Academic
and Thematic Conference Dedicated to the 125th Anniversary of Academician Simon
Janashia Held at Sokhumi State University
On
25 December 2025, Sokhumi State University hosted an academic and thematic
conference dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the birth of Academician Simon
Janashia—a distinguished Georgian scholar, one of the founders of the modern
Georgian school of historiography, and a prominent public and state figure.The
conference was organized by the Faculty of Humanities of Sokhumi State
University, in cooperation with the Abkhazia Branch of the Ekvtime Takaishvili
Georgian Historical Society.
The
conference was opened by Tea Jugeli, Rector of Sokhumi State University, who
welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of commemorating the
anniversary of the eminent Georgian scholar at the University. She highlighted
Academician Janashia’s role as a native of Abkhazia and as a symbolic figure of
Georgian–Abkhaz historical brotherhood and unity.
A
presentation under the title “Academician Simon Janashia’s Historical Concept:
A Framework for Understanding the Role and Place of Present-Day Abkhazia and
Ethnic Abkhazians within the Common Georgian Political, State, and
Socio-Cultural Space” was delivered by Zurab Papasqiri, PhD in History,
Professor at Sokhumi State University and Chair of the Abkhazia Branch of the
Ekvtime Takaishvili Georgian Historical Society. Drawing on Janashia’s life and
scholarly legacy, the speaker outlined the academician’s conceptual views on
the role and position of contemporary Abkhazia and ethnic Abkhazians within the
broader Georgian historical context.
Another
presentation, “Academician Simon Janashia and Issues in the Archaeological
Study of Colchis,” was delivered by Vakhtang Japaridze, PhD in History,
Professor at Sokhumi State University and a close relative of Academician
Janashia. The speaker underscored Janashia’s significant contribution to the
organization of archaeological research in Georgia and discussed his views on
key aspects of the scholarly study of Colchian antiquities. He also spoke about
Janashia’s family background and his relationships with Abkhaz compatriots.
A
joint presentation by young historians Bachana Rukhaia and Nikoloz
Sarajishvili, doctoral candidates at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State
University, focused on a lesser-known work by Academician Janashia entitled
“Abkhazia as Part of the Kingdom of Colchis.” Presented by Bachana Rukhaia, the
paper addressed the background to their work on the Georgian translation of two
Russian-language studies by Janashia: “Abkhazia as Part of the Kingdom of
Colchis” and “On the Time and Conditions of the Formation of the Kingdom of
Abkhazia.” The translations, accompanied by an extensive introduction and
scholarly commentary by the translators and the academic editor, are expected
to be published as a separate volume in the near future.
The
conference was attended by academic staff and students of the Faculty of
Humanities.
