Misimians ( ka, მისიმიელები) were a mountainous indigenous tribe in ancient
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. Along with the
Sanigs
The Sanigs ( ka, სანიგები) were a tribe inhabiting Western Georgian/ Abkhazia during antiquity. Their ethnic identity is obscure and is the subject of a controversy. They are first attested in the works of Pliny, Arrian and Memn ...
they are thought of as the ancestors of the modern day
Svan people
, native_name =
, native_name_lang =
, image = File:Kartvelian languages.svg
, caption = Distribution of the Svan language in relation to other Kartvelian (South Caucasian) languages.
, population = –80,00 ...
, who constitute a subethnos of the
Georgian people
The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, G ...
. They bordered the
Apsilae tribe. According to
Agathias Scholasticus both tribes were subjects of the
Lazic king. Misimians are known for participating in
Lazic War
The Lazic War, also known as the Colchidian War or in Georgian historiography as the Great War of Egrisi was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire for control of the ancient Georgian region of Lazica. The Lazic War lasted fo ...
. Etymologically the name "Misimians" corresponds to the Svan self-designation Mushüan. The Misimians occupied part of the
Kodori gorge
The Kodori Valley, also known as the Kodori Gorge ( ka, კოდორის ხეობა, ab, Кәыдырҭа, Kwydyrta), is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, ...
and, according to some Georgian authors, were "doubtlessly" a Svanian tribe. It follows, therefore, that Svans lived in the
Kodori Gorge
The Kodori Valley, also known as the Kodori Gorge ( ka, კოდორის ხეობა, ab, Кәыдырҭа, Kwydyrta), is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, ...
as early as in the Antiquity.
[N. Lomouri, Museum of Georgian Art, "ABKHAZIA IN THE LATE ANTIQUE AND EARLY MEDIEVAL EPOCHS "]
References
Ancient peoples of Georgia (country)
Tribes in Greco-Roman historiography
Sub-ethnic groups
{{Georgia-stub