See Also: Colchis(encyclopedia)

Colchis (sh)




Ancient region on the Black Sea.

Now the western part of the Republic of Georgia, Colchis was in Greek mythology the home of Medea and the destination of the Argonauts. Historically, it was colonized by Milesian Greeks with the support of the native Colchians, whose ethnic composition is unclear. After the 6th century BC it was nominally controlled by Persia; it passed to Mithradates VI Eupator, the king of Pontus, in the 1st century BC and later came under Roman rule.