King Parnavaz I (3rd century BC) was a King of the Georgian Kingdom of Iberia (modern Eastern Georgia) in 284-219 BC and founder of the Georgian dynasty of Parnavazians (284 BC-5th century AD). He was born in 317 BC. In accordance with the Georgian chronicle of Leonti Mroveli (8th century AD) "Tskhovreba Kartvelta Mepeta" ("The life of Georgian Kings") Parnavaz I was a reformator of the Georgian alphabet (oldest form of the Georgian script "Asomtavruli") in 284 BC. It was confirmed by the archaeological excavations of 1940's and 1995-2003 in Armaztsikhe (near Mtskheta) and Nekresi (in Kakheti).

The main sources about the life of Parnavaz I are the chronicle of Leonti Mroveli, chronicle "Moktsevai Kartlisai" (5th century AD), "Life of Saint Nino" (4th century), etc.

Much controvesy surrounds the age of the Georgian alphabet, Ingorovka is a notorious Georgian nationalist historian who is widely discredited. Most western experts consider the earliest example of Georgian script to be from a panel in a jerusalem church dating from the fifth century AD.

Literature

• Viktor Shnirelman. The Value of the Past. 2001 Sage publications (in English)
• Pavle Ingorokva. Old Georgian chronicle "Moktsevai Kartlisai" and the List of the Kings of Iberia.- Bulletin of the State Museum of Georgia, vol. XI-B, Tbilisi, 1942, pp. 259-320 (in Georgian).
• Leonti Mroveli. "Tskhovreba Kartvelta Mepeta". Kartlis Tskhovreba (Edited by Simon Kaukhchishvili), Tbilisi, 1942, pp. 14-19 (in Georgian).

See also

• List of Georgian kings