in Ancient Geography, a nearly triangular district of Asia Minor; at the eastern extremity of the Black Sea, was bounded N. by the Caucasus, which separated it from Asiatic Sarmatia, E. by Iberia and the Moschici Montes, S. by Armenia and part of Pontus, and W. by the Euxine. The ancient district is represented by the modern province of Mingrelia, and part of Abasia.

The name of Colchis is first found applied to this country by the Greek poets Eschylus and Pindar. Its original name was Aea, and it is first mentioned in connection with Eetes its mythical king, father of the sorceress Medea. Colchis was celebrated in Greek mythology as the destination of the Argonauts, and the residence of Medea. Its early history is involved in the greatest obscurity. At a remote period it seems to have been incorporated with the Persian empire, though the inhabitants ultimately erected their territory into an independent state; and in this condition it was found by Alexander the Great, when he invaded Persia. From this time till the era of the Mithridatic war nothing is known of the history of Colchis. At the time of the Roman invasion it seems to have paid a nominal hom- age to Mithridates, and to have been ruled over by Machares the second son of that monarch. On the defeat of Mithridates by Pompey, Colchis became a Roman province, of which Aristarchus was appointed governor. After the death of Pompey, when Caesar was pursuing his Egyptian and Spanish conquests, Pharnaces the son of Mithridates rose in rebellion against the Roman yoke, subdued Colchis and Armenia, and made head, though but for a short time, against the Roman arms. After this, Colchis was incorporated with Pontus. The Colchians are not again alluded to in ancient history till along with the Abasci they joined Chosroes I., king of Persia, in his war with Marcian.

Colchis was inhabited by a number of tribes whose settlements lay chiefly along the shore of the Black Sea. The chief of these were the Lazi, Moschi, Apollae, Abasci, Sagades, Suani, and Coraxi. These tribes differed so completely in language and appearance from the surrounding nations, that the ancients themselves originated various theories to account for this phenomenon. Herodotus, for example, believed them to have sprung from the relics of the army of Sesostris, and thus identified them with the Egyptians. Though this theory was not generally adopted by the ancients, it has been defended, but not with complete success, by some modern writers. From the first named of these tribes, the Lazi, the country took its name of Terra Lazica, under which designation it was latterly known.