On the Toponymy of Basiani

Abstract

Basiani (also Fasiani) is a historical region of Georgia located at the sources of the Mtkvari and Chorokhi rivers. Scholars of early Georgian history (P. Ingorokva, S. Janashia) regarded Basiani as part of Speri. In studying the land of Speri, we likewise consider Basiani a subject of our research. Across the entire territory of Speri, the Georgian language has been forgotten, leading the people of Speri to drift away from their Georgian origins. More than five centuries have passed since Speri became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1514; the population converted to a different faith and abandoned its Georgian way of life.

Despite this, traces of Georgian heritage are still evident on the soil of Speri – monuments of material culture, elements of ethnographic tradition, Speri’s Turkish folklore, and Speri’s toponymy all bear witness to the region’s past, the ethnic composition of its earlier population, and its traditional economic practices.

To reconstruct a coherent picture of Speri, ancient toponymy – ,,the language of the land,” an unfailing witness of past processes – is of particular importance. It should also be noted that in the past, Speri served as a space of cultural dialogue: Georgians (the people of Speri and Basiani), Greeks, Armenians, and later Ottomans (Turks) all converged here. Some of these groups consider Speri their ancestral homeland. It is precisely toponymy that must answer the question of who the indigenous inhabitants of Speri were.

This paper discusses issues related to the toponymy of Basiani. Part of the analyzed material was collected during field expeditions, while we also relied on published toponymic sources. We offer a structural and semantic analysis of geographical names and identify their linguistic affiliation.