Georgia – ancient Christian kingdom between empires
The lands of Georgia have been settled since earliest times, and in antiquity they were home to the kingdoms of Colchis on the Black Sea, known from the Greek myth of the Golden Fleece, and Iberia in the east. In the fourth century Iberia adopted Christianity, and the Georgian script developed soon afterwards, giving the country a distinctive culture.
In the Middle Ages the Bagrationi dynasty united the Georgian lands. Under King David IV the Builder and Queen Tamar the kingdom reached a golden age of power, architecture and literature, celebrated in Shota Rustaveli's epic "The Knight in the Panther's Skin". Mongol invasions ended this era, and for centuries the divided Georgian kingdoms were contested by Persia and the Ottoman Empire.
In 1783 eastern Georgia placed itself under Russian protection and was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801. After a brief independence from 1918, the Democratic Republic of Georgia was occupied by the Red Army in 1921 and became part of the Soviet Union. Georgia regained independence in 1991. Its early years were marked by civil strife and armed conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, whose status remains disputed; the Rose Revolution of 2003 and a war with Russia in 2008 were further turning points.
Today Georgia is shaped by its ancient language and church, its famous hospitality and wine culture, and its position between Europe and Asia.
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