El reto de Satanás al propósito divino (cap 3)

The role of Geographic setting for the development of society in general and in war- fare is very significant. Hence it is impossible to reconstruct the military-political history without a study of the field of war operations [see Gamkrelidze 2010].

Modern Georgia lies in the central and western part of Transcaucasia (see the map). Since ancient times Georgia was the transportation cross- road linking countries east to west and from south to North. Georgia’s physical- geographical boundaries are: The Cau- casus Mountains on the north, Ajara-LazeTi-Arsiani highlands Javakheti Range and r.

Debeda basin on the south, Agrichai-Mingechauri on the east and the Black sea on the

west. The Likhi range divides the territory of Georgia into western and eastern parts. West of this range lies Colchian lowland and the Rioni basin and to the east there is Iverian with

Mtkvari (Kura) basin. Between these two parts Shida Kartli and Alazani valley are located.

At the original stage of development, the Georgians or the Kartvelian ethnos settled in the basins of three rivers – Mtkvari (Curos), Rioni and Chorokhi, - the territory from the Lake Van up to the Black sea and to the Caucasian mountains. Approximately this territory was inhabited by ancient Kartvelians. The various unions are referred to by different an- cient written sources (Herodotus, Xenophon, Strabo, Arrian, Leonti Mroveli, and others), namely Colchians, Iberians, Mossinoeci, Chalybes, Sasperes, Heniochi, Taochoi, Saniges. In the Classical period the political hegemony on Georgian territory was attained by the kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia, on whose place and basis Georgia was formed.

The hills and hillocks, gorges, knolls, hollows, uplands and lowlands, with their natural environment, create convenient places for settlement. Building material here is in abundance: wood, clay, stone, etc.; there is granite, limestone, gypsum, potter’s clay, var- ious shales, and quartz sand. The principal sites of metallurgical ore mining (copper, iron, and tin) in Georgia are: Racha-Lechkhumi, Svaneti, Abkhazia, Achara, Kvemo (Lower)

Kartli, the upper reaches of the Greater Liakhvi. The sand of the Enguri, Tskhenistsqali, Tekhuri, Rioni and Mashavera rivers contains a definite amount of gold. This is attested

by ancient authors: Strabo (XI, II, 19), Appian (HR, XII, 103). Gold mining is reported by Pliny too (NH, XXXIII). Owing to its specific tectonic development, Georgia’s relief is divided into two main differing parts: mountains and foothill, and valley and low- land. Footpath-roads crossed the mountain ranges of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, by which the ancient local population communicated with the rest of the world; these are: Rikoti, Zekari, Mepistsqaro, Mamisoni, Nakra, Klukhori, Daryali, etc.; The terrain of Colchis, and partly Iberia, bounded by mountains, created an advantageous defensive and military-strategic environment. Notable from this viewpoint is the assessment of the theatre of military operations in the Caucasus Mountains and adjacent territory, given by Lucullus, Roman general of the 1st _{cent. BC (see Plutarch, Lucullus, 14). Significant in-}

formation in this respect is also found in (Flavius) Arrian’s written report to the Emperor Hadrian. Arrian visited the Black Sea littoral of Georgia as the emperor’s military and administrative official (see his Periplus Ponti).

military operations. Skillful use of narrow gorges easy to block, high mountains difficult to cross, hillocks easy to fortify, dense, impenetrable forests, rivers hard to cross was a guar- antee of a successful ending of a military campaign. The climate is attached no less impor- tance in warfare. Thus, in fighting Pompey, Mithradates Eupator fled to Colchis beyond the mountains (see Strabo, XII, III, 28). He had to rally forces and replenish armament; he wintered in Dioscurias, using the terrain and climate towards the realization of his military and strategic plan (see Appian, HR, XII, 101).

The Rioni-Qvirila (the Phasis of the Greco-Latin written sources) and the Mtkvari (the Curos of the Greco-Latin sources) constituted an advantageous transit and strategic route owing to their physical-geographic location. Evidence on this is largely preserved in the writings of Strabo and Pliny (see Strabo, XI, II, 17; VII, 3; Pliny, NH, VI, 52). Notably enough, classical and early medieval settlement sites are situated precisely along this route, their archaeological study yielding imported foreign items (pottery, ornaments, coins, and metal and glass vessels). Such settlement sites along the Rioni-Qvirila have been discovered at Shorapani, Kldeeti, Vani, Shuamta, Partsqanaqanevi, Mtisdziri, Dab-

lagomi, Dapnari, Sajavakho, Chaladidi (near Poti), and so on; along the course of the Mtkvari: at Zghuderi, Urbnisi, Uplistsikhe, Qanchaeti, Dzalisa, Tsikhiagora, Nastakisi, Samadlo, Sarkine, Mtskheta, and so on. The town near the Paliastomi lake was a final

point of the Rionni-Qvirila trading-transit route. The lake Paliastomi was a comfortable harbor, where big ships could enter. The archaeological expedition of Black Sea –shore found the remains of the settlement of 2nd_-5th _{cent. which could be the remains of the town}

Phasis, described by Procopius and Agathia [Gamkrelidze, Pirtskhalava, Kipiani 2005:6]. Lots of fortified sites and settlements were found on the sea shore : Apsaros (near

Gonio), Tsikhisdziri, Qobulet-Pichvnari, Ureki, Phasis (near Poti), Anaklia, Pichori, Gienos

(near Ochamchire), Dioskuria-Sebastopolis (near Sokhumi), Eshera, Pitiunt (near Bichvin-

ta). All these sites were connected to the sea by their life-style. They played an important role

in the economic relationships with outer world.

