

According to the ''[[Georgian royal annals]]'' he also created the [[Georgian script]] and made the [[Georgian language]] an [[official language]] of the kingdom:<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 26, line of edition 8-9-10</ref>

{{cquote|და ესე ფარნავაზ იყო პირველი მეფე ქართლსა შინა ქართლოსისა ნათესავთაგანი. ამან განავრცო ენა ქართული, და არ-ღა-რა იზრახებოდა სხუა ენა ქართლსა შინა თჳნიერ ქართულისა. და ამან შექმნა მწიგნობრობა ქართული. და მოკუდა ფარნავაზ, და დაფლეს წინაშე არმაზისა კერპისა. <br />And here Pharnavaz was first king of Kartli from race of [[Kartlos]]. He spread the [[Georgian language]], and there was no language but Georgian only in land of Kartli. And he created the [[Georgian script]]. And died Pharnavaz, and he was buried in front of [[Armazi (god)|Armazi]].{{cref2|e}}}}

The chronicles report Pharnavaz's lengthy reign of 65 years.<ref name="Rapp, p. 276"/><ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 25, line of edition 14</ref><ref name="Tmn9"/>

{{cquote|ამან ფარნავაზ მოზღუდა ქალაქი მცხეთა მტკიცედ, და ყოველნი ქალაქნი და ციხენი ქართლისანი, მოოჴრებულნი ალექსანდრესგან, ამან აღაშენნა. და ვერ-ღა-რა იძიეს შური ბერძენთა მის ზედა, რამეთუ უცალო იყვნეს ბერძენნი ბრძოლისაგან ჰრომთასა.<br />Pharnavaz took the city of [[Mtskheta]] firmly, and all the cities and castles of Kartli, destroyed by [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]], he rebuilt them. And the [[Greeks]] could not avenge upon him, as the Greeks had warriors no more, because they fought in [[Rome]].<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 25, line of edition 6-7-8-9</ref>}}

Upon his death, he was buried in front of the idol Armazi and worshipped. His son [[Sauromaces I]] succeeded him to the throne.<ref name="Rapp, p. 280">Rapp, p. 280.</ref><ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 26, line of edition 13</ref><ref>Rayfield (2013), p. 24</ref>

Pharnavaz's [[grave]] is undisclosed so far. One of the last monarchs who visited his grave to adorn it and pay his respects was King [[Mirian III of Iberia|Mirian III]].<ref>Georgian royal annals, page of edition 65, line of edition 19</ref> Pharnavaz's very burial in front of idol [[Armazi (god)|Armazi]] suggests a [[Hellenistic religion|Hellenistic deification]] of the early monarchs of Iberia.<ref name="Rp14"/>

==Pharnavaz and Arrian's Pharasmanes==
Several modern scholars have been tempted to make identification between the Pharnavaz of the medieval Georgian tradition and the Pharasmanes of the [[Greco-Roman]] historian [[Arrian]], a 2nd-century AD author of ''[[The Anabasis of Alexander]]''. Arrian recounts that "Pharasmanes (Фαρασμάνης), king of the [[Chorasmia]]ns", visited [[Alexander the Great]] with 1500 horseman, and pledged his support should Alexander desire to campaign to the [[Euxine]] lands and subdue Colchians, whom Pharasmanes names as his neighbors. Apart from the similarity of the names of Pharasmanes and Pharnavaz (both names are apparently based on the same root, the Iranian ''farnah''), the king of Chorasmia in [[Central Asia]] reports Colchis (today's western Georgia, i.e., the western neighbor of ancient Kartli/Iberia) to be a neighboring country.<ref>Rapp, p. 279.</ref> Some Georgian scholars have suggested that the Greek copyists of  Arrian might have confused Chorasmia with [[Klarjeti|Cholarzene]] (Chorzene), a Classical rendering of the southwest Georgian marchlands (the medieval [[Tao-Klarjeti]]), which indeed bordered with Colchis and [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]].<ref name="Rapp, p. 280"/><ref>Giorgi L. Kavtaradze. [https://web.archive.org/web/20030904142455/http://www.geocities.com/komblege/thracian.htm ''The Interrelationship between the Transcaucasian and Anatolian Populations by the Data of the Greek and Latin Literary Sources''.] The Thracian World at the Crossroads of Civilisations. Reports and Summaries. The 7th International Congress of Thracology.  P. Roman (ed.). Bucharest: the Romanian Institute of Thracology, 1996.</ref>

According to [[Arrian]]:<ref>Arrian, Alexander the Great: The Anabasis and the Indica, p. 118 4-5-6</ref>

{{cquote|At this time also came Pharasmanes, king of the Chorasmians, to [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] with 1500 horsemen, who affirmed that he dwelt on the confines of the nations of the [[Colchis|Colchians]] and the women called [[Amazons]], and promised, if Alexander was willing to march against these nations in order to subjugate the races in this district whose territories extended to the Black Sea, to act as his guide through the mountains and to supply his army with provisions. Alexander then gave a courteous reply to the men who had come from the Scythians, and one that was adapted to the exigencies of that particular time; but said that he had no desire for a Scythian wedding. He thanked Pharasmanes and concluded a friendship and alliance with him, saying that at present it was not convenient for him to march towards the [[Black Sea]]. After introducing Pharasmanes as a friend to [[Artabazos II of Phrygia]], to whom he had intrusted the government of the Bactrians, and to all the other viceroys who were his neighbors, he sent him back to his own abode. He told Pharasmanes that his mind at that time was engrossed by the desire of conquering India; for when he had subdued them, he should possess the whole of Asia. He added that when Asia was in his power he would return to Greece, and thence make an expedition with all his naval and military forces to the eastern part of the [[Black Sea]] through the Hellespont and Propontis. And he desired Pharasmanes to reserve the fulfilment of his present promises until then.
}}

