Dimitri Bakradze

Dimitri Bakradze ( ka, დიმიტრი ბაქრაძე) (26 October 1826 – 10 February 1890) was a Georgian scholar who authored several influential works in the history, archaeology and ethnography of Georgia and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. He was born in the village Khashmi in the family of a priest in

Kakheti Kakheti (; ) is a region of Georgia. Telavi is its administrative center. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Qvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakhetians speak the ...

, eastern Georgia, (then under the

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

n rule). In 1851 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy. Educated at the theological academies of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

and

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Bakradze worked as a teacher at Gori and a governmental clerk at

Kutaisi Kutaisi ( ; ka, ქუთაისი ) is a city in the Imereti region of the Georgia (country), Republic of Georgia. One of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the List o ...

in the 1850s. At the same time, he regularly wrote articles on Georgia's history and ethnography for Georgian and Russian press. In 1861, Bakradze permanently settled in Tbilisi where he energetically engaged in public and scholarly activities. In 1875, he published his resonant work ''The Caucasus in Ancient Monuments of Christianity'' (). In 1878, Bakradze was the first scholar to have travelled and studied

Adjara Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a ...

and

Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: * Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli * Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008 {{set index article Kingdom of Iberia Historical regions of Georgia (country) ...

, the historical Georgian lands recently recovered from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. His accounts of this research appeared in several publications and, in 1879, he was elected a

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Imperial Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

. Among the works of Bakradze, those published in the Georgian language stand out: "History of Georgia" (1889), "Georgia and Georgians" (1854); as well as published in Russian "Caucasus in the ancient monuments of Christianity" (1875), "Archaeological journey through Grugia and Adchara" (1878), "Articles on the history and antiquities of Georgia" (1887). He helped found the Society for the Spreading of Literacy Among Georgians (1879), Society of Amateurs of Caucasian Archaeology (1873), the Society for Caucasian History and Archaeology (1881; chaired it until 1886) and the Museum of Church Antiquities at the

Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral The Sioni Cathedral of the Dormition () is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Following a medieval Georgian tradition of naming churches after specific places in the Holy Land, the Sioni Cathedral bears the ...

(1889). His last major work, ''The History of Georgia'' (Georgian: ისტორია საქართველოსი), appeared in 1889 and was an insightful study into the history of Georgia from the beginnings to the end of the 10th century. Bakradze died in Tbilisi in 1890 and is buried at the

Mtatsminda Pantheon The Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures ( ka, მთაწმინდის მწერალთა და საზოგადო მოღვაწეთა პანთეონი, ''mtats'mindis mts'eralta da sazogado mo ...

. He has a street named after him in Tbilisi. His son, Zakaria Bakradze, went on to serve as a general in the Georgian and

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armies. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bakradze, Dimitri 1826 births 1890 deaths Burials at Didube Pantheon People from Kakheti People from Georgia Governorate 19th-century historians from Georgia (country) Archaeologists from Tbilisi Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Writers from Tbilisi Moscow Theological Academy alumni