Life of the King of Kings David (Life of Kartli, text identified based on all key manuscripts by S. Kaukhchishvili, v. I, Tbilisi, 1955)

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Author	Unknown Author (Life of the King of Kings David)
Epoch	XII c.(?)
Work	Life of the King of Kings David (Life of Kartli, text identified based on all key manuscripts by S. Kaukhchishvili, v. I, Tbilisi, 1955)
Type	Prose
Quote	“I think the great and famed narrators deserve to be reprimanded – Homer, Aristobulus and Jew, Josephus. The first of them colorfully described Trojans and Achaeans (battle, - E. K.), how Agamemnon fought Priam, Achilles - Hector, then [he describes, E. K.] Odysseus fight with Orestes, who defeated whom. The second described Alexander’s charity and victories and the third described the havoc which Titus and Vespasian wreaked upon his compatriots. Not having enough data of the events that had occurred for their stories, they extrapolated using art of rhetoric, which point is also raised by Alexander: Achilles, you were not great, but you met a great lauder – Homer”. (pg. 342)
Term	Aristobulus ( philosopher ) Josephus Flavius ( ) Achaeans ( ) Priam ( ) Hector ( ) Orestes ( ) Alexander of Macedon ( ) Titus ( ) Trojan War ( ) Vespasian ( ) Odysseus ( ) Achilles ( ) Agamemnon ( ) Trojans ( ) Hellenes ( ) Homer ( )

Nike. Vani. II-I BC, Bronze, 22 x19 cm. The Georgian National Museum.

Comment	T. Khaukhchishvili: It is noteworthy in this extract that, the historian knows Homer, knows his heroes, whom he mentions in pairs – equal to each other (Agamemnon – Priam, Achilles – Hector) and besides, that this is not very popular in literature is clear from: 1. Mentioning Odysseus and Orestes in a pair, 2. The time-span of Trojan War – in his version this war had lasted for 28 years” (T. Khaukhchishvili, Ancient World in the Historiography of Rustaveli Epoch, Chronicler, Collection of Works Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of Iv. Javakhishvili, Tbilisi, 1976, pg. 123) S. Khaukhchishvili points out that: “It is true, that we do not come across any of this information in the works of antiquity literature (i.e. the enmity between Odysseus and Orestes, the length of Trojan war - 28 years) but this can be traced in Byzantine Chronographs, e.g. in George Sincellus’ Chronology it is written: “in 4331 from the beginning of the world, this is when Odysseus’ and Orestes’ story took place”. What story and was it really enmity or not, we do not know, but we have to make such a conclusion after referring to the note of the Georgian historian” (S. Khaukhchishvili, Phirestes//Orestes, “Literary Quests”, II. 1945, p g. 159-165) T. Khaukhchishvili: “Based on the ancient tradition and according to Homer’s version Trojan War had lasted for 10 years. David the Builder’s historian (and Chronicler) bluntly says that Trojan War had lasted for 28 years. There is a note in the Chronology of the self-same George Sincellus (which George Sincellus does not agree with) that Agamemnon had ruled for 35 years; if Agamemnon had ruled for 35 years, and the War started on the 8^th year of his rule, than according to this version Trojan War had really lasted for 27-28 years” (T. Khaukhchishvili, Antique World in Georgian Historiography, Chronicler, Collection of Works Dedicated to 100^th Anniversary of Iv. Javakhishvili’s Birth, Tbilisi, 1976, pg. 123). S. Khaukhchishvili: “Such a concurrence of data of Byzantine chronologist and the Georgian historian in 2 issues (1. Orestes, 2. 28 years) makes us think, that the Georgian historian knew about Trojan War from the Byzantine chronologist’s notes” (S. Khaukhchishvili, Phirestes/Orestes, ,, Literary Quests”, II, 1945, pg. 159-165) P. Ingorokhva, based on the fact, that instead of Orestes is written Phersites in Ana’s List of Kartli’s Life, considers that Thersites, with whom Odysseus in the second song of Iliad really had a clash, may be implied (P. Ingorokhva, Rustaveli Collection, Tbilisi, 1938, pg. 56, 57).

Comment

T. Khaukhchishvili: It is noteworthy in this extract that, the historian knows Homer, knows his heroes, whom he mentions in pairs – equal to each other (Agamemnon – Priam, Achilles – Hector) and besides, that this is not very popular in literature is clear from: 1. Mentioning Odysseus and Orestes in a pair, 2. The time-span of Trojan War – in his version this war had lasted for 28 years” (T. Khaukhchishvili, Ancient World in the Historiography of Rustaveli Epoch, Chronicler, Collection of Works Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of Iv. Javakhishvili, Tbilisi, 1976, pg. 123) S. Khaukhchishvili points out that: “It is true, that we do not come across any of this information in the works of antiquity literature (i.e. the enmity between Odysseus and Orestes, the length of Trojan war - 28 years) but this can be traced in Byzantine Chronographs, e.g. in George Sincellus’ Chronology it is written: “in 4331 from the beginning of the world, this is when Odysseus’ and Orestes’ story took place”. What story and was it really enmity or not, we do not know, but we have to make such a conclusion after referring to the note of the Georgian historian” (S. Khaukhchishvili, Phirestes//Orestes, “Literary Quests”, II. 1945, p g. 159-165)

T. Khaukhchishvili: “Based on the ancient tradition and according to Homer’s version Trojan War had lasted for 10 years. David the Builder’s historian (and Chronicler) bluntly says that Trojan War had lasted for 28 years. There is a note in the Chronology of the self-same George Sincellus (which George Sincellus does not agree with) that Agamemnon had ruled for 35 years; if Agamemnon had ruled for 35 years, and the War started on the 8^th year of his rule, than according to this version Trojan War had really lasted for 27-28 years” (T. Khaukhchishvili, Antique World in Georgian Historiography, Chronicler, Collection of Works Dedicated to 100^th Anniversary of Iv. Javakhishvili’s Birth, Tbilisi, 1976, pg. 123).

S. Khaukhchishvili: “Such a concurrence of data of Byzantine chronologist and the Georgian historian in 2 issues (1. Orestes, 2. 28 years) makes us think, that the Georgian historian knew about Trojan War from the Byzantine chronologist’s notes” (S. Khaukhchishvili, Phirestes/Orestes, ,, Literary Quests”, II, 1945, pg. 159-165)

P. Ingorokhva, based on the fact, that instead of Orestes is written Phersites in Ana’s List of Kartli’s Life, considers that Thersites, with whom Odysseus in the second song of Iliad really had a clash, may be implied (P. Ingorokhva, Rustaveli Collection, Tbilisi, 1938, pg. 56, 57).

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