Azo (Georgian history)
Azo (also known as
Azon) was a legendary prince allegedly installed by
Alexander the Great as a ruler of the
Mtskheta tribe in what is now
Georgia.
According to a medieval Georgian source
"Moktsevai Kartlisai" ("The Christening of Georgia",) Azo was a son of a king of the land of Arian-Kartli who brought 18 families to what is now the town of
Mtskheta in eastern
Georgia, and settled there to become a father of the nation.
According to another medieval
Georgian author
Leonti Mroveli, Azo was a
Greek commander who accompanied
Alexander the Great in his campaign against
Caucasian Iberians. Azo killed a local tribal leader Samara and ruled the area until Samara's nephew
Parnavaz rose against him. Victorious in battle, Parnavaz became the first king of
Iberia.
Some Georgian historians believe the legend reflects resettlement of proto-
Iberian tribes from
Asia Minor to the northwest, where they created a kind of tribal federation which became a basis for the
kingdom of Iberia in the late 4th century BC.
Another theory suggests Azo may have been an officer in Alexander's army (or in the army of one of Alexander's
diadochoi) who seized power in Iberia, but was overthrown by rebels.
* http://rbedrosian.com/gc2.htm
* http://www.geocities.com/komblege/thracian.htm
* http://www.lazuri.com/kolheti/en_index.php?page=kavtaradze_chanen
* http://www.geocities.com/komblema/orte.htm
