Colchis

[Nosferatu_]

Colchis (Georgian: კოლხეთი Kolkheti; Greek Κολχίς Kolkhis) was an ancient kingdom and region on the coast of the Black Sea, centred in present-day western Georgia. It has been described in modern scholarship as "the earliest Georgian formation" which, along with the Kingdom of Iberia, would later contribute significantly to the development of the medieval Georgian statehood and the Georgian nation Internationally, Colchis is perhaps best known for its role in Greek mythology, most notably as the destination of the Argonauts, as well as the home to Medea and the Golden fleece. It was also described as a land rich with gold, iron, timber and honey that would export its resources mostly to ancient Greece.
Colchis was populated by Colchians, an early Kartvelian-speaking tribe, ancestral to the contemporary Western Georgians, namely Svans and Mingrelians, as well as Lazs. Its geography is mostly assigned to what is now the western part of Georgia and encompasses the present-day Georgian provinces of Samegrelo, Imereti, Guria, Adjara, Abkhazeti, Svaneti, Racha; modern Russia’s Sochi and Tuapse districts; and present-day Turkey’s Rize, Trabzon and Artvin provinces.

Jason and the Argonauts arriving at Colchis. Argonautica tells the myth of their voyage to retrieve the Golden Fleece. This painting is located in the Palace of Versailles.


Medea,princess of colchis from the Greek mythology


Colchian coins








Gold ornaments made by Colchians of the sixth century BC


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchis

[Mingle]

Also, this map:



Proof that Colchis were in Abkhazeti first and Abkhazes (Apsuas) were a Cherkess (Adygh) tribe that migrated there later.

[Mingle]

Btw, is there a sense of a Colchian identity alive today among Svans and Mingrelians/Zans? And how strong are the Georgians sub-identities in general?

[Root]

DIDOYA/DZURDZUKIA

[Nosferatu_]

Btw, is there a sense of a Colchian identity alive today among Svans and Mingrelians/Zans? And how strong are the Georgians sub-identities in general?

No,sense of Colchian identity almost doesn't exist,Mingrelians just have a strong sense of Mingrelian identity sometimes,maybe more often than other sub-Georgian people.Georgian sub-identities are quite strong but firstly they have strong sense of Kartvelian/Georgian identity of course.

[DarkSecret]

Btw, is there a sense of a Colchian identity alive today among Svans and Mingrelians/Zans? And how strong are the Georgians sub-identities in general?

Many Laz know what Colchis means and Argonauts.

[Mingle]

Many Laz know what Colchis means and Argonauts.

What's an Argonaut?

[DarkSecret]

What's an Argonaut?

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arg...reek-mythology

Argonaut, in Greek legend, any of a band of 50 heroes who went with Jason in the ship Argo to fetch the Golden Fleece from Colchis.