The IV International Congress of Caucasiologists on a topic “Scripts in the Caucasus” was opened at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) on December 1. The goal of the congress is to conduct interdisciplinary research of the problems related to the Caucasian scripts as well as scientific analysis of relevant issues. Researchers from international Caucasiological research centers and universities are participating in the congress. Rector of TSU, Giorgi Sharvashidze, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, Georgian and foreign Caucasiologists and students attended the opening.
“As known, Georgian alphabet has been inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a very good context to hold a discussion on similar issues today. The today’s event is very important, because various scripts in the Caucasus are being discussed here that is related to both linguistic and culturological topics,” Rector Sharvashidze said.
TSU Professor Tsira Baramidze said: “Not a single Caucasiological center has ever held a forum of such scales. Tbilisi State University has founded this congress, which is held every three years and its topics logically continue and study various parameters of Caucasian civilization.”
The key topics of the congress are: historical types of alphabets (Georgian, Albanian, Armenian) of the Caucasus and development periodization of these scripts; theories about the origin of the Caucasian scripts; new discoveries on Grakliani Hill; semantic-etymological issues of the vocabulary related to writing culture; cryptographic systems of script; writing systems of Pagan era; old systems of counting and calendar related to alphabet, and so forth.
The congress was organized by the Institute of Caucasiology of TSU Faculty of Humanities and Arnold Chikobava Institute of Linguistics. It will last till December 2.
