Carduchii (Karduchoi)

The Carduchii (კარდუხები [Kardukhebi]) were a Kartvelian tribe living in Northern Mesopotamia; According to the account of the ancient Greek historian Xenophon ( 355/354 BC), the southern boundary of the Carduchii's settlement ran along the mountains of Kurdistan at the point where these mountains border the Tigris River. To the north, the Kentrites River (modern Botan Su) near the Tigris River separated the country of the Carduchii from Armenia (G. Maximova), while to the west it also encompassed the region of the city of Urfa (B. Hrozný). A large segment of scholars (C. F. Lehmann-Haupt, Iv. Javakhishvili, S. Janashia, G. Melikishvili, S. Gorgadze, V. Goiladze, and others) considers the Carduchii to be a people of Kartvelian lineage.

In Iv. Javakhishvili’s opinion, the ethnonym Carduchii is "the name of one of the Megrelo-Chan tribes" and it ends with the nationality indicator "khi" (ხი [khi]) just like Taokhi and Kolkhi, while the name of the river "Kentrites" is the same as the Kintrishi River (in Ajaria). It is also noteworthy that the numerous residential caves existing on the territory of the Carduchii closely resemble the structures of Uplistsikhe and Vardzia (C. F. Lehmann-Haupt). As Xenophon writes, the Carduchii were well-versed in the martial arts. They possessed well-fortified cities and were renowned builders of siege engines; they lived in wealthy villages, practiced animal husbandry and viticulture, and produced wine in kvevri (clay vessels) buried in the ground.

Later, a part of the Carduchii migrated to the north and intermingled with the Meskhians. The Carduchii who remained in their homeland participated in various battles during the Roman era. According to Strabo, the city of "Nisibida" is located in the country of the Carduchii (the city of Nisibis is also referred to as Antioch in The Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali), and near it was the fortress of "Harmazi." By the treaty concluded between Rome and Iran in 363, the country of the Carduchii came under Iranian rule; therefore, the Christian population of the country migrated to the city of Edessa, as a result of which the Georgian colony of Edessa was replenished with a Kartvelian population. The famous school-academy was transferred from Nisibis to Edessa. According to K. Kekelidze, the system of education in ancient Georgia was organized along the model of the Nisibis school. The Carduchii living in Edessa and its surroundings preserved their native language and Christian faith until the beginning of the 19th century.

Literature: გოილაძე ვ., ასურელ მამათა სამშობლო და საქართველო, თბ., 2002; მისივე, ქართველთა განმანათლებლები, თბ., 2015.

V. Goiladze