STRUCTURAL CODICOLOGICAL STUDY OF ONE GEORGIAN MANUSCRIPT PRESERVED AT K. KEKELIDZE NATIONAL CENTER OF MANUSCRIPTS

Abstract

The formation of Georgian written culture dates back to the 5th century, as evidenced by early ecclesiastical manuscripts executed on parchment. Parchment was widely used as a writing material and was also locally produced, while its reusability is confirmed by Georgian palimpsests, whose undertexts date from the 5th to the 11th centuries. The long-standing predominance of parchment underscores the importance of its codicological and structural study in the context of manuscript conservation and restoration.

This paper examines Codex S-4999, preserved at the Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts, one of the earliest copies of the “December Menaion” translated by Giorgi the Athonite. The manuscript, copied in the first quarter of the 12th century in Tao-Klarjeti, at the Khantsta monastery by the deacon Stephane, represents an important source for understanding cultural and historical processes of book production. The codex comprises 332 folios and is entirely palimpsestic; the undertexts date to the 10th–11th centuries and are presumed to contain homiletic and liturgical content.

The study reveals technological features of parchment preparation and reinforcement, including methods used in the Middle Ages to repair material damage. Observations indicate that the craftsmen possessed effective techniques for strengthening the material, although less attention was paid to visual aspects. The codex constitutes a significant source for codicological, historiographical, and conservation studies, while analysis of its material structure contributes to interdisciplinary research and supports the application of modern preservation methods.

Keywords: Manuscript, Archeography, Parchment, structure, conservation.