ivane javaxiSvilis saxelobis Tbilisis saxelmwifo universitetis
saqarTvelos istoriis institutis Sromebi. XVIII
Tbilisi. 2022
Tedo Dundua
Professor,
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Natia Phiphia
Assistant Professor,
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Greek Cities in Colchis.
Point of View
The paper deals with the principal aspect of Graeco-Colchian relations,
i.e. colonization, using narrative, archaeology and numismatics. Empiric level
of the issue is as follows: Pomponius Mela narrates that city of Phasis in
Colchis at the East Black (Pontic) Sea Coast (modern Photi, West Georgia) was
founded by Themistagoras the Milesian (Pomp. Mela. I. 108). 1 The note dates
back to the end of the 6th c. B.C. According to Arrianus, Dioscurias (modern
Sokhumi, West Georgia) also was founded by the Milesians (Arr. Peripl. 12). 2
The note dates back again to the end of the 6th c. B.C. Ps.-Scylax writes about
Hellenic cities in Colchis. They are as follows – Phasis and Gyenos (modern
Ochamchire, West Georgia) (Ps.-Scylax. Asia. 81). 3 This note dates back
already to the midst of the 4th c. B.C. We do not have Aristotle’s (?) full account
of Phasian constitution (Ps.-Heracl. Polit. XVIII.). 4 And Strabo describes
Dioscurias and Phasis as trading places of the Colchians (Strabo. XI. 2. 16, 17).5
1
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I. Fontes. Logos. MMX, p. 487.
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 305.
3
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 154.
4
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 197.
5
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, pp. 222-223.
2
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saqarTvelos istoriis institutis Sromebi. XVIII
Pliny mentions pillaged Pitius (Bichvinta, Western Georgia), and also,
castellum Sebastopolis instead of city of Dioscurias/Sebastopolis (Plin. NH. VI.
14-16). 6 Arrian in 131 saw no Greeks in Phasis and Sebastopolis (Arr. Peripl.
11-12). 7 What happened to them? According to Ephorus (via Aristotle), they ran
away from there to Miletus (Arist. Fr. 557). 8 Why did the Greeks leave Colchis?
Hippocrates narrates about bad climate and dangerous humidity in Colchis, and
also, yellow coloring of the skin of fat and lazy Phasians (Hippocr. 15). 9
This schematic story needs to be filled up, using numismatics.
Apollo was main deity of Phasis, according to records and numismatics.
Lion, symbol of Apollo, is depicted on the local coins.
Obverse: Lying hermaphrodite lion to the right/left with a head turned back.
Reverse: Kneeling female figure with a bull’s head to the right/left in
quadratum incusum.
http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=4
This is Colchian (Phasian) didrachm, struck in the 5th c. B.C. Lion is
depicted also on other denominations. Hermaphroditization is a result of
Apollo’s merge with the local female sun.
When city has Apollo as main deity, it is oligarchic. Phasis was
oligarchic republic.
In the 5th-3rd cc. B.C. Phasis issued the hemidrachms below:
6
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 500.
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, pp. 304-305.
8
T. Kaukhchishvili. Greek Authors about Georgia. vol. II (Aristotle, Nicolaus of Damascus,
Claudius Aelianus). Tbilisi. 1969, p. 73.
9
Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, pp. 108-109; T. Kaukhchishvili.
Hippocrates about Georgia. Tbilisi. 1965, p. 45, 47.
7
22
Tedo Dundua, Natia Phiphia. Greek Cities in Colchis. Point of View
Obverse: Archaic female head to right/left within the linear circle or in border
of the dots.
Reverse: Bull’s head to right within the linear circle. Some of the coins are with
the Greek letters – ΜΟ/ΣΟ, Φ, Α, Ο, Ε, Π, Δ.
http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=13
Athens, a fashion maker, still preserved archaic style on the coins until
the 2nd c. B.C., thus demonstrating its democratic conservatism. Archaic style
on Colchian (Phasian) money, does it mean the same, i.e. fidelity to
republican constitution until the 3rd c. B.C.?
When city has symbols of Dionysus on the coins, it could be
democratic, even formally.
Municipal copper coins of Dioscurias (105-90 B.C.).
Obverse: Caps of Dioscuri, surmounted by six, or eight-pointed stars.
Reverse: Thyrsos of Dionysus in the center of the coin, the Greek threeline legend on both sides ΔΙΟΣ/ΚΟΥΡΙΑ/ΔΟΣ.
http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=22
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saqarTvelos istoriis institutis Sromebi. XVIII
Dioscurians, subjugated to Mithridates VI, king of Pontus,
preserved their municipal structures and struck their own copper money.
