ΑΧΑΙΟΙ OF PONTUS: ANCIENT SOURCES AND ONOMASTIC PARALLELS

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the ethnonym Ἀχαιοί attested in Ancient sources across two geographical regions: Greece and the Pontic area. The research draws upon a multidisciplinary methodology integrating critical analysis of Ancient written sources, onomastic investigation, etymological and linguistic approaches, and historical-comparative methods. The ethnonym Ἀχαιοί appears in two parallel contexts. In the Pontic region, these people are described as fierce and nomadic, with tradition explaining their settlement along the northern section of the Black Sea's eastern coast through two accounts: either the expedition of Jason's Argonauts (predating the Trojan War) or migrations following Troy's fall. In Greece, the same ethnonym occurs in the Peloponnese (Old Achaia, Argos, and Mycenae). Additionally, Homer employs Ἀχαιοί as a collective designation for Greek tribes.

The concentration of onomastic material derived from the stem Ἀχαι- in Pontus − including the ethnonym Ἀχαιοί, toponyms such as παλαιά Ἀχαΐα and Ἀχαΐα κώμη, the hydronym Ἀχαιοὺς, and the epithet Ἀχαϊκόν − points to the deep historical roots of this designation within the region. Etymological evidence suggests a pre-Greek, non-Indo-European origin for the stem (reconstructed as *Akay^wa-), a finding crucial for interpreting onomastic correspondences between the two regions. The presence of variant forms in Georgian translations (akajebi, akeebi, akeelebi, akavelebi) underscores the need for standardized terminological conventions. Based on linguistic analysis, this study recommends akajebi or akajelebi for Pontic populations, while reserving akavelebi for Greek contexts.

Two hypotheses may explain the connection between the Achaeans of Greece and Pontus: phonetic similarity and calquing (Greek adaptation of indigenous names and creation of etiological myths), or a common pre-Greek substrate (preservation of a single non-Indo-European stem in both regions, associated with second-millennium BCE migratory processes). This investigation highlights the necessity of systematic study of parallel toponymic and ethnonymic patterns in the Kartvelian and Mediterranean linguistic spheres − research which will enable new scholarly approaches to the historical reconstruction of ancient Colchis and Iberia.

Keywords: Ἀχαιοί, Pontic region, onomastics, pre-Greek substrate, Ancient sources, Georgian translation.