Georgian Alphabet: History of Creation, Letters and Meaning

ABC the Peoples of Georgia It is included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List and is one of the 14 oldest alphabets in the world. However, the exact date of its appearance has not yet been determined.

In this article we will talk about the most unusual and fascinating facts related to writing and the alphabet in Georgia

UNESCO Heritage List

This list includes the most important achievements and moments in the history of mankind. Since November 30, 2016, the Georgian alphabet has been included in the honorary list of intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO.

It is impossible to unambiguously determine the date of the alphabet's appearance, there are no sources that accurately indicate this moment. But one of the historiographers of Georgia of the XI century Leonti Mroveli correlates with Parnavaz I (3rd century BC) the invention of the alphabet, as well as the introduction national Georgian language as a state. Quote from the document: "He spread the Georgian language, and no other language existed in Kartli, and it was he who created the Georgian Scribe."

Many scientists call Tsar Farnavaz I the inventor of the Georgian alphabet. During his reign in pre-Christian Georgia, the first version of the Georgian script was attested in the medieval chronicle "Biographies of the Kings of Kartli". Asomtavruli is the oldest documented version of the Georgian script, it dates back to the 5th century. Subsequent artifacts date back to the following centuries.

It is interesting that one of the main reasons for the development of Georgian writing is defined by most historians as the process of adoption of Christianity by the Iberian state. The appearance of Georgian writing is considered unique, some researchers correlate the image of certain letters with pre-Christian cultural symbols.

Georgian Chronicle

At the moment, among all the inscriptions found in Georgia, the most ancient is the engraving dated 430 in Bir el-Kut. This is one of the Georgian texts of Palestine, which are kept in the Franciscan Museum in Jerusalem.

At the moment, research is continuing in Nekresi settlement. During the excavations, archaeologists found previously unknown plates with engravings. The process of studying them is still underway, but there are already well-founded theories that they date back to the pre-Christian period.

It is worth noting the fact that not all writing is identical. Historically, 3 types have been formed in Georgia:

• asomtavruli – the most ancient,
• nushuri,
• mkhedruli – modern writing.

The main difference is a special graphic style of writing. Examining the process of changing the style of letters, it becomes clear that nushuri appeared as a result of the development of asomtavruli, and mkhedruli as a consequence of the development of nushuri.

The found samples of the Nushuri script begin to date back to the 9th century, but full-fledged manuscripts executed in this style appear only in the 12th century.

Asomtavruli did not disappear once and for all with the advent of a new style. It continued to be used in epigraphic inscriptions and when writing titles and capital letters. Nushuri is also used today in church books.

Mkhedruli is considered a modern writing, and cases of its use begin to occur since the 11th century.

Features of the alphabet in Georgia

There are 33 letters in the current Georgian alphabet, instead of the previous 38. The disappeared 5 letters stopped writing after the transformations Ilya Chavchavadze (a well-known Georgian fiction writer, poet, publicist, public figure).

The reason for excluding these letters is simple. They have ceased to be used in a living language. Nevertheless, the sounds that were designated by these letters are now used in Kartvelian languages and dialects: Khevsuruli, Pshauri, Svanuri.

The year 1728 went down in history by the fact that Nikoloz Tbileli made his contribution to the development of the written language of Georgia. He became the creator of the letters "from mkhedruli mtavruli". It is they who are used when writing headings or in cases of underlining weighty information.

It is important to note that it is unacceptable to use different letters from different styles when writing one word. And up to the 18th century in Georgia, numbers were written in letters.

The main contradiction of scientists about the origin of the Georgian alphabet concerns its inspiration, the Greek and Semitic alphabets, in particular Aramaic, are considered as the basis. Modern historians agree that the order of the Georgian alphabet is focused on the Greek alphabet, with the exception of exceptional Georgian sounds.

Writing words in Georgian

By learning the Georgian language the simplest part is that the words are both written and read. It may seem difficult to write words, but the beauty of the letters, and the way they are diligently displayed, cannot but fascinate.

Aesthetically, this writing is worthy of attention. It is worth paying attention to the use of red ink in ancient Georgian scripts. Thus, the main idea stood out in what was written, and at the same time it gave decorative effect to the written text.

For example, in the Renaissance poem "The Knight in the Tiger Skin", the first word of each new stanza is written in red ink, and the first alphabet sign of each verse is created in reddish ink.

The first printed book, The Georgian Alphabet with Prayers, was published in Rome in 1629. And the style of writing letters was created specifically for this edition by Nikoloz Cholokashvili, who served as Teimuraz I's ambassador to Italy.

The first printing house, which existed in 1708-1709, was named after Vakhtang VI, since the years of its existence fell precisely during his term of rule.

The Madloba catalog is pleased to introduce you to the history of delightful Georgia and its people. Write in the comments what facts about writing in this country surprised you, as well as what else you would like to know. We are happy to study the reviews of our readers and form new articles for you!