Summer school en études géorgiennes

Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts has a significant experience in Kartvelological (Georgian) studies and in the study of Georgian written heritage. International Seasonal School introduces young Georgian and foreigner researchers with the gained knowledge and experience.

National Centre of Manuscripts’ Kartvelological International Summer (Seasonal) School is intended for foreign and Georgian researchers and students interested in Georgian history and culture, especially in Georgian script and manuscript heritage, and a general interest in medieval studies.

The School program is focused on the topic of Georgian manuscript. Program highlights Georgian

manuscript as a valuable source for studying Georgia’s cultural and political history in the Middle Ages.School program is structured in a way to assist listeners to understand that studying the Georgian manuscripts implies studying of political and cultural issues linked with Georgia in the context of cultural dialogue between east and west.

Training modules cover key areas of written heritage studies. Prominent Georgian scholars, who have been working for decades and have been studying unique written heritage at the Centre, share results of their researches and methodology to the participants of the project. Foreign researchers and compatriot scholar involved in the project focus attention on interpretation of archival documents which concern Georgia and are preserved in Georgia as well as abroad.

Participants are able to get acquainted with the main directions of research of the Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts (Ancient Georgian  Philology, Source Studies, Archival Studies;  Medieval Manuscript Culture, Restoration-Conservation, Digitalization, etc.); they are given an opportunity to see the collections preserved at the depositories of the Centre. Through lectures, discussions, interactive program, workshops, and informal meetings students can establish valuable contacts with the scholars of the Centre as well as with invited researcher, encouraging further study of the manuscript heritage.

The working language of the school is English. Lectures and other activities are held with the support of simultaneous translation. The school graduates are given the certificates.

Academic Program

Module 1. Georgian Manuscript

This module will provide information about old Georgian scriptoriums, writing materials and tools of Georgian manuscripts, miniatures and décor and manuscript book covers. The course also contains the following issues: essential structure of manuscript books (colophons, elements of text, philological-codicological analysis), a review of the history of Georgian secular and ecclesiastical literature and manuscript collection.

The students will be able to see unique manuscript collections that are preserved in the National Centre of Manuscripts. There are up to 10,000 Georgian manuscript books (5th-19th centuries) including 4,570 palimpsest pages and up to 4,000 foreign (Arabic, Turkish, Mongolian, Ethiopic, Armenian, Greek, French, German, Hebrew, etc.) manuscripts.

Module 2. Georgian Script

This module includes both theoretical and practical courses.

Theoretical courses of the first module will discuss the following issues: creation of the Georgian script; development and stages of the script (Asomtavruli-Majuscule, Nuskhuri-Minuscule, Mkhedruli-Military), Georgian epigraphy, the Georgian alphabetical system of chronology, Georgian calligraphy and schools of Georgian calligraphy.

Module 3. Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts

This module will introduce the organizer of the Summer School—the National Centre of Manuscripts. The National Centre of Manuscripts will be presented as a unique institution which at the same time houses the biggest depository of ancient samples of Georgian script, a library of old and recently printed books and an important research centre of manuscript inheritance in Georgia. Students will also be introduced to the Georgian and foreign language manuscript collection and archival funds. Students will have a chance to inspect the digitization process in a modern laboratory where digital copies of manuscripts are made and observe the work of specialists in the restoration-conservation laboratory.

In this module there are two workshops. In the first workshop the students will be given an opportunity to participate in the restoration-conservation process, specifically in the simulation of restoring deteriorated leaf. In the second workshop the students will learn how to create paper using ancient techniques.

Module 4. Georgian Historical Documents

This course analyzes the structure and types of historical documents and their constituent structural elements. Examples that will be examined will be taken from the rich collection of the National Centre of Manuscripts which includes 40,000 Georgian and 5,000 foreign-language documents (10th -19th centuries). Attention will be focused on the calligraphic peculiarity of the historical documents.

The students will have the possibility to see historical-document collections that are preserved in the National Centre of Manuscripts.

Module 5. Georgian Printed Books

This course consists of information about the old Georgian printed books. Students will learn about the creation and development of the Georgian font.

During this module, participants will have the opportunity to see rare-book collections of the National Centre of Manuscripts.

Module 6. Private Archives of Georgian Writers and Public Figures

Students will have a chance to inspect personal archives of writers and public figures gathered at the National Centre of manuscripts.