The Abasgoi or Abasgians ( grc, Αβασγοί, Abasgoi, and grc, Ἁβασκοί, Abaskoi; la, Abasci, Abasgi;
ka, აბაზგები, Abazgebi; compare
Abkhaz ''Абазаа'' "the
Abaza people
The Abazin, Abazinians or Abaza ( Abaza and Abkhaz: Абаза; Circassian: Абазэхэр; russian: Абазины; tr, Abazalar; ar, أباظة), are an ethnic group of the Northwest Caucasus, closely related to the Abkhaz and Circassi ...
") were one of the ancient tribes inhabiting western region of
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which ...
, who originally inhabited lands north of
Apsilae, corresponding to today's
Ochamchira District. In 550, during the
Lazic War, the Abasgians revolted against the
Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and called upon
Sasanian
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
assistance. General
Bessas however suppressed the Abasgian revolt.
By the 6th century Abasgia shifted to the north and occupied territory between
Gumista and
Bzyb rivers, while another tribe, the
Sanigs, lived to the north of them. In the time of
Arrian, they were said to live on the banks of the Abascus or Abasgus river, an otherwise unidentified river flowing into the
Euxine
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia ...
.
The Abasgoi are considered the ancestors of modern
Abkhaz,
Abazin and the Georgian ethnonym ( ka, აფხაზი ''apxazi'') "Abkhaz" is derived from the name «abasgi, abaza». They are mentioned by
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...
,
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
and
Arrian; the 6th-century
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
historian
Procopius wrote that they were warlike, worshiped
tree deities
A tree deity or tree spirit is a nature deity related to a tree. Such deities are present in many cultures. They are usually represented as a young woman, often connected to ancient fertility and tree worship lore.Heinrich Zimmer, ''Myths and Sym ...
and provided eunuchs to
Justinian
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renova ...
's court.
[
]
See also
* Apsilae
References
Sources
*
{{Historical regions of Georgia
Ancient peoples of Georgia (country)
Tribes in Greco-Roman historiography
History of Abkhazia