Sanigs

The Sanigs ( ka, სანიგები) were a tribe inhabiting Western

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

during

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

. Their ethnic identity is obscure and is the subject of a controversy. They are first attested in the works of

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

, Arrian and

Memnon of Heraclea Memnon of Heraclea (; grc-gre, Mέμνων, ''gen''.: Μέμνονος; fl. c. 1st century) was a Greek historical writer, probably a native of Heraclea Pontica. He described the history of that city in a large work, known only through the ''Excerp ...

. Some scholars consider them to be

Zans The Zans ( ka, ზანები, tr) or Chans ( ka, ჭანები, tr) are a subethnic group of Kartvelian people, speaking the Zan languages. * Kartvelian peoples **Georgians **Zans (Mingrelians and Laz people) **Svans See also * Kar ...

(ancestors of Mingrelian and Laz peoples), while others maintain that they were proto-Svans. There is also a consideration that they may have been somewhat similar to the

Zygii The Zygii ( grc-gre, Ζυγοί, ''Zygoí'') or Zygians were described by Strabo as a nation to the north of Colchis. He wrote: ''And on the sea lies the Asiatic side of the Bosporus, or the Syndic territory. After this latter, one comes to the ...

tribe. According to

Arrian Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; ) was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period. ''The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best ...

, they inhabited the area around Sebastopolis (modern

Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...

). In favour of the Sanigs

Kartvelian Kartvelian may refer to: * Anything coming from or related to Georgia (country) * Kartvelian languages * Kartvelian alphabet, see Georgian alphabet * Kartvelian studies * Georgians {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

(either

Zan Zan or ZAN, may refer to: Geography * Zhan, Kurdistan, Iran, also known as Zān * Zhan, Lorestan, Iran, also known as Žān * Zan, Tehran, a village in Tehran Province, Iran Ethnicity and language * Zans, the Zan People, people who speak the ...

or Svan) origin, it is important to mention some modern

Georgian surnames A Georgian name consists of a given name and a surname used by ethnic Georgians. Given names According to the Public Service Hall the most common Georgian names are:Ancient peoples of Georgia (country) Tribes in Greco-Roman historiography