The Orthodox Church in Abkhazia: Insights from Byzantine Sources, by Archimandrite Dorotheos (Dbar)

The two articles, "Order of the Patriarchal Thrones" by Nilus Doxapatrius and "Exposition of the Order of Patriarchs and Metropolitans" by Epiphanius of Cyprus, are featured in the second volume of the book The Orthodox Church in Abkhazia: Past, Present, and Future by Archimandrite Dorotheos (Dbar). This significant work, published by the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia in 2024, comprises a comprehensive collection of 94 essays, articles, and lectures written between 2011 and 2014.

The first article, "Exposition of the Order of Patriarchs and Metropolitans" (pp. 134–140), examines the roles and organisation of metropolitans and archbishops within the Byzantine ecclesiastical hierarchy. The second, "Order of the Patriarchal Thrones" (pp. 122–127), explores the administrative structures of the early Church, focusing on the Patriarchates of Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Constantinople. Together, these articles provide valuable insights into the historical and ecclesiastical significance of Abkhazia and its connections to Byzantine Christianity.

Archimandrite Dorotheos (Dbar), the author and compiler of the book, is a prominent scholar and cleric in Abkhazia. As the chairman of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia, his contributions include theological research, church history, and cultural preservation. Born in 1972, Fr. Dorotheos has authored numerous academic works, including his doctoral dissertation on Saint John Chrysostom, written in Greek and defended at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

These articles, originally written in Russian, have been translated into English to make this important historical material accessible to a wider audience.

Epiphanius of Cyprus, Exposition of the Order of Patriarchs and Metropolitans [1]
(Byzantine Sources on Abkhazia and the Church of Abkhazia)

Source: Ἐπιφανίου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κύπρου, Ἔκθεσις πρωτοκλησιῶν πατριαρχῶν τε καὶ μητροπολιτῶν
(Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus, Exposition of the Order of Patriarchs and Metropolitans)
[Notit. Episcop. EC, Darrouzès, p. 204–213].[2]

This work, attributed to St. Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus, a figure who lived in the 4th century, is part of a group of Byzantine sources recognised in ecclesiastical historiography as the Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Catalogue of the Bishoprics of the Church of Constantinople). In the critical edition of these sources, compiled by the French scholar Jean Darrouzès, the work of Epiphanius of Cyprus is designated as Notitia 1 [Notit. Episcop. EC, Darrouzès, p. 204–213].[3]

According to this source, in the 7th century, the Patriarch of Constantinople had jurisdiction over 33 metropolitans and 34 autocephalous archbishops. Each metropolitan, whose ecclesiastical authority was confined to the boundaries of a particular province (ἐπαρχία, hence the term "Eparchy") of the Byzantine Empire, oversaw a varying number of bishops. The sees of the metropolitans were located in the principal cities of the provinces ("metropolises," from the Greek μητρόπολις—"mother of cities," hence the title "metropolitan"). The sees of bishops under the authority of a metropolitan were established in other cities within the same province.

Autocephalous archbishops (literally, "chief bishops"), who follow the metropolitans in this source, held a distinct status. They were independent of the metropolitans (autocephalous) and were directly subject to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

It is worth noting that the titles of "patriarch," "metropolitan," "archbishop," as well as "exarch," "pope," and "catholicos," emerged during the development of the Church as an organisation. These titles reflect the scope of ecclesiastical-administrative functions assigned to leaders of various administrative levels of the Christian Church. Originally, all patriarchs, popes, catholicoi, exarchs, metropolitans, and archbishops were referred to simply as bishops and were heads of Christian assemblies or Churches (ἡ Ἐκκλησία—"the assembly of the people") established in cities. Consequently, the titles of the heads of Christian Churches always included the name of their city (e.g., the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Pope of Rome, the Archbishop of Caesarea, the Metropolitan of Neocaesarea, the Bishop of Comana, etc.).

