Nikolaishvili V. Great Mtskheta - Ancient Capital

from კავკასიის არქეოლოგიის საკითხები / Problems of the Archaeology of Caucasus

Mindorashvili D., Murvanidze B., Gogochuri G. Archaeological Searches in Marneuli Municipality

Vakhtang Nikolaishvili Georgian National museum (Georgia, Tbilisi)

Great Mtskheta - Ancient Capital

Summary

Mtskheta – the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Kartli/Iberia (IV-III B.C. – IV-V centuries A.D.) is renowned for its historical-architectural and archaeological monuments. Georgian, as well as foreign written sources and archeological monuments tell us about them. The 11th century Georgian chronicler – Leonti Mroveli mentioned “Great Mtskheta” in his work - “Life of the Kings of the Georgians” that is included in the “Georgian Chronicles” (“Kartlis Tskhovreba”): “the great city of Mtskheta and its suburbs, Sarkine and Tsikhe-didi, Zanavi, the Hebrew settlement”1. For today, this territory is bordered to the east – by the railway station – Zahesi, to the west – by Dzegvi, Khekordzula ravine and Nastagisi, to the north – by Mukhrani sights, to the south Satskepela – Didgori mountain ridge2 .

As for “Great Mtskheta” of the period of Leonti Mroveli, it coincided the period of formation of Kartli Kingdom and becoming of Mtskheta the capital of Kartli; “Great Mtskheta” of that period covered relatively larger territory and was protected with the fortress system. To the north it was protected by the fortress passed toward Ghartiskari, the second line of defense followed Bebristsikhe-Tsitsamuri; to the south - Satskepela-Didgori ridge and local fortresses (Katsitavana, royal residence of Armaz-tsikhe); to the east – the wall passed through Zemo Avchala-Devis Namukhli (Koshigora); to the west – Grdzeli Mindori (the Long Field), Sarkine, Tsikhedidiskhevi defense system.

Political uniting – Synoecism of different settlements within the fortress system of “Great Mtskheta” took place in the period of formation of the Kingdom of Kartli (Iberia) and in the process of becoming Mtskheta the capital of the kingdom.

1. “Georgian Chronicles” I, Tbilisi, 1955 (in Georgian). 2. Andria Apakidze, et al, Mtskheta I, Tbilisi, 1955 (in Georgian); Nikolaishvili, Greater Mtskheta, 2018, 867-889.

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maia patariZe saqarTvelos erovnuli muzeumi (saqarTvelo, Tbilisi) daviT miqelaZe damoukidebeli mkvlevari (saqarTvelo, Tbilisi)

aristarxe mmarTveli kolxeTisa (numizmatikuri gamokvleva)

ukve TiTqmis sami saukunea rac samecniero sazogadoebisTvis aqsiomatur WeSmaritebad iqca mosazreba imasTan dakavSirebiT, rom ama Tu im qveynis politikis, ekonomikis da kulturis istoriis Sesaswavlad monetebis mecnierul kvlevas gansakuTrebuli mniSvneloba eniWeba. amis mizezi numizmatikuri masalis iuridiuli bunebaa. monetis moWris ufleba, rogorc wesi saxelmwifos kompetenciaa, amdenad moneta saxelmwifoebrivi mniSvnelobis mqone sabuTia, romelic absoluturad daculia konkretuli piris subieqturi Sexedulebebisgan. aqedan gamomdinare, mas rogorc wyaros, garkveuli upiratesobac gaaCnia. xSirad monetaze datanili informacia pirvelxarisxovania da seriozuli cvlilebebi Seaqvs warsulis Seswavlis saqmeSi. rogorc msoflio, aseve qarTul numizmatikur mecnierebaSi, moipoveba monetebi, romlebmac ara marto Seavses istoriis TeTri laqebi, aramed kardinalurad Secvales werilobiT wyaroebSi damaxinjebuli esa Tu is istoriuli faqti. msgavs numizmatikur Zegls miekuTvneba sakmaod iSviaTi seria monetebisa, romelic cnobilia aristarxe kolxelis vercxlis monetebis saxeliT. am monetebis numizmatikur kvlevas qvemoT statiis msvlelobisas warmovadgenT, konkretul SemTxvevaSi Cven SevCerdebiT maTze datanil erT mniSvnelovan detalze, riTac am numizmatikuri Zeglis mniSvneloba saqarTvelos istoriisTvis gansakuTrebulia. cnobebi kolxeTis samefos Sesaxeb sakmaod vrcelia da mravalferovani, dawyebuli miTidan argonavtebis Sesaxeb, dasrulebuli berZnul-romauli wyaroebiT. miuxedavad amisa, artefaqtebis raodenoba, sadac dafiqsirebulia kolxeTis saxeli sakmaod mwiria. dRemde cnobilia ori keramikis nimuSi. erTi - berlinis muzeumSi daculi Savfiguruli hidria, romelsac axlavs warwera „kolxma gamakeTa“, romelsac Zv.w. VI s. Sua xanebiT aTariReben, mis momxatvels ki _ kolx ostats monad miiCneven1. meore - aTenSi napovni Savfiguruli amforaa, warweriT _ „evqsisTeosma gamakeTa, kolxma momxata“2 .

