Diauehi

Ancient Georgia Kinghdom of Diauehi History of Tao Klarjeti

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• published: 09 Jun 2012
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Between the twelfth and seventh centuries b.c., according to Assyrian and Urartian records, there were a number of proto-Georgian tribal unions: Colcha and Diaokhi, also Mushki and Tabal, and possibly the biblical Meshech and Tubal. The Kingdom of Diauehi (Georgian: დიაოხის სამეფო) (Diauhi or Diaokhi; "the Land of the Sons of Diau") (Georgian: დიაოხი) was an ancient monarchy emerged as a tribal union of early-Georgians in 12th century BC, in the post-Hittite period. Urartian sources speak of Diauehi's three key cities -- Zua, Utu and Sasilu; Zua is frequently identified with Zivin Kale and Ultu is probably modern Oltu, while Sasilu is sometimes linked to the early medieval Georgian toponym Sasire, near Tortomi (present-day Tortum, Turkey). The name of Tao, derives from Taochi and this word derives from Diaokhi ! Even if Diaokhi as a kinghdom was destroyed by Colchis one, the people mixed, but the name remained, under a nother from of Taochi, wich is now Tao ! this shows that Tao is georgian and not armenian. This federation was powerful enough to counter the Assyrian forays. The Historical Geography of Ancient Tao, i.e., the land of Daiaeni of Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions and the land of Diaukhi of the Urartian written sources is one of the most controversial problems of the modern historiography. The scholars are still not in complete agreement with the problem - is there only a chronological or also, at the same time, a geographical difference between these two lands. The land of Daiaeni existed already in the late second millennium B.C. It is mentioned in the inscription of the middle of 9th century of the king of the New Assyrian period, Shalmanasar III too, where he informs us about the fact that he erected his statue in the anonymous city of the king of Daiaeni, Asia, when the latter came to him to the source of the Euphrates and "fell before his feet". This event is dated 844 B.C. Therefore it becomes clear that at that time the "Royal City" of Daiaeni was located near the source of the Kara-su (the Western Euphrates), in the territory which is known by Georgian and Armenian tradition as Tao or Taik. An additional information from the point of view of the location of the Asia's "capital" might be provided by the name of the "Royal city" of Diaukhi -- "Šašilu". The name of the main city of the land of Diaukhi - Šašilu is known from the inscriptions of Yazlitash and Zivin (both villages are east of Horasan) of Urartian king Menua of the late 9th and early 8th centuries B.C. As Menua's inscriptions mentioned this city only half a century after the Shalmanasar's campaign, there is a strong probability that the Asia's "Royal City" is as same as Šašilu of Menua's inscriptions. It seems, that "Šašilu" was situated on the place of the Medieval Georgian village of Sasire (immediately west of the well known castle of Tortomi or Tortum-kale, ca 20-30 km north-west of the Dumlu-su, the source river of the Euphrates). When identifying Šašilu as Sasire we take into account the fact that in Urartian cuneiform script it is impossible to distinguish from each other the sounds š and s, l and r, u and o and the information of the above inscription of Shalmanasar III that he erected his statue in the anonymous city of Asia when the latter came to him exactly to the source of the Euphrates. The ethnic belonging of the population of Daiaeni/Diaukhi is still a moot point among the specialists. Except for the obvious similarity between the archaeological material of the Early Iron Age of the central part of eastern Georgia and south-western part of hıstorıcal Georgia which perhaps indicates on the close ethnic affinity between the populations of these two areas, some toponyms characteristic of Daiaeni/Diaukhi are also often considered of Kartvelian origin. A new evidence in this connection might be provided by the above-mentioned name of old Georgian village, Sasire, which means in the old Georgian language - the "place of birds". According to Strabo, a considerable part of modern south-eastern Georgia including the two counties the history of which being traced here, became incorporated into Armenia and stayed for almost 300 years either within ancient Armenian state or the two empires, namely, Rome and Parthia, that to a greater or less degree controlled Armenian territory during the described period of time. The beginning of the 2 century AD, was marked by certain consolidation of the early Georgian states and recovering previously lost territories by Iveria. duduki is old Georgian Meskhian instrument from Diaokhi