'MASI& the principal river of ancient Colchis, now called Fa:, and sometimes 12ioni, rises in the Caucasus nearly midway between the Kazbek and Elbruz, and flows in a westerly direction into the Black Sea. The- river is composed of three principal head-streams, the Ilioni proper (ancient Ilion), or upper Phasis, the Quirilla, Kvirtla, or Ziroula, which joins the Rioni on the left bank below Kutais, and the leekhenis-Kali, probably the ancient Glaucus, which comes from the southern elope of the Elbruz and joins the Rioni several miles lower down on the right bank. The principal places on the Phasis arc Kuta,s on its upper course, and Poti, ancient Phasis, at its mouth. Phasia was navigable in ancient times for large ships for 38 miles from the coast, and for smaller vessels as far as the fort of Sarapana (Sham pan), on the boundaries of Colchis and Iberia, from which place goods were conveyed by waggons iu four days to the river Cyrus. (Strabo, xv. 493; Plin., Hist. Nat.,' vi. 4.) The Phasis was sometimes con sidered as the boundary between Asia and Europe (Herod., iv. 45), and was regarded in the time of Augustus as the northern boundary of the Roman dominions in that part of Asia. (Strabo, vi. 2S8.)
From the junction of the Rion and Qnirilla the river is navigable for boats at all seasons, has no obstructions, and ie from 20 to 30 feet deep, with a current of about 24 miles an hour. It flows through a level country, which is lower than the banks of the river. There is a bar at the mouth of the Phasis, with only 6 feet water, the only circumstance that prevents the river being entered by the largest vessels.
In ancient times there were 120 bridges over the Phasic (Strabo, xv. 500; Plin., Hist. Nat.,' vi. 4), and many towns upou it, of which the most important were /Ea, the old capital of the iEetes, which is cele brated in the legends of the Argonautic expedition, and Phasis (Pots), situated at its month. The valley of the Phalli', was in ancient times, as now, famous for great numbers of pheasants, which were first it is said (Mart. Ep.,' xiii.) brought into Greece by the Argonauts, and named Phesinni, from this river.