The littoral towns and cities were exactly a means, through which a contact between the towns/cities of the Black and Mediterranean seas, in seaside towns/cities, in addition to trade, different kinds of business used to develop; however, seafaring, fishing and sea salt production still figured prominently.

Georgia’s Black Sea coastline is not uniform along its length. In its southern and west- ern sections, it is hilly, rugged with capes and gulfs, which are convenient for making harbors. The Black Sea plays the greatest part in the Kolchian climate forming, which, in turn, influences the agro-climatic situation and the economic and defense life of the local population [Gamkrelidze 2010:34].

The unsteadiness of sea shore played negative role in the history of Colchis: so called Phanagorian regression in the Black sea finished at approximately between the turn of BC and AD and began its transgression. In the result the level of the sea became about 3 m higher and covered all settlements. The sinking of the area adjoining the sites of mentioned ancient settlements in the littoral caused deterioration of the industrial and economic level. According to a reference preserved in Strabo’s Geographica (XI, II, 17), Colchis is repre-

sented as a region rather rich in natural resources: “The country is fertile and its produce

is good… It furnishes all materials for ship-building. It produces them in great plenty, and they are conveyed down by its rivers. It supplies flax, hemp, wax, and pitch, in great abun- dance. Its linen manufacture is celebrated, for it was exported to foreign parts;”

Exports are mentioned in the reference of Marcus Manilius, where he communicates that Romans are “fed on Nubian coastline and the valleys of Phasis”. Noteworthy is a writ- ten notice of the 6th _{century Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea: “Mocheresis is one} day’s journey distant from Archaeopolis, a district which includes many populous villages. And this is really the best land in Colchis; for both wine and the other good things are produced there…” (History of Wars, VIII, 14). Mocheresis in the heart of Colchis was an

economically strong district. The material of archaeological excavations carried out there serves as additional evidence of the advanced economic position of Colchian Lowland.

Concerning the climatic and geographical environment of west Colchis, the Greek scholar Hippocrates, as early as the 4th _{century BC, narrates as follows: “As to the inhabitants of Phasis,} their country is fenny, warm, humid, and wooded; copious and severe rains occur there at all seasons; and the life of the inhabitants is spent among the fens; for their dwellings are construct- ed of wood and reeds, and are erected amidst the waters” (On Airs, Waters and Places, 15).

In eastern Georgia, Iberia, the major agricultural areas are located within the Shida (Inner) Kartli lowland, the Mtkvari River Gorge, Tiriponi and Mukhrani fertile fields, the

Kvemo (Lower) Kartli Lowland, and Alazani Valley. Owing to shortage of water, non-pro-

ductive to some extent are the Iori plateu and Shiraki-Eldari Valleys. The eastern Georgia climate in comparison with Colchis is the arid continental one. Therefore, high farming there will require irrigation canals.

According to Strabo the greater part of “Iberia is so well built up in respect to cities and farmsteads that their roofs are tiled, and their houses as well as their marketplaces and other public buildings are constructed with architectural skill. Parts of the country are surrounded by the Caucasian Mountains . . . In the middle is a plain intersected by rivers, the largest being the Cyrus. This river . . . flows into the plains that have exceedingly good pasture, receives still more rivers, among which are the Alazonius, Sandobanes, . . . all navigable, and empties into the Caspian Sea” (Strabo XI, III, 1,2).

Georgia is diverse in vegetation. Hills and foothills below the Alpine belt and partially lowland are mostly covered with woods. The use of timber for construction purposes is frequently evidenced by archaeological data. In the lowland part of Georgia, warm winters and long, moderately hot summers create favourable conditions for agricultural activity, in particular for the development of grain framing, vegetable growing, viticulture and horticulture. The ox, cow, goat, sheep bones, also those of pig, dog and horse repeatedly found in numerous archaeological materials give us an idea of ancient animal husbandry followed by the native population.

During military operations in Iberia and Colchis, the local fighters made good use of the terrain, mountains, narrow defiles of gorges, defensive works advantageously posi- tioned on mountains and hills, dense impenetrable forests, fords. The same factors had a negative effect on the actions of the invading forces. They were naturally not familiar with

the local geographical setting, failing to make a tactically correct use of it. Accordingly, they lacked comprehensive information about local conditions; in particular, they had a vague idea of the opponent’s economic base and resources, the quantitative demographic situation, morale, communication and military and technical means, social system, mili- tary and strategic actions [Gamkrelidze 2010:43].

Owing the geographic setting, in Iberia and Colchis it was almost unfeasible to con- duct wide-scale, frontal operations with numerous troops. Success here could be achieved with well-trained, mobile, so-called commando-type detachments, well-informed about the local environment. The strategy and tactics of the war operations of the local popula- tion were largely built on the advantageous use of the terrain.

Colchis, and partly Iberia, were historical-geographical regions, bounded by moun- tains, creating a definite natural defensive area from the military and strategic points of view. Fertile soil, varied relief, moderate climate, ample hydropower resources, ores, di- versity of flora and fauna provided a good basis for social progress. Accordingly, a high- ly-peculiar historical-cultural area took shape in Colchis, with its center on the Rioni, and in Iberia, on the Mtkvari. Colchis and Iberia in the classical period held a pivotal area geopolitically. The eastern and western civilizations met here – and occasionally clashed.