Sanigs
Ancient tribe in the western Caucasus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sanigs (Greek: Σάνιγκι) were a tribe inhabiting historical Heniochia, northwest shore of Kingdom of Colchis. Their ethnic identity is obscure and is the subject of a controversy.[1] They are first attested in the works of Pliny, Arrian[2] and Memnon of Heraclea.
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Northeastern Black Sea coast |
Geography
Historical territories of Heniokhet-Sanikheti(Sanigia) was divided into three parts:
- old southern Heniochia, later coastal Abkhazia (which included the coastal zone from Sukhumi to Adler);
- Inner Heniochia (Sochi district);
- North Heniochia, later Jiketi of Abkhazia (Tuapsi region).
Sanigs inhabited the Inner Heniochia[3]
Origin
Georgian scholars consider them to be Zans (ancestors of Mingrelian and Laz peoples), while others maintain that they were proto-Svans.[4] According to Arrian, they inhabited the area around Sebastopolis (modern Sukhumi). Roland Topchishvili links some modern Georgian surnames with the Sanigs (Sanikidze, Sanikiani, Sanigiani, Sanaia).[5]
Abkhazians consider the Sanigs to be the ancestors of the Sadz and Zhaney, as evidenced by the territorial settlement of these peoples.[6][7]