Papagiya of the Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus’ Treatise De Administrando Imperio in the Light of Written and Archaeological Sources

Abstract

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus’ treatise De Administrando Imperio contains unique information on the country of Papagiya located in the Northwest Caucasus between Zikhiya and Kasakhiya. The present paper deals with the issues of Papagiya localization in the Trans-Kuban region and the ethnocultural features of the Papags on the basis of the complex analysis of archaeological and written sources. We make a conclusion that the territory of Papagiya corresponds to the area of cremation burials of the end of the 7th – 9th cc. Besides, we assume the multi-ethnic character of the country’s population, which includes the representatives of сremation rites, the prabolgar tribes and local settled tribes of the foothills. The general reconstruction of history of Papagiya is proposed. At the time of the Khazar Khaganate, Papagiya played the leading role on a left bank of Kuban, but in the first half of the 10th century under the pressure of nomads and in the conditions of a general crisis of Khazaria, Papagiya lost its status. The name of this country was no longer mentioned in written sources, and its population accepted the name of the Kasogs.

Keywords

• constantine vii porphyrogenitus
• treatise de administrando imperio
• papagiya
• northwest caucasus
• byzantium
• khazar khaganate
• zikhs
• kasogs
• archaeological sources
• cremation burials