400 BC — 800 AD. Jar Burial Culture
The Jar Burial culture — an archaeological culture represented from the 4th century BC to the 8th century AD in Transcaucasia, especially in the territory of Caucasian Albania. The deceased were buried in large clay jars in a strongly crouched position on their side. The grave goods contain items made of metals (bronze and mainly iron tools and weapons, bronze, silver and gold ornaments), wood, stone, clay, glass and paste. In later burials, Roman, Arsacid and Sassanid coins are found. This culture belonged to a settled agricultural population, also engaged in animal husbandry, hunting, fishing and crafts.
Jar burials refer to inhumation, during which the deceased was placed whole in a clay vessel of various shapes and sizes and thus buried in the ground. Cremation burials in similar vessels cannot be considered jar burials.
4th century BC. Mention by Strabo
Following Scylax of Caryanda, Strabo (66 BC – 23 AD) mentions the Achaei. In his "Geography," he writes: "beyond Sindica and Gorgippia (modern Anapa) along the sea lies the coast of the Achaei, Zikhs and Heniochi," mostly lacking harbors and mountainous, as it is part of the Caucasus. These peoples live by piracy, for which they have small, narrow and light boats with a capacity of up to 25 people, rarely up to 30; the Greeks call them "camaras"... Equipping fleets of such "camaras" and attacking either merchant ships or even some country or city, they dominated the sea. Sometimes even the inhabitants of Bosporus help them, providing their ship moorings and a market for selling booty. When they return to their native places, in the absence of ship moorings, they have to carry the "camaras" on their shoulders into the forests, where they live, cultivating the poor land. When the sailing season arrives, they again carry their boats to the shore. They do the same in foreign countries, where they know the wooded places well; there they hide their "camaras," and themselves wander on foot day and night, kidnapping people to sell into slavery. They willingly offer to release the kidnapped for a ransom, notifying their relatives after going to sea. In lands subject to local rulers, the authorities assist the victims of violence; they often in turn attack the robbers and, having captured their "camaras," bring them back along with the crew. The areas subject to the Romans are more powerless against this evil due to the negligence of the rulers sent there."
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
4th century BC. Mention by Cornelius Tacitus
Strabo's contemporary Cornelius Tacitus, in Book III of his treatise "Histories," confirms the opinion about the inability of the Romans to cope with the West Caucasian pirates: "In Pontus, a slave, a barbarian who had once commanded the royal fleet, unexpectedly took up arms – the freedman of Polemon, Anicetus. He had previously enjoyed great power in this country; when it became a Roman province, he began to impatiently await a coup... at the head of significant forces he burst into Trapezus. The cohort stationed there was killed... Anicetus burned the Roman ships by throwing burning torches at them, and became the complete master of the sea... The barbarians built ships for themselves with surprising speed and sailed the sea with impunity. These ships are called camaras by them, their sides are close to each other, and below the sides the hull expands; the barbarians do not use any copper or iron fastenings when building ships. When the sea is stormy and the waves are high, boards are laid over the sides, forming something like a roof, and thus protected, the barges maneuver easily. They can row in any direction. These vessels end with a sharp bow at the front and back, so that they can safely approach the shore with either end..." The Romans were only able to suppress this powerful uprising of the Caucasians at the price of bribing King Sedochez in Colchis, in whose domains Anicetus had taken refuge. Both Anicetus and Sedochez are Abkhaz-Adyghe names, having many comparable anthroponyms in later nomenclature.
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
400 BC. TORETAE
The Toretae appear — a Maeotian tribe located on the North Caucasian coast of the Pontus Euxinus (modern Black Sea), southeast of Gorgippia (modern Anapa). More details.
400 BC. Mentions by Palaephatus
PALAEPHATUS (4th century BC) "ON THE TROJAN WAR"
VII, fr.1 Adjacent to the Kerkets are the Moschi, and the Charimati possess the Parthenius up to the Euxine Pontus.
Fr. 2. Palaephatus in the VII book of the work "On the Trojan War" says that the long-headed [details] live in Libya above the Colchians.
Materials:
The Great Steppe in Ancient and Byzantine Sources. Garkavets 2005
400 BC. Azon (Jason)
Azon (Georgian: აზო; Azo) — according to Georgian medieval historiography, a ruler of Kartli in the last third of the 4th century BC. His historicity is highly doubtful. The name Azon is compared with the Greek mythological hero Jason, who, according to some Hellenistic ancient sources, ruled in Colchis.
According to Tacitus, in his time the Iberians and Albanians themselves claimed to descend from the Thessalian Jason, who returned to Colchis (here this event is dated to the mythical era, i.e., the 13th century BC).
A brief mention of him is contained in the work "The Conversion of Georgia." According to this account, supposedly Alexander the Great, having conquered Kartli, appointed Azon, the son of a certain king of Arian-Kartli, as its ruler, who settled in Mtskheta, becoming its first king; his gods were the idols Gaci and Gaim, and he died a natural death, his successor being Pharnavaz I.
Leonti Mroveli provides a detailed account significantly different from the previous one about how Alexander, king of Macedonia, after a stubborn war conquered the lands of Kartli and appointed as his governor (eristav) the patrician Azon, son of Iaredos, a native of Macedonia, with an army of one hundred thousand men from the region of Phrotatos. By Alexander's order, Azon established the worship of the Sun, the Moon, the five stars (i.e., the planets) and the "invisible god."
