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8th century BC

Heniochi — 1) a union of tribes that lived on the Caucasian coast of the Pontus Euxinus (modern Black Sea) between the Zygii and Achaeans in the north and the Sanegae in the south. The main area of localization was the Pitiunt region. Part of the Heniochi advanced into Asia Minor, into the Trapezus region; 2) a Caucasian tribe that lived in the mountains northwest of the Albanians (i.e., in the foothills of the North Caucasus).

An ancient people that inhabited the northeastern coast of the Pontus, near the Hercules Cape, at the foot of the Corax Mountains, between the tribes of the Achaeans and Coraxi. The Heniochi were first mentioned in the 8th century BC in Urartian cuneiform inscriptions. In the 6th century BC, Scylax of Caryanda wrote about them in the book "Periplus of the Inhabited Sea." In the 1st century BC, in his book "Geography," in chapter 11, Strabo reports: "After Bat, Artemidorus mentions the coast of the Cercetae (where there are ship anchorages and villages) almost 850 stadia long, then the coast of the Achaeans — 500 stadia, then the coast of the Heniochi — 1000 stadia, then Great Pitiunt — 360 stadia long up to Dioscurias." In 114 AD (according to Dio Cassius), Trajan in Lesser Armenia in the city of Sate received the ruler of the Heniochi and Machelones, Anchialus, with great ceremony and dismissed him with rich gifts. To the 4th century belongs the mention of the Heniochi made by Rufus Festus Avienus, in the periplus "Description of the Earth's Circle," where he wrote: "Nearby live the Cercetian tribe and the race of the Toretes. Then the Achaeans from the shores of Xanthus and from Idaean Simoent transported their Lares to the wind-swept rocky valleys. Nearby lives the harsh tribe of the Heniochi, then the Zygii, who once, having left the kingdoms of the Pelasgians, occupied the nearest regions of the Pontus. Nearby live the active Colchians: these exiles from fertile Egypt sow the steep slopes of a high rock."

Strabo reported that the Heniochi were known to the ancient world as sea pirates. Ovid also pointed to the piracy of the Heniochi in his poetic works at the beginning of our era. Pliny the Younger indicated that at the beginning of the 1st century AD, Dioscurias and Pitiunt were devastated by the ancient Abkhazian tribes of the Heniochi. These events apparently put an end to urban life in another city, the excavations of which are now called the "Eshera settlement." Later, at the beginning of the 5th century AD, the Eshera area was captured by the Apsilae tribe, whose presence was confirmed by archaeologist Yu. N. Voronov based on material artifacts made of ceramics of a specific appearance found here. Also, with their presence, Yu. N. Voronov connected the construction in Eshera of a building on the remains of an older, still Hellenistic structure.

Strabo also wrote: "They are ruled by the so-called 'sceptuchi,' and these latter are themselves subject to tyrants and kings." For example, the Heniochi had 4 kings at the time when Mithridates Eupator, expelled from the country of his ancestors to the Bosporus, passed through their land. Anchialus — the ruler of the Heniochi and Machelones, ruled in 114 AD, according to the account of Dio Cassius. It is believed that the Heniochi are the ancient ancestors of the Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples, whom the Greeks and their first travelers along the West Caucasian coast of the Black Sea encountered in the 6th century BC. The Heniochi at that time already used hardening in the production of steel products, while the Greek colonists did not yet use this complex blacksmithing technique. The Heniochi were placed by ancient authors in various sources in the regions of the Black Sea region and Transcaucasia.

According to Ionian written sources, the Greek city-states (poleis) of Dioscurias and Phasis were founded precisely on the land of the Heniochi. The Heniochi should also be understood as the unnamed tribes placed by Herodotus between Phasis and the Caucasus Range. This was partially supported by Yu. N. Voronov, who stated: "In the Eastern Black Sea region, the Heniochi managed to preserve their individuality until the first centuries AD, when they disintegrated into several already completely defined ancient Abkhazian pre-state formations (Apsilia, Abasgia, Sanigia, etc.)."

The mythical leader of the Alans and Heniochi, Anausides, dies at the hand of Styra.

The Heniochi or Khenuti in the Armenian Geography of the 7th century are possibly connected with the modern Ginukhs (an ethnic group of the Avars). The Ginukhs live in the village of Genukh in the Tsuntinsky district and in the village of Novomonastyrskoye in the Kizlyarsky district, as well as in other cities of Dagestan.

VARIANT NAMES: Latin. Heniochi, Heniochoi, Greek. Ηνιοχοι.


Sources:

Ethnogenesis of the Abkhazians. D.A. Arshba, 2015