Understanding the Caucasus as a Unified Geographical Space in Ancient Writings

Abstract

The term “Caucasus” (or “Caucasos”) as a geopolitical concept in its modern sense began to take shape in the 19^th century, although the name itself appears in ancient sources. Since the relations between the Greco-Roman world and the Caucasus occurred in several stages and the knowledge of ancient authors about the region gradually deepened over time, the content of the term itself also changed. For example, if in the works of Hecataeus of Miletus and Aeschylus, “Caucasus” referred to a specific mountain or ridge, by the time of Herodotus, however, the term described a mountain system, “the most extensive and the highest”, with branches covering a broad area inhabited by several tribes. Later, the campaign of Alexander the Great in Asia, the expansion of the Roman Empire to the east, the wars of Mithridates VI Eupator, or the Roman-Parthian conflict, further contributed to the collection of diverse information about the Caucasus and the peoples inhabiting it in Greek and Latin writings.
This work aims to determine when the term “Caucasus” came to represent a specific geocultural space and, to the extent possible, to define its geographical boundaries. A study of Greek and Latin texts reveals that Strabo was the first among ancient authors to recognize “Caucasus” (or “Caucasos”) as a unified geocultural region. According to his “Geography”, Strabo defined the north-western and western border of the Caucasus as stretching along the Black Sea coast from Gorgippia (modern-day Anapa) to Trapezus (modern-day Trabzon). The eastern border extended along the Caspian Sea coast from the easternmost part of the Caucasus Range to the confluence of the Mtkvari River. To the north, the Caucasus was bounded by a strip of steppe stretching between the Caspian and Black Seas. The southern border followed an imaginary line from the mouth of the Mtkvari River to the Black Sea, proceeded along the mountains of Moskhs and Colchs to the residence of the Tibarenians, and abutted the Black Sea along the coast of Colchis, likely near Trabzon. The same author clearly notes that many ethnic groups (specifically seventy according to his “Geography”) inhabited the Caucasus, encompassing “all Caucasians”. For Strabo, the “Caucasus” (or “Caucasos”) was a unified geocultural space with clearly defined boundaries, inhabited by a diverse array of Caucasian peoples.