The Sea of Azov has two Kartvelian names. One of them, Mar delle Zabacche, is discussed in the corresponding article.
And the second name, Meotida, refers not so much to the sea as to the entire region around the Sea of Azov. The pair "Colchida-Colcheti" allows us to see the Kartvelian toponym "Meoteti" in the name, equating the Greek ending "-ida" with the Kartvelian "-eti". The root of the toponym is the Georgian word "meoti" (მეოტი, Chanturia), which is translated as "fugitive".
Thus, we have the right to imagine the Azov region as a country where fugitive slaves fled. This version is unexpectedly confirmed on Ptolemy's map, where one of the rivers flowing into the Sea of Azov (possibly, the Molochnaya) is called "Buts" (Buc, Bucus), which in Ukrainian means "fugitive".Also, we see that on Tabula Peutingeriana the name is given as exactly "Meote".
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