Date
Meaning & History
Derived from the name of the Georgian kingdom of Iberia, which existed from about 302 BC to 580 AD. The name of the kingdom is an exonym, meaning: it was not created by the Georgians themselves. The inhabitants of the kingdom referred to it as ქართლი (Kartli).The precise meaning of the name Iberia is uncertain, and there are several theories for it. The form of the name as we know it comes from ancient Greek Ἰβηρία (Iberia), which was pronounced as Iveria in Byzantine Greek and finally as Iviria in modern Greek (the Greek spelling remained the same). The ancient Greeks possibly took the name from one of the contemporary Armenian names for the kingdom, which were Իվերք (Iverk), Իվիրք (Ivirk) and Վիրք (Virk).