The Journey
Georgia's story, chapter by chapter, from the first humans outside Africa to the occupation line today. Read in order, or jump to any era.
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Ancient Sakartvelo
Zezva and Mzia: the oldest humans found outside AfricaDraft
In a medieval hilltop town in southern Georgia, archaeologists found 1.8-million-year-old human skulls that rewrote the story of how our ancestors left Africa.
8,000 years of wine: where it all beganDraft
Clay jars found in southern Georgia hold the oldest known traces of grape wine in the world. And Georgians still make wine in clay vessels buried in the ground.
Colchis and the Golden Fleece
Greek myth sent Jason and the Argonauts to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece -- a kingdom that really existed on Georgia's coast.
Kingdoms and Faith
Iberia and King Pharnavaz
A Greek-educated ruler named Parnavaz unified eastern Georgia into the kingdom of Iberia.
St. Nino and the conversion to Christianity
A captive woman's preaching led a kingdom to adopt Christianity in the early 4th century.
Three scripts, one alphabet: the living Georgian writing systemDraft
Georgian is written in its own alphabet, and Georgians still use all three historical forms of it. UNESCO calls it a living cultural heritage of humanity.
Vakhtang Gorgasali and the founding of Tbilisi
A king chasing a wounded deer found hot springs, and founded Tbilisi on the spot.
The Golden Age
David the Builder and Didgori
A king and a Christian army broke centuries of foreign domination at the Battle of Didgori.
Queen Tamar and the Golden Age
Under a queen, Georgia reached its largest borders, its richest culture, and its most celebrated poetry.
Between Empires
Mongols, Timur and the dark centuries
Mongol invasions and Timur's campaigns broke Georgia into rival kingdoms that never fully reunited.
From protection to annexation (1783-1801)
Seeking protection from Persia and the Ottomans, a Georgian king turned to Russia -- which ended up annexing the kingdom instead.
Russian and Soviet Rule
The First Republic (1918)
For two and a half years, Georgia was briefly its own independent, democratic republic.
Red Army and Soviet rule (1921-1991)
The Red Army invaded in 1921, beginning seven decades of Soviet rule.
Independence and Occupation
Independence (1991)
In 1991, Georgia restored the independence it had lost seventy years earlier.
The moving fence: occupation today
Today, Russia still occupies a fifth of Georgia's territory -- and keeps moving the fence.