On March 18, 1989, the historic Lykhny gathering took place in Abkhazia, where an appeal was made on behalf of more than 30 thousand people in favor of independence of Abkhazia with the restoration of the status of the Federal Republic.

Said Bargandzhia | Abaza.org

One of the most important events that preceded the recognition of the sovereignty of Abkhazia by a number of states will forever remain in the history of the Republic as an example of the unity of the Abkhaz people, for whom the main goal was and remains to live in an independent country under a peaceful sky. This historic event, which occurred in March 1989 is the Lykhny gathering.

Dmitry Stateynov | JAM News, Sukhum

On the ferocity and violence of Stalin’s righthand man, Lavrentiy Beria.

Much is known about the cruelty of Stalin’s right-hand man, Lavrentiy Beria.

Many publications, books and volumes of documents speak to his atrocities.

Original title: Cotes de la Mer Noire. Reunion de princes tcherkesses. [Le Caucase pittoresque dessine d'apres nature par le prince Gregoire Gagarine, 1848]

This drawing was done in Sochi in 1841 and reflects the actual events of this year. In the centre stands an elderly prince in a white cherkesska. This is the Abkhazian prince Arslanbey Gechba, an outstanding political figure and influential representative of the Gechba princes, who owned the seaside part of Sochi. 

Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia, vol. 41, no. 4 (Spring 2002), pp. 68–88.
© 2003 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1061–1959/2003

Exploring the Hospitable Sea Proceedings of the International Workshop on the Black Sea in Antiquity held in Thessaloniki, 21-23 September 2012 edited by Manolis Manoledakis. ISBN 9781407311142.

pp 95-117

Abstract: The tribes of the Eastern Black Sea region played a crucial role in the political and economic affairs of the ancient kingdoms of the Bosporus and Colchis, i.e., at the edge of the Greek oikoumene. While ancient Greek and Latin sources refer to a number of these tribes by name, descriptions of them tend to be brief and biased. In order to understand the true nature of these peoples, and place them geographically, it is essential to examine both linguistic and archaeological evidence. Linguistic analysis of the tribal names and epigraphic evidence clearly attest to the distinct identities of these tribes. Archaeological evidence, however, plainly demonstrates a shared material culture of the Maeotians. Variations in the burial culture, together with the linguistic distinctions, allow us to classify the ancient tribes of the region as different sub-groups of the Maeotians, while also serving to establish their individual territories within the Eastern Black Sea region.