GEORGIAN SCROLLS - INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY

Abstract

The article publishes the results of an interdisciplinary study of scrolls containing literary texts of the 14th-19th centuries, stored in the collection of the Korneli Kekelidze National Center of Manuscripts of Georgia. The work carried out in the fields of codicology and manuscript restoration focuses on scrolls as historical sources containing reliable evidence of the development of social and religious relations of the late Middle Ages and in Early modern period. One of the main goals of the conducted research is to take care of the preservation of cultural heritage and discuss modern methods of conservation of manuscript monuments.

In the course of the work, based on the study of paleographic and thematic features of the handwritten material, two main areas of purpose for Georgian scrolls were identified - ecclesiastical and secular. The ecclesiastical scrolls mainly contain heterogeneous recentions of the liturgies of John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great, and the communion prayer. The structural changes in these texts and the multiplicity of recentions indicate the beginning in the late Middle Ages and in Early modern period of procedural changes in church service of the Byzantine tradition followed by the Georgian church up until 14th century. All these scrolls, copied in parchment, are characterized by multiple damages. Based on a study of their causes and possible risks, preventive conservation work was carried out on the mentioned copies.

Scrolls for secular purposes reflect the process of expanding the  social environment for the consumption of literary monuments. It is significant that these scrolls contain family geneologies and texts protection  from evil spirits, acting as amulets. The writing material for creating secular scrolls is paper of varying quality, depending on the status and financial situation of the customer. In order to ensure the safety of the scrolls, after conservation work has been carried out, the scrolls are transferred to the laboratory of digitalization to create digital versions.

`In order to expand access to literary scrolls and the results of their research, Manuchar Guntsadze, a specialist in digital humanities at the center, is creating a database of Georgian scrolls, which will be posted on the center's website

The study of Georgian scrolls is carried out within the framework of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia project ''Interdisciplinary Study of Scroll Manuscripts” (FR 21-695, 2022–2025).

Keywords: Manuscript; scroll; liturgy; amulet; preventive conservation;