OSTIA INSCRIPTION ON VISIT OF PHARSMANES THE VALIANT IN ROME

Abstract

This inscription found in Ostia in 1958, which belongs to the series of "Fasti Ostienses"  is an important monument for the history of Georgia, because it contains information about the visit of the Georgian king,  Pharasmanes II, called the Valliant to Rome. It is true that the inscription itself and the issue of the Iberian king's visit to Rome at the invitation of Emperor Antoninus Pius attracted the attention of many Georgian and foreign researchers, but some issues still are unexplored and undetermined. One of the most important problems which is still uncertain today remains the approximate date of the visit of the King of Iberia and his retinue to Rome. The situation is complicated by the fact that the latest results of the reconstruction of the inscription have not been included in the Georgian scientific circulation. The article shows the modern state of restoration and interpretation of the inscription, analyzes the report kept with Dio Cassius regarding Pharasmanes's visit to Rome, and based on the comparative analysis of epigraphic and literary sources, presents our arguments regarding the exact dating of the inscription.

  Keywords: Ostia inscription; Pharasmanes II; Pharasmanes in Rome; Antoninus Pius; Dio Cassius.