Copyright © 2012 The National Center of Manuscripts
Copyright © 2012 Ilia State University
Astronomical manuscripts in Georgia – the scientific project
Celestial bodies, their strictly repeated visible appearance and movement on the sky have been attracting the man’s attention since time immemorial. Rise and set of the sun, phases of the moon, eclipses, appearance of comets, supernova explosions and celestial phenomena has ever been the object of interest, study, and description. By certain stage, a man has apprehended practical meaning of the visible regularly repeated events of the sky, potentials for their efficient use for orientation in space and time. In the ancient epoch of history, people used to express “heavenly image” in stone and did it in pictures, symbols and naïve plot composition.
Accumulation of observing data in a great amount, formation of writing, invention
of means (leather, parchment and paper) carrying information caused appearance of
a new substance -
astronomical knowledge, new discoveries and theories, contained information of the
instruments of their periods. Numerous astronomical manuscripts that have reached
us and are preserved in world scientific centers, libraries and archives present
to us the system of universe structure, theories of movement of celestial bodies,
catalogues of stars, calendars, descriptions of astronomical instruments. The work
of Hipparchus, Ptolemy, Al-
Astronomy and mathematics have long been developing in Georgia as well. The Georgian
manuscripts, involving astronomical and astrological information, have reached us
in the form of books, volumes, documents and fragments, having different content
and volume. This written, relisted and compiled material of astronomical and astrological
content, both original and translated, represents extensive texts, tables, complexes
of pictures, which are done is Asomtavruli, Nuskha-
We should specially aspirate manuscripts involving original Georgian works: in the
manuscript (# 34) preserved in Sinai collections is the work by Ioane Zosime, of
pascalistic content, on the Byzantine and Georgian calendar system (X century); Abuseridze
Tbeli’s treatise (A-
This large massive including scientific information is preserved in different scientific centers and depositories of Georgia – the National Center of Manuscripts, National Archives of the ministry of justice, the Parliament library, in Kutaisi, Gori, Zugdidi, Telavi and other depositories.
Study of Georgian astronomical and astrological materials has its history. The works of A, Sanidze, E. Kharadze, D. Tskhakaia, G. Giorgobiani are known. The works of R. Chagunava and I. Simonia have been recently published, which deal with separate astronomical manuscripts and development of Old Georgian astronomical outlook. The present works reveal and establish new scientific facts, tendencies and names. Hundreds of Georgian astronomical manuscripts are unknown even today and unstudied from the viewpoint of history of science. In relevant descriptions, in frequent cases, only titles of the work and list of evidences are only indicated and incomplete, inexact annotation. These manuscripts (astronomical, cosmological and chronological) …
Georgian Manuscripts
Persian Manuscripts
Arabic Manuscripts
