Sample Reading · 4 min
The Roots
What Is Sakartvelo?
To the Western observer educated during the Cold War, the map of the Soviet Union was a monolithic expanse.
Georgia — the land of Stalin and sweet wines — was merely a footnote. But to understand the Georgia of today,
one must dismantle this Soviet lens and view the nation through its indigenous identity:
Sakartvelo (საქართველო).
Georgians have called their country Sakartvelo for centuries. The English name "Georgia" — shared, confusingly,
with a U.S. state — comes from the Persian/Arabic Gurj, possibly linked to St. George, the nation's
patron saint. Using Sakartvelo immediately signals that you are speaking of a sovereign civilization,
not an American state or a Russian province.
This is not merely a chapter in Russian imperial expansion but a distinct, three-millennium-long saga
of a unique civilization fighting for survival at the fiercely contested crossroads of Europe and Asia.
The history of this region reveals a nation defined by a 3,000-year struggle for autonomy, possessing
a distinct language, alphabet, and religious tradition that predate the Slavic ascent by centuries.
Georgia was Christianized in 337 CE — decades before the Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity.
Its unique alphabet, one of only fourteen writing systems in the world, was created in the 3rd–5th century.
Archaeological evidence places Georgian wine production at roughly 8,000 years — predating any other
known winemaking culture. The Kingdom of Colchis, destination of Jason and the Argonauts in Greek myth,
was a real Georgian state. Under Queen Tamar (1184–1213), Georgia reached its medieval zenith,
controlling territory from the Black Sea to the Caspian.
Quick Answers
Three questions every new reader asks — answered in the guide's editorial voice.
Is Georgia the country the same as Georgia the U.S. state?
No. Georgia (Sakartvelo) is an independent nation in the Caucasus with over 3,000 years of recorded history.
The U.S. state of Georgia was named after King George II of Great Britain in 1732. They are completely
separate places that happen to share the same English name.
Was Georgia part of Russia?
Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801 and later part of the Soviet Union (1921–1991).
But it has a distinct civilization stretching back millennia — including the medieval Kingdom of Georgia
under Queen Tamar. Georgia regained independence in 1991.
Is Georgia in Europe or Asia?
Georgia straddles the conventional Europe–Asia boundary in the Caucasus Mountains. Culturally and politically,
it identifies as European — an EU candidate since 2023, with a unique alphabet derived from Greek influences
and Christianization in 337 CE, earlier than most of Europe.