Saurmag I of Iberia
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Saurmag I (sometimes also spelled as Sauromaces, or Sayurmak) (საურმაგ I) (d. ca 162 BC), from the House of Pharnavazians, was the 2nd king of Caucasian Iberia/Kartli in ca 237-162 BC.
He succeeded on the death of his father, Pharnavaz I, ca 237 BC. There is some inconsistency in the dates of his reign, which seems implausibly long for this period.
According to Georgian annals, the nobles of the realm united to kill the king. Learning of the plot, Saurmag took refuge at his mother’s homeland, Dzurdzuk, in the Caucasus Mountains. Aided by the Dzurdzuk people, he crushed the revolt and allowed part of these mountaineers to settle in the border regions of Iberia.
He added two new goddesses, Ainina and Danina, to a Georgian pagan pantheon created by Pharnavaz I, and erected them idols on the road to the capital Mtskheta.
He died in ca 162 BC, having had no son, and was succeeded by his son-in-law, Mirian I.
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| Preceded by c. Pharnavaz I |
King of Iberia c. 237 – c. 162 BC |
Succeeded by Mirian I |