Also, it seems that Mithridates’ garrison was located in Dioscurias and
official appointed by him controlled the mint.
For the republics in Classical Antiquity there were the gods to
justify a legitimacy of a coin. With the decay towards autocracy the first
persons started to be portrayed.
Julius Caesar became the first living individual to be portrayed in
Rome, and it was done by special senatorial decree. 10
Was he really the first Roman to be honored this way?
What is about Gnaeus Pompejus, that is exactly him on obverse of
the light drachm struck in Phasis in 52/51 B.C.
Obverse: Head of Gnaeus Pompejus in solar diadem right.
Reverse: Tyche seated, Greek inscription – ΑΡΙΣΤΑΡΧΟΥ ΤΟΥ
ΕΠΙ ΚΟΛΧΙΔΟΣ/BΙ
of Aristarchus, the viceroy of Colchis”, regnal years 12 (52/
51 B.C.).
http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=18
10
Chr. Howgego. Ancient History from Coins. London and New York. 1995, pp. 67-69.
24
Tedo Dundua, Natia Phiphia. Greek Cities in Colchis. Point of View
Pompejus is shown as rex et deus, king and god. 11
Now we can fix general story for the Greeks living in Colchis. In the 7th6th cc. B.C. the Ionian city of Miletus possessed exceptional wealth and
commercial enterprise. Miletus, the greatest trading city, organized the first
Greek settlements in Colchis, daughters of the Ionian metropolis – Phasis,
Dioscurias etc. Themistagoras from Miletus is believed to be chargé d’affaires.
In the 6th-4th cc. B.C. the Greeks established all their poleis at the East Black
Sea Coast. The Greeks served their major purpose during the activity in Colchis
having in mind subsequent full economic integration of the region with Hellas
and highly Hellenized Anatolia. They were supposed to improve local industrial
output. This ended up in failure because of super humidity of the country. In
many lowland places there were terrible marshes, and the Greeks had no special
idea how to drain those marshlands. There was no chance for maintaining
Hellenic industrial structures as agriculture was too slow in development.
Hellenism in Colchis failed with the Hellenic communities first becoming
bilingual, then completely assimilated within the local society.
Still, the Greeks exported different materials, like timber, linen, metals.
They imported industrial goods, mostly ceramics, which was imitated by the
Colchians. Phasis and Dioscurias were splendid Greek cities dominated by the
mercantile oligarchies. Gradually they became more democratic. To promote
trade, Phasis issued its own silver money with Graeco-Colchian types. Trade of
the peoples across the Black Sea thrived. Armament industry and ceramic
production flourished in Pontus, mining in Colchis and agriculture in
Bosphorus. The whole Black Sea area might be looked upon as a multicultural
region of which the economic systems were ultimately based on the principle of
Hellenism. The age-old maritime route from Sinope towards Phasis was easily
covered in three days. From the 3rd c. B.C. Greeks flooded Colchis also for the
transit purposes.
The Colchians used to write in Greek and build the temples in Greek
style, but these did not prevent local kings and sceptuchoi (dukes) in the 3rd c.
B.C. from conquering the Hellenic poleis.
Then economic crisis followed. In 105-66 B.C. Colchis was a part of
kingdom of Pontus and there could be illusion of short economic revival. End of
11
T. Dundua. Money in Georgia. Appendix. Tbilisi. 2020, pp. 77-80, 99-101.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344202635_Money_in_Georgia_Appendix
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saqarTvelos istoriis institutis Sromebi. XVIII
the 1st c. B.C. was total political chaos for Western Georgia and urban life
declined, the Greeks losing their identity. Experiment aiming for inclusion of
this land into the Greek economic system failed. And for the Romans
Colchis/Lazica was just Pontic limes to be defended in a manner of forward
defence. 12
Global story is as follows. Climate determines economics. Hot and less
humid environment defines an early advantage of the South over the North –
indeed, the Egyptian state and the crafts confront entirely the primitive clansystem which existed in fact everywhere. Then the whole situation was
changed.
Times after, some technical improvements towards the North created a
very comfortable vegetation process, while the Egyptians still needed time to
put the seed beyond the reach of the sun. In the 9th-8th cc. B.C. the Greeks are
already vanguard by means of the technics and the structures. The countries
being superb before, like Egypt and Babylon, or India, now face a new
hegemonic power – Hellas, already overpopulated and needing grain and the
raw materials to be imported. Then the perception of Europe has appeared.
