Javakhishvili Ivane

Javakhishvili Ivane (1876-1940), Outstanding historian and public figure. Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1939). He initiated to found a Georgian University. He was born in Tbilisi. I. Javakhishvili received higher education in Petersburg – he graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Languages of Petersburg University (1899). After graduation, they offered him to stay at the same university to be trained for the academic title of Professor. In 1898, while he was a senior student of the University, the academic council of Petersburg University awarded Golden Medal to I. Javakhishvili for his research The Activities of St. Andrew and St. Nino in Georgia. In 1902, together with N. Marr, he visited Mt. Sinai and Jerusalem on purpose of studying and making an inventory of Georgian manuscripts. Starting from 1903, for subsequent 15 years, I. Javakhishvili served as a PrivatDocent at the Department of Armenian-Georgian Philology of Petersburg University. In 1907 he set up and uninterruptedly headed a scientific club of Georgian students of Petersburg (Petrograd) University. Georgian scholars, staying in Petersburg, used to gather at I. Javakhishvili’s place to discuss the plans of founding of Georgian University. In 1917 I. Javakhishvili returned to Tbilisi. In 1918 under his leadership and by the initiation of the group of Georgian scholars, a Georgian University was founded (later it received the title of Tbilisi State University named after Iv. Javakhishvili). In 1919-26 he filled the position of the Rector of Tbilisi University. Javakhishvili left indelible mark in Georgian science. He enriched various fields of historical-philological sciences with his diverse fundamental works. He researched history of Georgia, economic history of Georgia, history of Georgian legislation, old Georgian historical literature, Georgian literary sources, Georgian script, etc. He also contributed to the study of Armenian historic literature and historiography. I. Javakhishvili deeply delved into the problems of civil engineering of old Georgia, history of Georgian music, issues of the structure and affinity of Georgian language, old Georgian palimpsests, literary terms intrinsic to different spheres of Georgian industrial-economic life, etc. It should be noted that he wrote part of his works during his stay in Petersburg.

On November 18, 1940 I. Javakhishvili delivered his last public lecture Problems of the History of Georgian Philology and Old Georgian Literature. He died while he was delivering the lecture. Ivane Javakhishvili was buried in the yard of Tbilisi State University.