Byzantinology in Georgia

Byzantinology it a branch of historical science that studies the history and culture of Byzantium.

In Georgia, Byzantine studies developed after the founding of Tbilisi State University in 1918. Specialized Byzantine research is associated with the name of Grigol Tsereteli, who worked on the issues of Byzantine paleography and literature. However, the founder of Byzantine studies in Georgia is Simon Kaukhchishvili. His contribution to Byzantine studies includes a new interpretation of the concept of Byzantinism, the creation of the first and only course on the history of Byzantine literature in the former Soviet Union, preparing foundation for the study of Georgian-Byzantine relations, and the creation of the eight-volume corpus of Byzantine sources about Georgia ("Georgica").

Byzantine studies in Georgia evolved along with Georgian Philology. In literature, this problem was successfully studied by K. Kekelidze and in philosophy by Sh. Nutsubidze. The study of fundamental issues in Georgian and Eastern Christian art was conducted by Giga Chubinashvili, who revealed their role in the formation of Byzantine art. Significant research in this direction was also done by Shalva Amiranashvili. The problems of Byzantine studies were also addressed by Lado Melikset-Begi and Pata Beradze.

The work of the senior generation of scholars was continued by their students. Today, Byzantine studies from the perspective of Georgian culture are conducted at the Institute of Manuscripts, the Institute of Georgian Literature, the Institute of Philosophy, and the Institute of the History of Georgian Art, as well as at the Department of Ancient Georgian Literature and the Department of Georgian History at Tbilisi State University.

In this field worked senior members of the generation of Kaukhchishvili's students: Nodar K'ech'akhmadze, Mikhail K'akhadze, Alexander Gamsrelidze, who made significant contributions to the study of Byzantine thought, the translation and publication of Byzantine sources into Georgian, and the research of Georgian-Byzantine relations. Representatives of the subsequent generation continue this tradition. Notable research has been done on Byzantine Romance problems, Byzantine-Georgian hymnography, and the cultural and political relations between Georgia and Byzantium (G. Gozalishvili, A. Aleksidze, L. Kvirikashvili, N. Lomouri, N. Makhardze, and others).

Today, the main center of Georgian Byzantine studies is the Byzantine division of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Georgian Academy of Sciences, where both the Byzantine civilization itself and various aspects of Georgian-Byzantine relations are studied. The Georgian school of Byzantine studies has gained international recognition. Georgian scholars participated in the XIII (1966, Oxford), XIV (1971, Bucharest), XV (1976, Athens), XVI (1981, Vienna), XVII (1986, Washington), and XVIII (1991, Moscow) international congresses of Byzantinologists. In 1965, the International Byzantine Conference was held in Tbilisi, and in 1979, the International Symposium of Byzantinologists. The Byzantine division of the Institute of Oriental Studies in Tbilisi dedicated the "Byzantinological Etudes" (1978) to the memory of Simon Kaukhchishvili.