The Legae ( Latin ''legae'' Greek Λῆγαι) were a people on the shores of the Caspian Sea that mythology places between Albania and the country of the

Amazons In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες ''Amazónes'', singular Ἀμαζών ''Amazōn'', via Latin ''Amāzon, -ŏnis'') are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, ...

, Scythian roots. The name survives today in the village of the Lezgins, who live in southern

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

and northern Azerbaijan. Strabo referring to Theophanes of Mytilene, Pompey's companion in his Caucasian campaign (1st century BC), that "''between the

and

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

live the

Gelae ''Gelae'' () is a genus of round fungus beetles belonging to the family Leiodidae. The beetles are found in different parts of Central and North America. They are small and rounded, feeding on slime moulds. They were originally placed in the gen ...

and Legae - the Scythians''" Ptolemy in Geography (''Book VI'') identifies the Cadusii and Legae, and places the Gelae to the north. Comparing all the fragments that have come down, Kai Brodersen suggests that in Pliny's text the word "''legae''" could have disappeared when copied. That is, the original fragment was read as gelae, legae - which the Greeks called Cadusii. Peter Uslar identifies ancient leks with modern Lezgins: “''Lezgins, leagues, leks gave their name to the mountain range separating the Kura basin from the Rion basin. Colchis was sometimes even called by poets Ligistika, that is, the country of leagues. It is very likely that the leagues that Herodotus speaks of were

Lezgi people Lezgins or Leks ( lez, Лезгияр, Лекьер. lezgijar) are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern Dagestan, a republic of Russia, and northeastern Azerbaijan. The Lezgin are predominantly Sunni Muslims and ...

'' ”. According to the

Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary The ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopaedic Dictionary'' (Russian: Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона, abbr. ЭСБЕ, tr. ; 35 volumes, small; 86 volumes, large) is a comprehensive multi-volume ...

, published in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, varnishes (that is, the Laks) are “classic legi (''Λήγες''), at the end of the 8th century. They were conquered by the Arab commander Abumuslim, who established Islam among them and gave their country to be ruled by one of the descendants of the prophet, Shah-Baal, who received the title of shamkhal and wali (that is, governor) of

”.

References

Legae
# William Scott Shelley
Soma and the Indo-European Priesthood: Cereal Cultivation and the Origins of Religion
# Sundeep S. Jhutti /
The Getes
# Emanuel Kanter /
The Amazons: A Marxian Study

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume 2
# William Smith /
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology

Notes

{{Scythia Scythians Caucasian Albania Cadusii Lezgins