1. oTar lorTqifaniZe, antikuri arqeologia (Zveli saberZneTi), Tbilisi 1971, 144. 2. lorTqifaniZe, antikuri arqeologia, 144.

am fonze, saxelmwifoebrivi mniSvnelobis dokumentze, fulze, kerZod aristarxes monetaze dafiqsirebuli berZnuli warwera ARISTARCON TOU EPI KOLCIDOS – „aristarxesi mmarTveli kolxeTisa“, gansakuTrebul mniSvnelobas iZens. aRniSnulma warweram sxva mimarTulebiTac Seitana sicxade saqarTvelos istoriaSi. cnobilia, rom Zv.w. 65 w. iberiis sazRvrebs romis respublikis sardali pompeusi moadga. miuxedavad didi winaaRmdegobisa, qarTlis mefe artagi bolos da bolos iZulebuli gaxda damorCileboda pompeuss. iberiidan romaelebi kolxeTis teritoriaze gadavidnen. rogorc Cans, pompeusma iq kolxeTis mmarTvelad aristarxe daniSna da amiT qveyanas efemeruli damoukidebloba mianiWa3. antikur wyaroebSi aristarxe mefed aris moxseniebuli 4 , magram es mosazreba gaabaTila am ukanasknelis saxeliT moWrilma monetebma, vinaidan monetas aweria aristarxe mmarTveli kolxeTisa da ara mefe. monetaze arsebul warweras ki, rogorc zemoT aRvniSneT, iuridiuli Zala aqvs. aqedan gamomdinare vfiqrobT, rom am monetebis mniSvneloba saqarTvelos istoriisTvis fasdaudebelia. 2018 wels igoeTis maxloblad SemTxveviT aRmoCnda aristarxes monetis axali egzemplari, romlis gamoqveyneba da samecniero mimoqcevaSi CaSveba warmoadgens am publikaciis mizans, vinaidan, vTvliT, rom TiToeuli axali aRmoCena mniSvnelovani monapovaria da dauyovneblad unda CaerTos samecniero brunvaSi; garda amisa, Cven mogveca saSualeba msoflios yvela muzeumebidan, sadac amJamad daculia am mmarTvelis monetebi, mogvepovebina fotopirebi da axal calTan erTad vaqveynebT. aqve unda aRiniSnos, rom miuxedavad imisa, rom es monetebi araerTxel moxvda cnobili mecnierebis naSromebSi, aristarxes monetebis zusti (miT ufro cifruli) fotoebi dRemde cnobili ar iyo samecniero sazogadoebisTvis, radgan publikaciebSi TabaSiris anabeWdebia naCvenebi. vfiqrobT, moZiebuli masala axal Strixebs SesZens da erTgvarad gaacocxlebs kolxeTis mmarTvelis aristarxes monetebs. amavdroulad, mniSvnelovan wvlils Seitans gvianelinisturi periodis sxvadasxva sakiTxebis Seswavlis kuTxiT.

