Gastaldi Giacomo

Giacomo Gastaldi (1500, Piemontelli, Italy – 1566, Venice, Italy) was a cartographer.

In 1561, he created a map titled "Description of the Eastern Part of Asia, with Ancient and Modern Names, by the Piedmontese Cosmographer Giacomo Gastaldi." His map holds significant value for studying the ethnic history of the Eastern Black Sea region, particularly for identifying the historical homeland of the Abkhaz (Apsua). Gastaldi indicates the territory north of the main Caucasus ridge, around the middle of the Kuban River, as the settlement area of the Abkhaz people. On the map, their main city, Akua, is marked, which corresponds to the modern-day Abkhaz name for the city of Sukhumi – "Akva."

On the map, Sokhumi is listed under the name "Sanatopoli" (which is also the same as Sevastopol, Sebastopol).

Sh. Tsirekidze