The Rioni (Georgian:რიონი[ˈɾio̞n̪i]; Ancient Greek: Φᾶσις, Phâsis) is the main river of western Georgia. It originates in the Caucasus Mountains, in the region of Racha and flows west to the Black Sea, entering it north of the city of Poti (near ancient Phasis). The city of Kutaisi, once the ancient city of Colchis, lies on its banks. It drains the western Transcaucasus into the Black Sea while the river Kura drains the eastern Transcaucasus into the Caspian Sea.
History
Herodotus considered the Rioni river to be a boundary between Europe and Asia.[1]
The term "pheasant" and the scientific name Phasianus colchicus are derived from "Phasis" and "Colchis",[2] as this was said to be the region from which the common pheasant was introduced to Europe[3] (the ring-necked pheasants were introduced later from East Asia).
Draining
It is said that "the failure of Colchis to emerge as a strong kingdom or to be maintained as a province of Rome has been blamed on the pestilential climate of the Phasis Valley, a situation remarked upon by travelers down to modern times, when the swamps were finally drained."[4] Wetlands around Rioni River has been drained through a large reclamation-drainage project commissioned by government in 1960. After that, the area was cleared and converted to agricultural land.[5]
Description
The Rioni is the longest river wholly within the borders of Georgia. The river is 327 kilometres (203mi) long, and its drainage basin covers about 13,400 square kilometres (5,200mi2).[6] It starts on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains at 2,960 metres (9,710ft) above sea level, north of the town of Oni. Its largest tributaries are, from source to mouth: Jejora (left), Qvirila (left), Khanistsqali (left), Tskhenistsqali (right) and Tekhuri (right).
Phasis river at Taprobana
Stephanus of Byzantium wrote that there was also another river which was named Phasis, in Taprobana (Ancient Greek: Φᾶσις ἐν τῇ Ταπροβάνῃ), as the Indian Ocean island of Ceylon or Sri Lanka was known to the ancient Greeks.[7]
12Heinz Heinen, Andrea Binsfeld, Stefan Pfeiffer. Vom hellenistischen Osten zum römischen Westen. Wiesbaden, Germany: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2006, pg. 324 ISBN3515087400
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