==Legacy==
[[File:Pharnavaz statue kz1.jpg|thumb|left|Contemporary statue of King Pharnavaz I on Ketevan the Martyr Avenue, Tbilisi, Georgia.]]
[[File:Pharnavaz street, Batumi, Georgia.jpg|thumb|right|Pharnavaz Street in [[Batumi]].]]
The [[Bagrationi dynasty]] claimed descent directly from Pharnavaz.<ref>Salia, p. 129</ref> During the continuity of monarchy in Georgia, the Georgian kings presented themselves as heirs to the [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Iberia]] founded by King Pharnavaz.<ref>Salia, pp. 130-133</ref>

In [[Tbilisi]] there is a King Pharnavaz Street, Avenue, and also a statue of Pharnavaz. Also, there are streets named after Pharnavaz in [[Batumi]], [[Kutaisi]], [[Khashuri]], [[Gori, Georgia|Gori]], [[Gurjaani]], [[Sachkhere]], [[Zestaponi]] and others. Some buildings, including schools and hotels, also bear his name, as well as about five hundred Georgians.<ref>[http://psh.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=294 Statistics] [[Public Service Hall]]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Pharnavazid dynasty]]
*[[Georgian monarchs family tree of Iberia]]

==Notes==
{{Cnote2 Begin}}
{{Cnote2|a|Also [[Transliteration|transliterated]] as '''Parnavaz''', '''Farnavaz''', '''Pharnabaz''', '''Pharnabaze''', '''Pharnabazo''', '''Pharnabazus''' or '''Pharnaoz'''}}
{{Cnote2|b|According to [[Prince Vakhushti of Kartli]]}}
{{Cnote2|c|According to [[Cyril Toumanoff]]}}
{{Cnote2|d|According to [[Pavle Ingoroqva]]}}
{{Cnote2|e|This account is now considered legendary, and is rejected by scholarly consensus, as no archaeological confirmation has been found so far. An alternative interpretation of this tradition is the pre-Christian use of foreign scripts (alloglottography in [[Aramaic alphabet]]) to write down Georgian texts. The existence of a peculiar local form of Aramaic in pre-Christian Georgia has been archaeologically documented.}}
{{Cnote2 End}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*[[Stephen H. Rapp Jr|Rapp, Stephen H.]] (2003) ''Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts''. Peeters Bvba {{ISBN|90-429-1318-5}}.
*Rapp, Stephen H. (2014) ''The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes: Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature'' [[Ashgate Publishing]]
*[[Georgian royal annals]], ''Life of Pharnavaz: The first Georgian king of Kartli'', Part IV. [[TITUS (project)|TITUS]] (Online Version).
*[[Rayfield, Donald]] (2000) ''[[The Literature of Georgia: A History]]''. [[Routledge]], {{ISBN|0-7007-1163-5}}.
*Rayfield, Donald (2013), Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia, Reaktion Books
*[[Ronald Grigor Suny|Suny, Ronald Grigor]] (1994) ''The Making of the Georgian Nation'' (2nd edition). [[Indiana University Press]], {{ISBN|0-253-20915-3}}.
*[[Cyril Toumanoff|Toumanoff, Cyril]] (1963) ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History''. [[Georgetown University Press]].
*[[Kalistrat Salia|Salia, Kalistrat]] (1980) ''Histoire de la nation géorgienne''
*Gamkrelidze, Gela (2012) ''Researches in Iberia-Colchology'', David Braund ed.

==Further reading==
*[[Ehsan Yarshater|Yarshater, Ehsan]] (1983) ''The Cambridge History of Iran''. [[Cambridge University Press]], {{ISBN|0-521-24693-8}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081121010533/http://www.nplg.gov.ge/dlibrary/collect/0001/000032/Obrashenie_Gruzii.pdf «Обращение Грузии», перевод с древнегрузинского Е. С. Такаишвили]. Редакционная обработка, исследование и комментарии М. И. Чхартишвили. Тбилиси — 1989
* [[Otar Lordkipanidze|Lordkipanidze, Otar]] (1983) ''"La Géorgie à l'époque hellénistique", dans Dialogues d'histoire ancienne'', vol. 9, pp.&nbsp;197&ndash;216.
* [[Marie-Félicité Brosset|Brosset, Marie-Félicité]] (1849) ''Histoire de la Géorgie'', Saint-Pétersbourg
* Toumanoff, Cyrill (1969) ''Chronology of the early Kings of Iberia'' Traditio, Vol. 25, pp.&nbsp;1&ndash;33
{{Refend}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Pharnavazid dynasty]]||326 BC||234 BC}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Azo of Iberia|Azon]] <br />(office created)}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[List of Georgian monarchs|King of Kartli]]|years=299 BC - 234 BC}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Saurmag I of Iberia|Saurmag I]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pharnavazid kings of Iberia]]
[[Category:Georgian people of Iranian descent]]
[[Category:4th-century BC births]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC deaths]]
[[Category:Creators of writing systems]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC monarchs in Asia]]
[[Category:Founders of religions]]
[[Category:City founders]]
[[Category:Deified male monarchs]]
[[Category:People from Mtskheta]]
[[Category:Founding monarchs in Asia]]