Apsilae

Principality of Apselia
c. 1st century CE–730 CE
The region of Apselia in the 1st century CE
Other languages	Abkhaz, Greek (possibly)
Religion	Pagan, later Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Historical era	Ancient, Classical, Medieval
• Established	c. 1st century CE
• Disestablished	730 CE
Preceded by Succeeded by Colchis Abasgia

The Principality of Apselia was an ancient polity located on the Black Sea coast of the northwest Caucasus near the estuary of Kodori river. ^[1] The earliest known historical references to Apselia are from the writings of Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) and Flavius Arrian (2nd century CE), who referred to the region as Apsilae (Greek: Αψιλαι). ^{[2] [3]}

History

The first known record of the Apsilae occurs in the writings of Pliny of the 1st century AD, ^[4] as well as of Flavius Arrianus in the 2nd century (Greek : Αψιλαι). ^[5]

The legal and cultural foundations of Apselia were established during the reign of King Julian (Julianus). During the Roman Empire period, under Emperor Trajan (98-117 CE), Apselia became its official administrative region. ^{[6] [7]} However, by around 730 CE, Apselia came under the control of the stronger Abasgoi Principality ^[8] , and by the second half of the 8th century, the region of Apsilae disappears from historical records. Apselia eventually became part of the Kingdom of Abkhazia after the inclusion of additional territories. ^[9]

Important settlements

The settlements of Sebastopolis and Tibeleos (associated with Tsebelda by George Hewitt ^[10] ) were located in Apselia. ^[11]

Identity

The region has been a subject of political and ethnic debate, with scholars questioning whether the Apsilians are the ancestors of the modern-day Abkhazians or the Georgians. ^{[12] [13]}

The Apsilae may have been the ancestors of the Abkhaz people (in Abkhaz Аҧсуаа, Apswa). ^[14] They may have descended from the ancient Zygii people who settled in the Black Sea region.^{[ citation needed ]}

Their culture is known as the Tsebelda culture, marked by well-developed local manufacturing of metal products and tools.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "Apsilae". Brill. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
2. Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book 6.
3. Flavius Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea.
4. "Апсилы". Bse.sci-lib.com. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
5. Arrian; Thomas Falconer (1805). Arrian's Voyage Round the Euxine Sea: Translated and Accompanied with a Geographical Dissertation and Maps : to which are Added Three Discourses, I. On the Trade to the East Indies by Means of the Euxine Sea, II. On the Distance which the Ships of Antiquity Usually Sailed in Twenty-four Hours, III. On the Measure of the Olympic Stadium. J. Cooke. p.  9.
6. The Cambridge Ancient History.
7. Julian Bennett (2 September 2003). Trajan: Optimus Princeps. Routledge. p. 345. ISBN   1-134-70913-7.
8. Alexander Mikaberidze (6 February 2015). Historical Dictionary of Georgia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 130–1. ISBN   978-1-4422-4146-6.
9. Kingdom of Abkhazia, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
10. George Hewitt, "The Abkhazians: Handbook", p. 56
11. Greek geography (1854). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography: Abacaenum-Hytanis. Walton & Maberly. p. 163.
12. Graham Smith (10 September 1998). Nation-building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: The Politics of National Identities. Cambridge University Press. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-521-59968-9.
13. Barbara A. West (19 May 2010). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania. Infobase Publishing. p. 1. ISBN   978-1-4381-1913-7.
14. Allen, W.E.D. (2023). A History of the Georgian People: From the Beginning Down to the Russian Conquest in the Nineteenth Century. Routledge. p. 28. ISBN   9781032436890. The Abkhaz were known to the classical geographers as Apsilai, and later as Abasgoi.