Academic and Thematic Conference Dedicated to the 125th Anniversary of Academician Simon Janashia Held at Sokhumi State University

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.