Discussion

The history of the Georgian nation is deeply rooted and complex. While ethnicity was traditionally understood only in terms of common ancestry or “blood,” modern Western historiography has emphasized its cultural and socially constructed dimensions. According to contemporary theories, ethnicity should be understood as a cultural phenomenon that may, but does not necessarily, include a shared sense of origin. This study approaches the Georgian perspective from this theoretical framework, revealing how ethnic characteristics such as religion, language, ancestry, and shared historical memory contributed to the formation of medieval Georgian identity. The presentation aims to examine the processes through which Georgian identity was expressed in the Middle Ages, as reflected in Georgian historiographic and hagiographic sources. These ethnic characteristics were not fixed but evolved over time. The changes of ethnic characteristics and the dynamics of their manifestation had political, social, and cultural reasons. In early medieval texts, prior to the 11th century, religious affiliation served as the primary marker of Georgian unity, often outweighing lineage or geographic origin. Following the political unification of Georgia and increasing political and cultural distancing from Byzantium, the Georgian language emerged as a central criterion for inclusion in the Georgian community. By the 18th century, Georgian identity was increasingly conceptualized as a unity based on shared territory, lineage, and common ancestors. The diachronic perspective provided by Georgian sources demonstrates the fluidity of ethnic markers and illuminates the historical processes by which Georgian identity was constructed, negotiated, and transformed in the broader context of the country.