Ἐπιφανίου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κύπρου, Ἔκθεσις πρωτοκλησιῶν πατριαρχῶν τε καὶ μητροπολιτῶν
(Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus, Exposition of the Order of Patriarchs and Metropolitans)

1. ὁ πατριάρχης Ῥώμης
   (Patriarch of Rome).
2. ὁ πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως
   (Patriarch of Constantinople).
3. ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀλεξανδρείας
   (Patriarch of Alexandria).
4. ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀντιοχείας
   (Patriarch of Antioch).
5. 5. ὁ πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων
   (Patriarch of Jerusalem).

Titles of Metropolitans (Κλῆσις μητροπολιτῶν):

αʹ ἐπαρχία Καππαδοκίας αʹ ὁ Καισαρείας
(1. Province of First Cappadocia — [Metropolitan] of Caesarea).

...

ιαʹ ἐπαρχία Ἀρμενίας βʹ ὁ Σεβαστείας
(11. Province of Second Armenia — [Metropolitan] of Sebasteia).

...

3. ιγʹ ἐπαρχία Ἀρμενίας αʹ ὁ Μελιτηνῆς
(13. Province of First Armenia — [Metropolitan] of Melitene).

...

4. κζʹ ἐπαρχία Λαζικῆς ὁ τοῦ Φάσιδος
(27. Province of Lazica — [Metropolitan] of Phasis (Phasisian)).

On Autocephalous Archbishops (Περὶ τῶν αὐτοκεφάλων ἀρχιεπισκόπων):

κδʹ ἐπαρχία Ζηκχίας ὁ Χερσῶνος
(24. Province of Zichia (territory of the Circassians along the Black Sea coast — Fr. Dorotheos) — [Autocephalous Archbishop] of Cherson).

κεʹ ἐπαρχία τῆς αὐτῆς ὁ Βοσπόρου
(25. Province of the same [Zichia] — [Autocephalous Archbishop] of Bosporus).

κςʹ ἐπαρχία τῆς αὐτῆς ὁ Νικόψεως
(26. Province of the same [Zichia] — [Autocephalous Archbishop] of Nikopsis).

...

λγʹ ἐπαρχία Ἀρμενίας βʹ ὁ Ἡρακλειουπόλεως
(33. Province of Second Armenia — [Autocephalous Archbishop] of Heracleopolis).

λδʹ ἐπαρχία Ἀβασγίας ὁ Σεβαστοπόλεως
(34. Province of Abasgia (Abkhazia — Fr. Dorotheos) — [Autocephalous Archbishop] of Sebastopolis (Sukhum — Fr. Dorotheos)).[4]

...

On Those Under the Control of Metropolitans (Περὶ τῶν ἐπεχομένων):

ἐπαρχία Ἀρμενίας βʹ
(11. Province of Second Armenia).

μητρόπολις Σεβαστείας ἔχει ὑπ’ αὐτὴν πόλεις ἤτοι ἐπισκοπάς εʹ, οἷον·
202. (The Metropolis of Sebasteia has under its jurisdiction five cities or bishoprics, namely:):

τὸν Σεβαστουπόλεως
203. ([Bishop] of Sebastopolis).

τὸν Νικοπόλεως
204. ([Bishop] of Nicopolis).

τὸν Σατάλων
205. ([Bishop] of Satala).

τὸν Καλωνείας
206. ([Bishop] of Caloneia).

τὸν Βηρίσσης
207. ([Bishop] of Berissa).

…

ἐπαρχία Πόντου Πολεμωνιακοῦ

(17. Province of Polemoniac Pontus):

233. μητρόπολις Νεοκαισαρείας ἔχει ὑπ’ αὐτὴν πόλεις ἤτοι ἐπισκοπάς δʹ, οἷον·
(The Metropolis of Neocaesarea has under its jurisdiction four cities or bishoprics, namely:):

234. τὸν Τραπεζούντων
([Bishop] of Trebizond).

235. τὸν Κερασούντων
([Bishop] of Cerasus).

236. τὸν Πολεμνίου
([Bishop] of Polemonium).

237. τὸν Κομάνων
([Bishop] of Comana).

