The first dictionary of the Georgian language

Orbeliani, Sulkhan-Saba. K'art'uli lek'si[k’]oni: shedgenii Saba-Sulkhan Orbelianisagan, gamotsemuli Rap. D. Eristavis red. da Ep’isk’op’ozis sapasita.

€ 9,500.00

The first ever dictionary of Georgian (Gruzin, kartuli ena), an essential work in the formation of the modern literary language. The work of the diplomat and polymath Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani (1658-1725), it was produced at a time when the Kingdom of Georgia was beset by enemies. In response, Orbeliani and other Georgians looked both to the past of their own rich culture and language, as well as to allies in Europe.

The work follows the latest lexicographical principles of the era, which was witnessing a boom in scientific philology. In addition to simple definitions, Orbeliani augmented his work with explanations of philosophical concepts as well as natural and astronomical phenomena, giving it an encyclopedic character as well. Prior to its revision by the poet Raphael Eristavi and printing in this edition of 1884, it had circulated exclusively in manuscript form.

Prince Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani was born into a noble family and distinguished himself as a man of broad and impressive learning. In addition to his work as lexicographer, he was a skilled translator, a scientist and a widely travelled diplomat. It was in the latter context that he visited the great royal courts of seventeenth-century Europe, seeking aid from fellow Christian powers for Georgia's defence against the Ottoman and Persian Empires. Orbeliani was a leading figure at the court of Vakhtang VI (r. 1716-24), which saw a flowering of Georgian literature, particularly in print, following the founding of the country's first printing-press in 1709. The king himself was a noted scholar, translator and poet. Following the Ottoman occupation of Georgia in 1724, Orbeliani followed Vakhtang into exile in Russia, where he died the following year.

A monument to the Georgian language at a crucial moment in the country's literary and political history. Extremely rare: the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalogue identifies only two copies of the 1884 first edition in European public collections, while no copies are known in recent sales or with other dealers.