ROMAN MILITARY SETTLEMENTS IN COLCHI 1ST – 4TH CENTURY AD (ACCORDING TO WRITER SOURCES AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIALS)

Abstract

The subject we address in the article covers one of the most important periods in the history of Colchis. The ancient period, which, according to the written records and archeological materials, seems to be quite active and varied in Colchis, is attracting more and more interest of scholars every year. Contacts with the ancient world date back to Greek colonization, when Greeks and Colchians coexisted side by side. The Romans began expressing their interest in the Caucasus, including Colchis, from the 1st century BC as the area seemed attractive to them as a protective barrier from the tribes coming from the north, but also for them it was a potential market for trade and economic activities. Like in other countries conquered by the Romans, they began to set up garrisons in Colchis to make it easier for them to fight the piracy that prevailed in Colchis at the time and at the same time to make it easier to control the northern frontier. The fact is that the process, which aimed at the deployment of Roman garrisons and the conquest of new territories, began from the 1st century AD and continued until the 3rd century, until the Romans settled up in the most extreme point in Colchis for them at that time, Bichvinta. The process of “appropriation” of territories may have spread deeper into central Colchis, as well as into other eastern provinces, had it not been for the problems of the Roman Empire that eventually led to its partition. To confirm the written sources we can cite the archaeological discoveries that date from the 19th century to the present day, and every year new discoveries are being recorded, which complement not only the history and archaeology of Colchis, but also the history of Rome and the world in general.