- Abasgi. AI generated
Abasgia — a land of West Caucasian tribes located north of the Colchians, from the Singam River (modern Inguri) to Pitiunt (modern Pitsunda). Arabs, Turks, and Greeks called them Abkhazians. Their southern branch consisted of the Apsilae tribes.
According to the ancient Roman historian Flavius Arrianus, in the 2nd century AD, Abasgia was a country under Roman rule, whose laws were established by the Roman Caesar. At the beginning of the 6th century, Abasgia absorbed the neighboring principality of Sanigia. Starting from the 4th century, the Abasgian tribes encountered the strengthening Apsilae tribes, which forced them to relocate to the territory of the modern city of Sukhumi. Later, Abasgia became part of Egrisi (Lazica), whose ruler appointed the governor of Abasgia. Abasgia supported Egrisi during the Irano-Byzantine wars.
In 550, Abasgia was drawn into a revolt against Byzantium. The outcome of the revolt was the division of Abasgia into two parts — the eastern part, which came under the rule of Skeparn, and the western part, which came under the rule of Opsit. Skeparn soon received support from the Sasanian court, while Opsit prepared for defense against Byzantine troops under the command of Vilgand and John the Armenian. The following year, the Byzantines restored their authority in the country. In the 7th century, Byzantium separated Abasgia from Egrisi and transferred to it part of the lands of the western Apsilae, Sanigs, and Misimians.
John Tzetzes (12th century), orig. Kissling 1826. Georgica. Information of Byzantine writers about Georgia. 1967, Vol. VII, 22—26:
"The grandmother (mother's mother) of John Tzetzes was born a Massagetean woman, in other words a woman from the Abasgians [1]. [...] (585) Iberians, Abasgians, and Alans are of one race [Iberes, Abasgi et Alani, unum genus.] [...] The Massagetae are Abasgians and their women, in former times, together with their men, fought courageously. [...] And let it be known to you that the Abasgians and Alans, Sakas and Dacians, Rosses and Sauromatians, the Scythians proper, and all those tribes that live in the north, are generally called Scythians."
VARIANT NAMES: Latin. Abasgi, Avasgi, Greek. Αβασγοι (Abkhazians), Georgian. აბაზგები, Russian. Abkhazians, Abazgi, Abasgi, Abaski, Abaza, Abeza, Avasgi, Obez.
[1] Here Kissling summarizes the detailed description of this kinship by Tzetzes in scholia 585, 590.
Sources:
Ethnogenesis of the Abkhazians. D.A. Arshba, 2015