Garrisoned by the Roman- Byzantine forces, it was formally a possession of the kingdom of Lazica until being occupied briefly by the Arabs, who did not hold it In 780 Lazica fell to kingdom of Abkhazia via a dynastic union the latter led the unification of the Georgian monarchy in the 11th century.įrom 1010, it was governed by the eristavi ( ერისთავი, viceroy) of the king of Georgia. 117–138 AD), it was converted into a fortified Roman port and later deserted for the fortress of Petra founded in the time of Justinian I ( c. Main articles: History of Batumi and Timeline of Batumi Early history īatumi is located on the site of the ancient Greek colony in Colchis called ' Bathus' or ' Bathys', derived from ( Greek: βαθύς λιμεν, bathus limen or βαθύς λιμήν, bathys limēn lit.