…

27. ἐπαρχία Λαζικῆς
(27. Province of Lazica):

413. μητρόπολις Φάσιδος ἔχει ὑπ’ αὐτὴν πόλεις ἤτοι ἐπισκοπάς δʹ, οἷον·
(The Metropolis of Phasis (Phasisian) has under its jurisdiction four cities or bishoprics, namely:):

414. τὸν Ῥοδοπόλεως
([Bishop] of Rhodopolis).

415. τὸν τῆς Σαϊσηνῶν
([Bishop] of Saisena).

416. τὸν Πετρῶν
([Bishop] of Petra).

417. τὸν Ζιγανέων
([Bishop] of Zigana). [Notit. Episcop. EC, Darrouzès, p. 204–213].

According to the Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Register of the Bishoprics of the Church of Constantinople), Notitia 1 (List No. 1), which reflects the administrative organisation of the Church of Constantinople in the 7th century (and possibly the 6th century), the territory of modern Abkhazia (ἐπαρχία Ἀβασγίας, the Province of Abasgia or Abazgia—where the Greek letter σ before voiced consonants is pronounced as “z”) was home to the seat of an autocephalous Archbishop. This Archbishop bore the title "of Sebastopolis" (ὁ Σεβαστοπόλεως), as his seat was located in the city of Sebastopolis (modern capital of Abkhazia, Sukhum). The Archbishop of Sebastopolis (Sukhum) is listed in Notitia 1 under number 34, the last among the autocephalous archbishops.

The Archbishop of Sebastopolis (the chief bishop of the Province of Abazgia) was independent (autocephalous), likely free from the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Phasis, whose ecclesiastical authority encompassed the neighbouring territory of Lazica (Mingrelia and Adjara, modern western Georgia). The Metropolitan of Phasis, who was also under the Church of Constantinople, had jurisdiction over four episcopal sees. One of these was located in Ziganeia (modern Gudaa village in the Ochamchira District of the Republic of Abkhazia).[5]

The jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Sebastopolis (Sukhum), who reported directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople, extended over the entirety of modern Abkhazia (excluding the Gal District). Most likely (though Notitia 1 does not provide information on the structure of autocephalous archiepiscopal sees), the Archbishop of Sebastopolis, if indeed the chief bishop (archbishop), might have had other bishops under his authority. These bishops' seats could have been located, for instance, in Pitsunda, Anakopia, Tsandripsh, and Tsabal.

An additional intriguing detail is that the ecclesiastical territory of the Archbishopric of Sebastopolis (Sukhum) bordered on the Province of Zichia (ἐπαρχία Ζηκχίας) to the west. This province hosted the seats of three autocephalous Archbishops: the Archbishop of Cherson (listed as number 24), the Archbishop of Bosporus (number 25), and the Archbishop of Nikopsis (number 26).

Thus, in the 7th century (and possibly the 6th), not only the territory of modern Abkhazia but even the territory of modern western Georgia (Mingrelia and Adjara) had no connection to the ecclesiastical see of Mtskheta (the Church of Eastern Georgia). On the contrary, these regions belonged to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, while the Kartvelian (Georgian) Church with its see in Mtskheta was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch.

Archpriest Korneli Kekelidze (after whom the Institute of Georgian Manuscripts in Tbilisi is named) wrote in the early 20th century:

"When discussing the origins of the Georgian Church, many imagine it within the geographical boundaries of Queen Tamar’s era, from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and from the Caucasus Mountains to the Araks River. Meanwhile, Georgian sources clearly delineate the boundaries of the Georgian Church in its early period under the name 'Kartlian': it encompassed that part of eastern Georgia known as 'Kartli'."[6] 

