Misimians

Mountainous tribe in the western Caucasus

Ethnic group

MisimiansRegions with significant populations

Northwestern part of the Caucasian Ridge

Misimians (Greek: Μισιμιανοί) were a tribe in the western Caucasus living in the mountainous side of South Caucasus, north of Sokhumi.[1]

## History

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During the time of the Roman-Persian wars, the Misimians rebelled because of the attempts of Byzantium to give the territory of Bukhlon to the Alans. The uprising was brutally suppressed,[2] and the territory of Bukhlon was given to the Alans.[3]

## Origins

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Agathias wrote that the Misimians were "subjects of the king of the Colchians as are also the Apsilians though they differ from these in both language and customs" and that the Misimians and Apsilians had a similar way of life.[4]

The ethnic composition of Colchis is a matter of controversy. Georgian scholars generally consider the Misimians to be a Kartvelian tribe,[5] identifying them with Ptolemy's Svano-Colchs and with Faustus' Egro-Svans.[6] According to these scholars the self-identification of Svan Mushuan was changed into Misimian in Greek language.[7][8][9][10] According to Gasviani, the Svan presence in the region is also supported by the fact that many of the toponyms are of Svan origin.[6] Abkhaz scholars treat the Misimians as a population related to the Abkhaz.[5]

## References

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1. ^ "Strabo, Geography, BOOK XI., CHAPTER II., section 19". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
2. ^ Бгажба, О. Х.; Лакоба, С. З. (2007). "Мисимиане". История Абхазии с древнейших времен до наших дней. Алашарбага. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
3. ^ Agathiou Scholastikou Peri tes Ioustinianou basileias bibloi pente. Agathiae Scholastici De imperio et rebus gestis Justiniani imperatoris libri quinque. Ex Bibliotheca & interpretatione Bonaventurae Vulcanii, cum notis eiusdem. Accesserunt eiusdem Agathiae Epigrammata cum versione latina (in Greek). ex typographia Bartholomaei Javarina. 1729.
4. ^ Agathias. The Histories [books 3] p.66. p. 66.
5. ^ a b Smith, Graham; Law, Vivien; Wilson, Andrew; Bohr, Annette; Allworth, Edward (1998). Nation-building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: The Politics of National Identities. Cambridge University Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN 9780521599689.
6. ^ a b Გასვიანი, Გერონტი (1991). ნარკვევები შუა საუკუნეების სვანეთის ისტორიიდან (in Georgian). თბილისი : მეცნიერება. pp. 202, 203.
7. ^ Topchishvili, Roland. Svaneti and Its Inhabitants (Ethno-historical Studies). p. 9.
8. ^ "Roland Topchishvili - Svaneti and Its Inhabitants - (Ethno-historical Studies)" (PDF). p. 9\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
9. ^ Wright, John; Goldenberg, Suzanne; Schofield, Richard (2003). Transcaucasian Boundaries. Taylor & Francis. p. 197\. ISBN 9781135368500.
10. ^ N. Lomouri, Museum of Georgian Art, "Abkhazia in the Late Antique and Early Medieval Epochs"