Europe is a special term for the part of the earth, which stipulates or will
stipulate the same vanguard level of development. Even Scythia with its rough
spring was thought to be reorganized in the Greek manner, than those countries
which needed the additional finances for irrigation. So, the making of Europe
started. *
12
T. Dundua. Colchis in the 6th-4th cc. B.C. The Greek Settlements in Western Georgia. Tbilisi.
2009; T. Dundua. Georgia within the European Integration. Tbilisi. 2016, pp. 24-33, 48-51, 8188; T. Dundua. History of Georgia. Tbilisi. 2017, pp.8-10, 121-126.
*
The author is largely indebted by the general works about European integration. Some of them
are cited here: Prosopographia Imperii Romani Saec. I. II. III. Pars VI. Consilio et Avctoritate
Academiae Scientiarum Berolinensis et Brandenburgensis. Iteratis Curvis Ediderunt L. Petersen,
K. Wachtel. Adivvantibus M. Heil, K. P. Johne, L. Vidman. Berolini. Novi Eborau.
MCMXCVIII; A. N. Sherwin-White. The Roman Citizenship. Oxford. At the Claredon Press.
1939. Second edition. Oxford. 1973; D. Braund. Rome and the Friendly King. The Character of
the Client Kingship. Beckenham, Kent. Fyshwick, Australia. 1984; F. Braudel. A History of
Civilization. Printed in the USA. 1995; K. Rozen. Die Geburt Europas. Das Mittelmeer – die
Wiege der Europäischen Kultur. Bonn. 1998, pp. 10-25; K. Held. Die Entdeckung der Welt bei
den Griechen als Ursprung Europas. Das Mittelmeer…, pp. 26-45; H. Galsterer. Einheit und
Vielfalt im Römischen Reich. Das Mittelmeer…., pp. 115-129; G. Alföldy. Das Imperium
Romanum – ein Vorbild für das vereinte Europa? Basel. 1999; K. M. Girardet. Bundesstaaten im
Antiken Griechenland und das Romische Imperium als “supranationale” Ordnung – Modelle für
ein vereintes Europa von Morgen? Europa. Traditionen-Werte-Perspektiven. Beiträge zu einer
Ringvorlesung der Philosophischen Fakultät der Universität des Saarlandes in Sommersemester
26
Tedo Dundua, Natia Phiphia. Greek Cities in Colchis. Point of View
The Greek pattern was as follows: 1. occupying or even frequently being
invited to the key-points of other economic structures like Caria, Thrace,
Bosphorus or Colchis; 2. establishing the autonomous Greek social structures
granted heavily with the technics from metropolis; 3. the natives being equipped
with the best tools for agriculture; 4. the Greek industrial structures maintained
on this background; 5. exporting supplies to Hellas and receiving back some
industrial goods. The Aegean and the Pontic (the Black Sea) areas were
supposed to form once unique economic space. Anatolia was a complete victory
of Hellenism, even being integrated politically under Mithridates Eupator, king
of Pontus, as far back as in the 1st c. B.C. The Roman overlordship gave a new
sense to the economic prosperity of the Greek World. But there were the serious
failures too. Colchis (Western Georgia) offered a dangerous humidity to the
Greek way of life. The Greeks living there had no chance to keep their
industrial spirit as the agriculture was very slow in a development. Soon the
Greek community became a bilingual one, and after – totally assimilated within
the Colchian society. As to Bosphorus (at the Northern Black Sea coast), a cornsupply from Asia Minor to Greece had broken the traditional scheme, and the
region soon lost its Greek style. 13
With no Greek residents any more, Colchis/Lazica still remained a
vigorous recipient of the Greek styles.
1999. St. Ingbert. 2000, pp. 13-48; B. und H. Galsterer. Romanisation und einheimische
Traditionen. Xantener Berichte. B. 2. Köln. 1992. Kolloquium in Xanten. 2-4 Mai. 1990, pp. 377387; S. Runciman. The Fall of Constantinople 1453. Cambridge. University Press. 1996; J. J.
Norwich. A Short History of Byzantium. Published in Penguin Books. 1998.
13
T. Dundua. The Making of Europe (Towards History of Globalization). The Caucasus and
Globalization. Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies. v. 2. Issue 2. Sweden. 2008, pp.
38-45; Т. Дундуа. Как создается Европа (к истории глобализации). Кавказ и глобализация.
Журнал социально-политических и экономических исследований. т. 2. вып. 2. Швеция.
2008, pp. 44-52; T. Dundua. Georgia within the European Integration. Tbilisi. 2016, pp. 7-23; T.
Dundua. History of Georgia. Tbilisi. 2017, pp. 39-55.
27