________________________

[1]. First published in the newspaper Christian Abkhazia, 2012, No. 5 (61).
[2]. Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae. Texte critique, introduction et notes by Jean Darrouzès, A. A. Paris, 1981 (Géographie Ecclésiastique de l’Empire Byzantin, 1).
[3]. For a detailed analysis of Notitia 1 and its dating, see [Notit. Episcop. EC, Darrouzès, pp. 3–9].
[4]. In addition to the autocephalous Archbishop of Sebastopolis (ὁ Σεβαστοπόλεως, Sukhum), Notitia 1 mentions two other bishops bearing the title "of Sebastopolis" (ὁ Σεβαστουπόλεως): one under the Metropolitan of Sebasteia (Province of Armenia Secunda) and another under the Metropolitan of Philippopolis (Province of Thrace) [Notit. Episcop. EC, Darrouzès, pp. 208, 212].
[5]. See Khrushkova, L. G. Early Christian Monuments of the Eastern Black Sea Region (4th–7th centuries). Moscow: Nauka, 2002, pp. 331–332.|
[6]. Kekelidze, K., Archpriest. "On the Jerusalem Origin of the Georgian Church," Proceedings of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, 25 (1914), p. 384.

+ The History of Christianity in Abkhazia during the First Millennium, by Archimandrite Dorofey (Dbar)

+ The Spread of Christianity in the Eastern Black Sea Littoral (Written and Archaeological Sources), by L. G. Khrushkova

+ History of Christianity in Abkhazia (Documentary Film)

+ Apsilia and Abasgia in 'History of the Wars' by Procopius, translated by H. B. Dewing

+ Byzantine culture influences on the people of North, by Michel Kazanski

Nilus Doxapatrius, "Order of the Patriarchal Thrones"[1]
(Byzantine Sources on Abkhazia and the Church of Abkhazia)

Source: Νείλου Δοξαπατρῆ, Τάξις τῶν Πατριαρχικῶν Θρόνων (Nilus Doxapatrius, Order of the Patriarchal Thrones) [PG [2] 132, col. 1083–1114].
Date: c. 1142–1143 [PG 132, σ. ιγ΄].

This work by the Byzantine author Archimandrite Nilus Doxapatrius, dating to the first half of the 12th century, is dedicated to describing the administrative structure of the five Patriarchal church sees: Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Constantinople. The source also enumerates the metropolises (eparchies) under the jurisdiction of these Patriarchates, specifying the number of episcopal sees (bishoprics) extant in each at the time. Nilus also lists the archiepiscopal sees, which were relatively few and independent of the metropolises (autocephalous).[3]

In addition to the five Patriarchal thrones, Nilus Doxapatrius discusses two autocephalous Churches: the Church of Cyprus and the Church of Bulgaria. These Churches were also headed by archbishops.[4]

Quotation:
«Πάλιν ὁ Ἀντιοχείας κατεῖχεν ἅπασαν τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ Ἀνατολὴν, αὐτήν τε Ἰνδίαν, ὅπου καὶ ἕως τοῦ νῦν καθολικὸν χειροτονῶν στέλλει τὸν καλούμενον Ῥωμογύρεως, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν Περσίαν, ἔτι καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, τὴν νῦν καλουμένην Βαγδᾶ, κἀκεῖ γὰρ ἔστελλεν ὁ Ἀντιοχείας καθολικὸν εἰς Εἰρηνούπολιν, τὸν λεγόμενον Εἰρηνουπόλεως, καὶ τὰς Ἀρμενίας, καὶ Ἀβασγίαν, καὶ Ἰβηρίαν, καὶ Μηδίαν, καὶ τὴν τῶν Χαλδαίων, καὶ Παρθίαν, καὶ Ἐλαμίτας, καί Μεσοποταμίαν. Ἐκεῖ οὖν μητροπόλεις σήμερον δεκατρεῖς» [PG 132, col. 1088].

Translation:
"Antioch (the Church of Antioch—F[athe]r. Dorotheus) governed the entire Asia and the East, and India itself, where even to this day it sends a consecrated catholicos, titled (holds the title—Fr. Dorotheus) Romogyrios; and Persia itself, as well as Babylon, now called Baghdad. Antioch also sent a catholicos to [the city of] Eirenopolis, titled (holds the title—Fr. Dorotheus) Eirenopolitan. [The Church of Antioch governed] Armenia, Abasgia (Abkhazia—Fr. Dorotheus), Iberia (Georgia—Fr. Dorotheus), Media, the land of the Chaldeans, Parthia, Elamites, and Mesopotamia. Thus, there are today thirteen metropolises there."