Cveni kvleva efuZneba numizmatikur mecnierebaSi dRemde damkvidrebuli Sexedulebebis gadasinjvas. risTvisac viyenebT erTi mxriv aristarxe kolxelis 2018 wels aRmoCenil uaxles egzemplars da meore mxriv Cven mier mopovebul msoflios sxvadasxva muzeumebSi daculi aristarxes monetebis cifrul fotopirebs. Cven SevecdebiT gamovTqvaT garkveuli mosazrebebi, romelTa gamoTqmis saSualebas moZiebuli masalis ikonografia mogvcems, aqve davZenT, rom Rrma xelovnebaTmcodneobiTi analizisgan am statiis farglebSi Tavs SevikavebT5 .

3. giorgi dundua, ras mogviTxroben Zveleburi monetebi, Tbilisi 1968, 9; giorgi dundua, Tedo dundua, qarTuli numizmatika, I. Tbilisi, 2006, 76. 4. Гиорги Меликишвили, К Истории Древней Грузии, Тбилиси 1959, 331; Гурам Лордкипанидзе, К истории древней Колхиды, Тбилиси. 1970, стр. 37; 5. am mimarTulebiT momavlisTvis vgegmavT publikacias.

aristarxe kolxelis monetebis Seswavla XIX saukunidan iRebs saTaves6 da dRemde, XXI saukunemde aqtualuroba ar daukargavs. msoflios sxvadasxva muzeumSi daculi aristarxe kolxelis monetebi dReisaTvis eqvs calad aris cnobili. berlinis bode muzeumis miunckabinetSi - 1; aSmolis muzeumi (oqsfordi) - 1; britaneTis muzeumi - 1; parizis medlebis kabineti - 1; sankt-peterburgis ermitaJi - 2 cali. aqedan pasportiani mxolod erTad-erTia, sankt-peterburgis koleqciidan, romelic soxumis midamoebSia aRmoCenili. sanam uSualod axali monetis aRweraze gadavidodeT, aucileblad migvaCnia Tavi movuyaroT msoflios sxvadasxva muzeumebSi dacul aristarxes monetebs da maTi aRwera gadmovceT. dasawyisSi, ki imisaTvis, raTa srulad davinaxoT monetaze arsebuli zedwerili da siuJeturi qarga (ikonografia), Cven warmovadgenT rekonstruirebul grafikas (sur. 1).

Av. marjvniv mimarTuli uwveruli mamakacis profili xuTsxivian gvirgvinSi. Rv. marjvniv mimarTuli taxtze mjdomi qalis drapirebuli gamosaxuleba koSkura gvirgvinSi. marcxena xelSi mas sferos magvari sagani uWiravs, xolo marjvenaTi saWes eyrdnoba. gamosaxulebis orive mxares da qvemoT berZnuli legenda: ARISTARCOU TOU EPI KOLCIDOS. xolo sityva _ KOLCIDOS-is qvemoT - BI.7 oriod sityviT SevCerdebiT samoneto ikonografiaze. aversze gamosaxuli figura, j. jenkinsis dakvirvebiT mzis RmerTi heliosia, romelsac pompeusis nakvTebi aqvs8. mogvianebiT mas daemowma k. golenko, romelmac aRniSna, rom pompeusis roli imdenad didi iyo aristarxesTvis Zalauflebis gadacemaSi, rom gasakviri ar aris monetaze pompeusi gamoesaxaT. amavdroulad pliniusis

