THE POPULATION OF AKHALGORI IN THE 1870S
Abstract
The toponym “Akhalgori” is first attested in written sources in the late 1570s in connection with events taking place in Kartli; however, traces of settlement in the area date back to the Neolithic period.
At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, alongside the relocation of the residence of the Ksani Eristavs from Kvenipnevi–Largvisi to Akhalgori and the southward expansion of the Saeristavo’s borders, the importance of Akhalgori as the political and administrative center of the principality significantly increased. The renowned geographer and historian Vakhushti Batonishvili referred to Akhalgori as a small town. It is also described with urban status by the French officer Charles de Graille de Foix, adjutant to the well-known General Totleben, who served in the Russian army during the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). The German traveler Reineggs likewise characterized Akhalgori as a small town. In a 1770 report compiled by Mouravov, the political and administrative center of the Ksani Saeristavo is identified as a daba (township).
From the fifteenth century onward, Armenians settled alongside Georgians played a significant role in the political life of Akhalgori. Based on an analysis of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century demographic registers, the study concludes that the number of inhabitants affiliated with the Armenian ethnic group considerably exceeded that of the Georgian population, suggesting a process of mass Armenization among local Georgians. The paper demonstrates how residents of Akhalgori bearing Georgian-rooted surnames were recorded as belonging to the Armenian ethnic group.
In accordance with the research topic, particular attention is devoted to the Russian cameral census of 1873. At that time, Akhalgori belonged to the Dusheti Uyezd of the Tiflis Governorate. The census data provide detailed information on the population of Akhalgori in that period, including its ethnic, religious, and social composition, as well as occupational structure.
Traditionally, the inhabitants were primarily engaged in trade and craftsmanship, and their economic activities often extended beyond the borders of the Saeristavo.
The data from the 1873 census are compared with other available demographic registers. The study concludes by examining the severe demographic situation in Akhalgori both before the August 2008 war and in its aftermath.
It should also be noted that a substantial portion of the historical sources used in this research are published here for the first time.
Key words: Ksani Valley; demographic registers; peasants; Dusheti Uyezd; trade; craftsmanship; ethnicity; cameral census; occupation.