Among the thirteen metropolises (eparchies) listed further, none are located within the territories of modern Armenia, Abkhazia, or Georgia. Nilus Doxapatrius also names other metropolises and archiepiscopal sees of the Church of Antioch; however, none of these are situated within the territories of modern Armenia, Abkhazia, or Georgia. Consequently, by the time Nilus Doxapatrius composed his work, that is, by the mid-12th century, the territories of Armenia, Abkhazia, and Georgia were no longer ecclesiastically subordinate to the Patriarchate of Antioch.

The work of Nilus Doxapatrius is the earliest known source in which it is reported that the Church of Antioch included Abasgia (Abkhazia), in addition to Iberia or Iveria (Georgia). This evidence corroborates later sources, which state that in the mid-8th century, the Abkhazians, who were then under the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople, approached Antioch requesting the appointment of a catholicos, i.e., the head of the Orthodox Church of Abkhazia.

Quotation:
«Νῦν οὖν κατέχει ὀ Θεοφρούρητος θρόνος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ὃν ὁ πρωτόκλητος Ἀνδρέας ἐνίδρυσε πρῶτος, ἐπίσκοπον ἐν αὐτῷ καταστήσας τῆς πόλεως, ἔτι Βυζαντίου οὔσης, μέρος οὐκ ὀλίγον τῆς Εὐρώπης, καὶ τῆς Ἀσίας, καθώς ἑξῆς δηλώσομεν, τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἀδριατικοῦ πελάγους, τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ ἕως τῆς Προποντίδος, ὅπου ἡ Κωνσταντινούπολις, ἐκεῖσέ τε ἄχρι καὶ Χερσῶνος, καὶ Χαζαρίας, καὶ Γοτθίας, καὶ Χαλδίας, καὶ Ἀβασγίας, καὶ Ἰβηρίας, καὶ Ἀλανίας· καὶ γὰρ μητροπολῖται ἐν αὐτῇ στέλλονται παρὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου» [PG 132, col. 1105].

Translation:
"Thus, now the God-guarded throne (ecclesiastical see—F[athe]r. Dorotheus) of Constantinople, which was first established by Andrew the First-Called, who appointed the bishop of the city (Constantinople—Fr. Dorotheus) when it (the city—Fr. Dorotheus) was still Byzantium, governs a considerable portion of Europe and Asia, as we shall explain [further]: [regions] around the Adriatic Sea, from Illyricum to the Sea of Marmara, where Constantinople is located, and thence to Cherson, Khazaria, Gothia, Chaldia (the name of the Byzantine theme near Trebizond—Fr. Dorotheus), Abasgia (Abkhazia—Fr. Dorotheus), Iberia (Georgia—Fr. Dorotheus), and Alania (Ossetia—Fr. Dorotheus); and metropolitans are sent there by the Patriarch (of Constantinople—Fr. Dorotheus)."

Nilus Doxapatrius then enumerates the metropolises (eparchies) with various numbers of episcopal sees under the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople.

Under number 12: «Ἡ Ἀμάσεια Ἑλενοπόντου, ἕχουσα ἐπισκοπὰς ζ’, ἦς ἐπισκοπὴ ἧν καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ Ἰβηρία» [PG 132, col. 1108].[5]

Under number 33: «Ἡ Τραπεζοῦς τῆς Λαζικῆς, ἕχουσα ἐπισκοπὰς ιε’» [PG 132, col. 1108].

He then lists the archiepiscopal sees of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which were not subordinate to any metropolis.

Under number 11: «ἡ Χερσών» [PG 132, col. 1109].
Under number 22: «ἡ Βόσπορος» [PG 132, col. 1112].
Under number 28: «ἡ Γοτθία» [PG 132, col. 1112].
Under number 29: «ἡ Σουγδία» [PG 132, col. 1112].

At the same time, there are no specific references to metropolises or episcopal or archiepiscopal sees directly located in the territories of Abasgia and Alania that were subordinate to the Church of Constantinople.

