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PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT See Also: Prehistoric Georgia Lower Paleolithic hunting-gathering encampments formed the first known settlements on the territory of modern-day Abkhazia. The earliest examples have been unearthed at the sites of Iashkhtva, Gumista, Kelasuri, and Ochamchire . Upper Paleolithic culture settled chiefly the coastline. Mesolithic and Neolithic periods brought larger permanent settlements, and marked the beginning of farming, animal husbandry, and the production of ceramics. The earliest artifacts of Megalithic culture appeared in the early 3rd Millennium BC and continued into the Bronze Age as the so-called Dolmen s of Abkhazia, typically consisting of four upright mass stones and a capstone, some of them weighting as much as 50 Tone s. A dolmen from the Eshera archaeological site is the best studied prehistoric monument of this type. Patriarchal Society is believed to have emerged to replace Matriarchate and pastoral economy seems to have begun to develop roughly at the same time. The Late Bronze Age saw the development of more advanced bronze implements, and continued into the Iron Age as a part of the Colchian Culture (c. 1200 - 600 BCE ), which covered most of what is now western Georgia and part of northeastern Anatolia . ABKHAZIA IN ANTIQUITY The written history of Abkhazia largely begins with the coming of the Milesian Greeks to the coastal Colchis in the 6th - 5th Centuries BC . They founded their maritime colonies along the eastern shore of the Black Sea , with Dioscurias being one of the most important principal centers of trade with the neighboring tribes, that of slaves not excluded. This city, said to be so named for the Dioscuri , the twins Castor and Pollux of Classical Mythology , is presumed to have subsequently developed into the modern-day Sukhumi . Other notable colonies were Gyenos, Triglitis, and later Pityus , arguably near the modern-day coastal towns of Ochamchire , Gagra , and Pitsunda, respectively. The peoples of the region were notable for their number and variety, as classical sources testify. Herodotus , Strabo , and Pliny appreciate the multitude of languages spoken in Dioscurias and other towns. The mountainous terrain tended to separate and isolate local peoples from one another and encouraged the development of dozens of separate languages and dialects complicating the ethnic makeup of the region. Even the most well-informed contemporary authors are very confused when naming and locating these peoples and provide only very limited information about the geography and population of the hinterland. Furthermore, some classic ethnic names were presumably collective terms and supposed considerable migrations also took place around the region. Various attempts have been made to identify these peoples with the ethnic terms employed by classical authors. Some scholars identify Pliny the Elder’s '' Apsilae '' of the 1st Century AD and Arrian ’s '' Abasgoi '' of the 2nd Century AD with the probable proto- Abkhaz - and Abaza -speakers respectively, while others consider them proto- Kartvelian tribal designations. The identity and origin of other peoples (e.g., '' Heniochi '', '' Sanigae '') dwelling in the area are also disputed. Archaeology has seldom been able to make strong connections between the remains of material culture and the opaque names of peoples mentioned by classical writers. Thus, controversies still continue and a series of questions remain open. and Iberia 600-150 BC.]] Along with the rest of Colchis, Abkhazia was conquered by Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus between c. 110 and 63 BC , and then taken by the Roman commander Pompey . With the downfall of the Roman Empire , the tribes living in the region gained some independence, nominating their rulers who were to be confirmed by Rome. In the 3rd Century AD , the western Georgian tribe of Lazoi came to dominate most of Colchis, establishing the kingdom of Lazica , locally known as Egrisi. According to Procopius , the Abasgoi chieftains were also subdued by the Lazic kings. This kingdom was a scene of the protracted rivalry between the Eastern Roman / Byzantine and Sassanid empires, culminating in the well-known Lazic War from 542 to 562 . The war resulted in the decline of Lazica, and the Abasgoi in their dense forests won a degree of autonomy under the Byzantine authority. Their land, known to the Byzantines as Abasgia , was a prime source of Eunuch s for the empire, and pagan until a mission sent by the emperor Justinian I ( 527 - 565 ) converted the people in Christianity , though at the 325 Council Of Nicaea a Bishop had attended from the port city of Pityus. MEDIEVAL ABKHAZIA As the Abasgoi tribe grew in relative strength, the name Abasgia came to denote much larger area populated by the various ethnic segments including '') who resided in Anacopia and were viewed as major champions of the empire’s political and cultural influence in western Caucasus . Arab s penetrated the area in the 730s , but they never succeeded in conquering it. It was when the term ''Abkhazeti'' (i.e., "the land of the Abkhazians") first appeared in the Georgian annals, giving origin to the modern-day name ''Abkhazia'', used in most foreign languages. . c. 1200s]]
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