Azon destroyed the fortifications of the cities of Kartli, except for four fortresses where he stationed garrisons. He also conquered Egrisi and subjugated the Ovsi (Ossetians), Leki (Dagestanis) and Khazars — this list of peoples is extremely anachronistic.
Azon's cruel rule caused discontent among the Kartlians. Then the Kartlian Pharnavaz raised a revolt, and "a thousand chosen horsemen" of Azon went over to his side. Pharnavaz became king of Kartli, and Azon fled.
Two years later, Azon returned from Greece with an army but was again defeated by Pharnavaz.
According to the "History of Armenia" (II 8) by Movses Khorenatsi, Alexander the Great's governor in Kartli was Mithridates of Pontus.
389—349 BC. Reign of Leukon
Having taken power in the Bosporan Kingdom, Satyros's son Leukon ruled for a very long time. He not only continued his father's policy but also surpassed him. Leukon finished the war with Theodosia and annexed its lands to Bosporus, although the war lasted quite long. To achieve victory, Leukon made an alliance with the Scythians and ordered the Scythian horse archers to shoot his retreating hoplite warriors. Gradually Leukon annexed the lands of the Sindians [Taman Peninsula], Toreteans [approximately Primorsko-Akhtarsky and Timashevsky districts of Krasnodar Krai], Dandarids [approximately Temryuk district of Krasnodar Krai], and Psessians [approximately Yeysk district of Krasnodar Krai]. Relying on the alliance with the Scythians, Leukon managed to deal with all the opponents of the Spartokid power.
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
384—322 BC. Mentions by Aristotle
Aristotle (384–322 BC) "Meteorology"
Book I, Ch. 13, § 17. And from the Caucasus, besides many other rivers remarkable for their quantity and size, flows the Phasis. The Caucasus is the largest and highest mountain range on the northeastern side. (18) Proof of its height is that it is visible from the so-called deeps and at the entrance to Lake Maeotis; moreover, its peaks are illuminated by the sun at night up to a third of their height both before dawn and in the evening; proof of its vastness is that although it has many valleys where many peoples live, and there are, they say, large lakes, yet all these valleys, they say, are clearly visible up to the most distant peak.
(29). ... The lake under the Caucasus, which the natives call a sea, evidently finds an outlet in the depths: receiving many large rivers and having no open outlet, it discharges underground in the country of the Coraxi, near the so-called deeps of Pontus; this is an immeasurable depth of the sea: at least no one has ever been able to reach the bottom by sounding.
"Politics"
Book VIII, ch. 4, § 4. There are many peoples inclined to murder and cannibalism, such as among the Pontic peoples, the Achaei and Heniochi, as well as other tribes living on the mainland, some like these, and others even more so; they lead a predatory way of life, but are not distinguished by bravery.
Materials:
Aristotle - Works. 1976–1983
349—344 BC. Reigns of Spartok II and Paerisades
After Leukon, power passed to his sons Spartok II and Paerisades.
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
344—310 BC. Reign of Paerisades
The main content of Paerisades' policy was to strengthen the authority of the archon over the Greek poleis and the king over the "barbarians" subjugated by his father, to which he also added the lands of the Doschi [Timashevsky district of Krasnodar Krai] and the Fatei [Dinskoy district and the outskirts of Krasnodar]. During the reign of Paerisades, the Bosporan state became even richer through the grain trade.
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
310—309 BC. Reigns of Satyros II and Prytanis
The reign in Bosporus of Satyros II and Prytanis, sons of Paerisades. After Paerisades' death, a civil war for power broke out between the sons. Eumelus, having entered into friendly relations with the Maeotian tribes, gathered a huge army and began a war against his brother, but lost the first skirmish. With the remnants of his army, he took refuge in the castle of his ally Arifarnes, king of the Fatei. Satyros II attempted to capture the castle but was wounded in battle and soon died. His body was transported to Panticapaeum, where power was taken by his brother Prytanis. Eumelus tried to negotiate a division of Bosporus, but Prytanis refused to listen to him. Seizing the moment, Eumelus captured a significant part of the territory of Asian Bosporus. Soon Prytanis's troops capitulated, and he himself renounced power.
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
309—304 BC. Reign of Eumelus
The reign in the Bosporan Kingdom of Eumelus, son of Paerisades. His reign brought many benefits to the Bosporans, mainly due to increased trade and territorial expansion of the state. In addition, Eumelus, like his father, used all available methods to strengthen the authority of Bosporus on the Pontus [Black Sea]. Under his rule, the sea was cleared of pirates [Zikhs, Achaei, Heniochi, etc.], which improved trade contacts. Subsequent kings of Bosporus were unable to increase their wealth. Very little information about them has survived in ancient literature, and some of them were not even given a place.
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
304—284 BC. Reign of Spartok III
The reign in the Bosporan Kingdom of Spartok III, son of Eumelus. Under him, relations with Athens cooled, and life ceased at the Yelizavetinskoye settlement, once a center of trade with the Maeotians. The reign of Spartok III saw the departure of the Scythians from their lands and the arrival of the Sarmatians.
Materials:
History of Adygea. Gubzhokov 2009
