The Apsilae were an ancient tribe inhabiting the territory of Apsilia, in modern
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 ...
.
Location
The tribal territory was located on the Black Sea coast of the northwest Caucasus, between present day town of New Athos and the village of Tsebelda slightly east of modern day Sukhumi. It consisted of two historical regions - Gumae and Abzhywa. The most important cities were: Tusuml,
Tzibile
Tsebelda fortress is a Late Antique/Early Medieval fortification near the village of Tsebelda, in the eponymous valley, in Abkhazia, Georgia. History
The Tsebelda fortress is an architectural complex consisting of ruined towers, Christian chapel ...
The Apsilae descended from the coastal part of the ancient Zygii tribes, most notably the Trakhea, Tsibil and Tsakhar.George Hewitt, "The Abkhazians: Handbook", p. 1 The name ''Apsilae'' suggests that they may have been the ancestors of the
Abkhaz people
Abkhazians (russian: Абхазы), or Abkhazs ( ab, Аԥсуаа, Aṕswaа, ), are a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. A large Abkhaz diaspora population ...
(in Abkhaz Аҧсуаа ''Apswa'') ref. Armenian language "Psinoun".
Their culture is known as the
Tsebelda culture
Tsebelda culture is a late antiquity to early medieval archaeological culturePliny of the 1st century AD, as well as of
Flavius Arrianus
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 ...
in the 2nd century ( gr, Αψιλαι). Under King Julian (Julianus) of Apsilia rules and customs were first codified. The territory became an official division of the Roman Empire under Trajan (98-117). It was absorbed by the surrounding, more powerful principality of the
Abasgoi
The Abasgoi or Abasgians ( grc, Αβασγοί, Abasgoi, and grc, Ἁβασκοί, Abaskoi; la, Abasci, Abasgi; ka, აბაზგები, Abazgebi; compare Abkhaz ''Абазаа'' "the Abaza people") were one of the ancient tribes inhabit ...
, in approximately 730 AD, and the Apsilae are no longer recorded after the second half of the 8th century. Later, and after the inclusion of other territories and people including Misiminia, it became the
Kingdom of Abkhazia
The Kingdom of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზთა სამეფო, tr; lit. "Kingdom of the Abkhazians"), also known as Abasgia or Egrisi-Abkhazia, was a Middle Ages, medieval feudalism, feudal state in the Caucasus which was established i ...