The Apsils (Apsilae): History, Territory, and Society in Late Antiquity
The first to mention the Apsils was the well known Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who died while attempting to save people during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE.
In 137 CE they were described by the Roman official, legate, Flavius Arrian, who visited, on behalf of Emperor Hadrian, the military base at Sebastopolis. The Apsils at that time lived to the north of the Laz and had a “king” named Julian, who had received the insignia of royal authority from Emperor Trajan, who ruled from 98 to 117 CE.
In the first and second centuries they inhabited a significant part of Colchis north of Phasis and as far as Sebastopolis, a fact confirmed by archaeological material.
In the following period, that is, the second to the fifth centuries, the Apsils are barely mentioned in written sources. Judging by archaeological excavations, the most densely populated area of Apsilia in the third to fifth centuries was the modern Tsebelda valley.
By the sixth century, the Laz had pushed the Apsils back to approximately the Ingur River.
The richest of the early Apsil burials is a grave at the village of Taglan, which today lies within the Gali district and which perhaps belonged to a member of the “royal” lineage of Julian. Numerous gold items were found there, including the head of a deer with branching antlers, beads and plaques. Silver vessels were also present, including a tumbler, bowls, a cup, a small dish and a ring, as well as fragments of a bronze pitcher, iron horse bits and other objects dating to the first and second centuries.
At this time, Roman coinage from Caesarea was in circulation in Apsilia.
In the third to fifth centuries a large quantity of classical goods entered Apsilia, yet the Apsils simultaneously developed their own distinctive culture. By the fifth century, they had mastered the production of their own amphorae for maritime transport.
In their graves, Alan burnished cups are found, and in Teberda and Nalchik archaeologists have discovered Apsilian pitchers with cup shaped rims that date to the fourth and fifth centuries.
In the sixth century several fortresses were built along the pass leading to the North Caucasus, the most important of which was Tsibila, in Abkhaz, Tsabal. These fortresses guarded one branch of the Great Silk Road, namely the route through Apsilia, often referred to as the “Darin route”. The Empire paid substantial sums for its defence. The Apsils were armed with the most modern weapons of their time, including Damascus swords, throwing axes known as “francisca” and other types of armament.
Apsilian Society
Socially, the Apsils retained the principal features of the clan system, an “administrative organisation” in its highest stage, namely, a “military democracy”. Therefore, every man was a warrior, even a smith. The iron inventory of one Apsilian burial from the third to fourth centuries consisted of a blacksmith’s hammer and items of weaponry. Each settlement of Apsilia united a large number of people linked by varying degrees of kinship. In the vicinity of Tsebelda, such settlements acquired an urban character. The patriarchal families of the Apsils were egalitarian. However, differences in economic standing could emerge between clan based settlements. The Shyapky lineage, also known as Rogatoria, appears privileged. The women of this lineage devoted more attention to their appearance and did not work in the fields, which is indicated by the absence of hoes in their burials and the abundance of ornaments. The men were better armed.
The Apsils at this time continued to practise their traditional, pagan religion, and they perceived the afterlife in a tangible manner. They believed that the dead were reborn and engaged in the same activities as in life. Men fought, and women attended to their appearance, cultivated the land and administered the household. For this reason, the deceased was buried with the items appropriate to their role, a custom which continued until the adoption of Christianity by the Apsils.
+ Apsilia and Abasgia in 'History of the Wars' by Procopius, translated by H. B. Dewing
+ Strabo and Procopius: Classical Geography for a Christian Empire, by Michael Maas
+ From the History of Byzantino-Apsilian Relations in the Eastern Black Sea Basin (V-VIII. Centuries)
+ The Orthodox Church in Abkhazia: Insights from Byzantine Sources, by Archimandrite Dorotheos (Dbar)
+ Arrian's Voyage round the Euxine Sea
At the Walls of Tsabal
In the sixth century Apsilia, like all of Colchis, became a theatre of Iranian Byzantine conflict. It was in this context, in 550 CE, that the principal fortress of Apsilia, Tsibila, described as “extremely fortified”, is mentioned. At this time the Persian commander Nabed was advancing. A noble Laz, named Terdet, whom the Apsils knew well, defected to his side. He approached the fortress with his detachment, and the Apsils admitted him without suspicion, being unaware of his betrayal. When the Persian army arrived, Terdet opened the gates to them. The Apsils sent envoys to Byzantium to report the events and request assistance, but they received no help.
The subsequent events are vividly described by the Byzantine court historian Procopius of Caesarea. He writes, “The commander of this fortress had a wife who was from Apsilia, very beautiful in face. The commander of the Persian army suddenly fell madly in love with this woman. At first, he attempted to seduce her. When he saw that he had no success, he did not hesitate to resort to violence.
“Driven by furious anger, her husband killed him that night, along with all those who had entered the fortress with him and who became innocent victims of the passion of their commander, and he himself took control of the fortress.”
As a result, the Apsils rebelled against the Colchians, that is, the Laz, accusing them of refusing to provide help when they were attacked by the Persians. A Byzantine force of one thousand soldiers under John, son of Thomas the Armenian, had to resolve the incident through persuasion and peaceful words. Archaeologists have excavated the tower where the Apsils attacked the Persian detachment. The Persian weapons remained leaning untouched against the fortress wall and the bridles hung upon hooks, evidence of the complete surprise of the assault.
War Elephants in Abkhazia
In 553 CE the Persian commander Mermeroy employed war elephants in Apsilia, yet without success. The defenders of the fortress had powerful mounted bows, and the hardened arrowheads had lead stabilisers. Alongside this weaponry, the defenders skilfully used the squeal of a piglet, suspended by one leg. The elephants could not endure the shriek and fled.
The Main Fortress
Judging from Tsibila, Apsilian fortification techniques did not lag behind those of Europe. The fortress possessed pentagonal, domed and catapult towers. A bathhouse consisting of three rooms, cold, warm and hot, was discovered, as well as a water supply system, early Christian churches with a baptismal font, where Bishop Constantine baptised the adult population of Apsilia, a unique kiln for firing lime, a wine press and many other structures. According to archaeological evidence, Apsilia maintained links with Greece, Syria, Egypt, Carthage and many other cultural centres.
Later, around the eighth century, possibly slightly earlier, the Apsils, together with the Abasgians, Sanigs and Misimians, formed a unified Abkhaz feudal ethnic community.