Hello everyone. Today's back a reward episode follows on nicely from our discussion of Armenia

last week, but before we can discuss Georgia and the Black Sea, I should just let you

in on some exciting news. As you know, I was in Istanbul back in May and made contacts

with a tour company. I am very excited to announce that a history of Byzantium tour is

being launched next week. The tour will head to Istanbul next April for five days, and I'll

tell you all about it in our next episode. If you are one of those who backed the Kickstarter

at the tour level, then check your emails as you have a chance to book your place before

everyone else.

Listener CS has three questions for us today. Two of which concern Georgia, the lesser talked

about part of the trans caucuses. He asks what were the Georgians up to in relation to

the Empire, century by century? This is slightly tricky because of our

porosity of sources. And because like there are Armenian cousins, we aren't talking about

a homogenous people. We're talking about a collection of people's speaking languages

that we identify with the Georgian family. Anyway, well, give it our best shot. You may

remember Justinian's day better than others, and you may recall Georgia was divided into

roughly three people, or at least three spheres of influence. LaZika in the west bordering

the Black Sea, Iberia to the east occupying the center of the caucus mountains, usually

with its capital at Tiflis, modern to Blicsi, and then to the north bordering the step world

were the Abazghians. Georgia was heavily influenced by Armenian culture, and so during the

fourth century these areas had also converted to Christianity. This brought closer ties with

the Romans, and eventually the wars which Justinian and Kusro fought over control of this area.

Despite initially rejecting the Council of Chalcedon, the Georgian church eventually accepted it.

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