6. sakiTxis bibliografia ase gamoiyureba: P[rokesch] - O [sten], Unedierte griechische Münzen aus der Sammlung des Freiherrn von ProkeschßOsten, “Archäologische Zeitung” (Wien), März 1849; William H. Waddingdon, Un voyage en Asie Mineure au point de vue numismatique, RN( Revue Numismatique), 1853, 251; Charles R. Fox, Engravings of Unedited or Rate Coins with Descriptions, Part II, L., 1862, gv.1, tab.1; Bernhard Koehne, Drachms of Aristarchos, Dynast of Colchis, NC (The Numismatic Chronicle), 1877, gv. 1; Ernest Babelon, La collection Waddington au Cabinet des Médailles, inventaire sommaire, B N, 1897, page 272, tableau I, 1; Отто Ретовский, Драхма Аристарха Колхидского из собрания Имп. Эрмитажа, Труды МНО (Московское Нумизматическое обшество) т. III, вып. 2, 1903; Давид Капанадзе, Грузинская нумизматика, 1955, стр. 42, таьл. I, 20; Gilbert K. Jenkins, Recent Acquisitions of Greek Coins by the British Museum, NC (The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society) 1959, 32. Tab. VI, 13; Меликишвили, К истории древней Грузии, 331; Константин Голенко, Денежное обращение Колхиды в римское время, Ленинград, 1964. Стр. 21; Давид Капанадзе и И.Г. Шенгелия. Триорфная Геката с колхидской дидрахмы V в. До н. э.,АИКСП (Античная история и культура средиземноморья и причерноморья), 1968, 154; David M. Lang, The Georgians, “Ancient Peoples and Place”, L., 1966, sur. 74; dundua, ras mogviTxroben ..., 10-11; Лордкипанидзе, К истории древней Колхиды, 37; daviT kapanaZe, qarTuli numizmatika, Tbilisi, 1969; Константин Голенко, Аристарх колхидский и его монеты, Вестник древней истории , 4(130), Москва 1974, 106; Gocha Tsetskhladze, On the numismatics of Colchis: the classical archaeologist’s perspective. Dialogues d’histoire ancienne, vol. 19, n°1, 1993. pp. 233-256; Tedo Dundua. Georgia within the European Integration. Graeco-Roman World, Byzantine Commonwealth, Orthodox Alliance and the Georgians. Tb. 2013. 7. Голенко, Аристарх колхидский, 106. 8. Jenkins, Recent Acquisitions of Greek Coins, 32.

cnobis Tanaxmad kolxeTis pirveli mefe mzis Svili iyo. aqedan gamomdinare politikuri koniunqtura da adgilobrivi tradicia Seerwya erTmaneTs9 . reversze gamosaxuli personaJi j. jenkinsma saWis da koSkura gvirgvinis gamo, romlebic Tanmdevia mxolod bedis qalRvTaeba tixesTvis, es ukanaskneli miiCnia10 . rac Seexeba tixes irgvliv ganlagebul warweras: ARISTARCOU TOU EPI KOLCIDOS, iTargmneba, rogorc - aristarxesi kolxeTis mmarTvelisa. warweris qvemoT B BI – TariRi = 12, rac imas niSnavs, rom mmarTvelobis me-12 welzea (Zv.w. 52-51 ww.) saubari. aRniSnuli aRweriloba SeiZleba iTqvas meordeba aristarxes monetebis Svidive egzemplarze, Tumca aris Secdomebi warweraSi da aseve mcirediT gansxvavebuli Strixebi ikonografiaSi, razec statiis msvlelobisas vimsjelebT. gadavideT aristarxes monetebis aRwerilobaze am istoriuli mniSvnelobis monetis, erT-erT egzemplarze uSualod muSaobis bedniereba germaneli kolegebis, keTili nebiT, statiis erT-erT avtors, maia patariZes xvda wilad, rodesac is 2012 wels saerTaSoriso stipendiis farglebSi muSaobda berlinis bode muzeumis miunckabinetSi mixeil baraTaevis (baraTaSvilis) koleqciaze11. swored am monetiT viwyebT aRwerilobebs.

1. berlini12 (sur. 2). wona - 3,67gr. diametri13 - 18/18 mm.