Gonio (Georgian: გონიოს ციხე, previously called Apsarus or Apsaros (Ancient Greek: Ἄψαρος)[1] and Apsyrtus or Apsyrtos (Ἄψυρτος)[2]) is a Roman fortification in Adjara, Georgia, on the Black Sea, 15 km south of Batumi, at the mouth of the Chorokhi river.
Procopius, writing in the 6th century, speaks of the remains of its public buildings as proving that it was once a place of some importance.
In the fall of 1647, according to Evliya Çelebi, Gonio was captured by a Cossack navy of 70 chaikas, but quickly recovered by Ghazi Sidi Ahmed, ruler of the Tortum sanjak, with a force of 1,000 Turks and 3,000 "Mingrelians".
Other archaeological excavations are however taking place on the grounds of the fortress, focusing on Roman layers.
[10] The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw funded photogrammetric, topographical, and geophysical surveys of the site in 2012.