Session of the Commission for the Study of National Issues

• July 1, 2021

Professor Shalva Gabeskiria’s report “On the etymology and origin of the toponym Tbilisi” was presented to the Commission for the Study of National Issues at the National Academy of Sciences. He noted that in scholarly literature there are two viewpoints on the etymology of the name Tbilisi and priority is given to the version according to which the name of the Georgian capital had been derived from the Georgian adjective tbili/tpil by adding the ending – is to it. Professor Gabeskiria does not share this opinion, first of all, due to the fact that the topo formant -is does not form toponyms from adjectives. The version of deriving “Tbilisi” from “tbili” (warm) is not justified in foreign (Greek, Armenian) sources either. In the first century A.D., Josephus Flavius put forward his view according to which the Iberians originate from Tobel. This opinion was shared by many scholars afterwards. Professor Gabeskiria holds the view that the old name of our capital Tpilisi is obtained as a result of contamination of *Tablisi and the adjective tpili.
The Commission decided to bring the main content of the report to the attention of the scientific community and those who are interested in this topic.