It is also worth noting the order in which Nilus Doxapatrius mentions the Caucasian regions in his work. In one instance: Armenia, Abasgia (Abkhazia), Iberia (Georgia). In another: Khazaria, Gothia, Chaldia, Abasgia (Abkhazia), Iberia (Georgia), Alania (Ossetia). This demonstrates that Nilus Doxapatrius, like many other Byzantine authors, clearly differentiates between the terms "Abasgia" and "Iberia." For him, these are not interchangeable synonyms.

Moreover, Nilus Doxapatrius uses the term "Iberia" or "Iveria" in another context as the name of a region (theme) of the Byzantine Empire [PG 132, col. 1108].[6]

Could it be that by "Abasgia," Nilus Doxapatrius refers to the so-called "Abkhaz-Kartvelian Kingdom," which indeed existed at the time and was simply called "Abkhazian" (for the Byzantines, "Abasgian"), and by the term "Iberia" or "Iveria," he means the region (theme) of the Byzantine Empire rather than Georgia in general?

To this question, I answer "no." If Nilus Doxapatrius, in listing the Caucasian regions that once belonged to the Church of Antioch, had meant the Byzantine Empire's theme by "Iberia," this would be nonsensical: from a geographical perspective, it could not have belonged to the Church of Antioch. However, at the same time, when Nilus states that the territory of the Church of Constantinople encompassed Khazaria, Gothia, Chaldia, Abasgia, Iberia, and Alania, he specifies that metropolitans were sent there.

When Nilus Doxapatrius uses the term "Iberia" in its second sense, he emphasises that it housed one of the seven episcopal sees of the Metropolis of Amasia in Helenopont.

The same applies to the term "Armenia." In the above excerpts, Nilus refers to Armenia in general as a political entity. In other cases, Nilus Doxapatrius specifies:

1. the eparchy of "Fourth Armenia," which also belonged to the Patriarchate of Antioch;
2. the Metropolis of Melitene in Armenia, with nine episcopal sees; and
3. the Metropolis of Kamacha in Armenia, with eight episcopal sees. The latter two metropolises were part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Professor M. V. Bibikov, regarding the semantic nuance of the term "Abasgi," as used by Byzantine authors, including Nilus Doxapatrius, clarifies: "The term is used exclusively in its contemporary sense, denoting a people, a state, or an eparchy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople or Antioch."⁷

________________________

[1]. First published in the newspaper Christian Abkhazia, 2012, No. 3 (59).
[2]. Patrologia Graeca, ed. J.-P. Migne.
[3] See: Laurent V. “L’œuvre géographique du moine sicilien Nil Doxapatris,” Echos d’Orient, 36 (1937), pp. 5–30; Il codice Messinese del Doxapatres / Mercati G. Per la storia dei manoscritti greci. Di Genova, di Varie Badie Basiliane d’Italia e di Patmo. Vatican, MDCCCCXXXV, pp. 75–79 (Studi e Testi, 68).
[4] «Διὸ καὶ ἔως τοῦ νῦν ἡ Κύπρος καὶ ἡ Βουλγαρία ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως λαμβάνουσιν ἐπισκόπους. Χειροτονοῦνται δὲ οὗτοι ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ἐπισκόπων, ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ καλοῦνται ἀρχιεπισκοπαὶ, ὡς αὐτοκέφαλοι» [PG 132, col. 1097].
[5] Cf. Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae. Texte critique, introduction et notes par Jean Darrouzès, A. A. Paris, 1981, p. 209 (Géographie Ecclésiastique de l’Empire Byzantin, 1).
[6] Regarding the theme "Iberia" or "Iveria," see: Μπαρτικιάν Χ. "Για τον ‘Ιβηρικό στρατό’ και το βυζαντινό θέμα ‘Ιβηρία,’" Βυζαντινά, 13 (1985), pp. 468–477.
[7] Bibikov, M. V. Byzantine Sources on the History of Ancient Rus and the Caucasus. St. Petersburg: Aletheia, 1999, p. 286.