საქართველოს ისტორიულ-ეთნოგრაფიული მხარეების სამეურნეო-ეკონომიკური კავშირები

Abstract

Each ethnographic region of Georgia was mainly one economic unit. Some historical-ethnographic/geographic regions were distinctly lowland, some – highland, some others – upland (foothills). Representatives of one ethnographic group of Georgia had more crops; others had products of vinegrowing, fruits, products of cattlebreeding and sheepbreeding. Therefore, ethnographic groups of Georgia filled their deficit of agricultural products by economic relations with one another. Ivane Javakhishvili considered this fact to be the basis for a settlement area of Georgians, unity and integrity of the country and that political unity, statehood, first of all, was determined by natural-geographic, landscape and climatic and, proceeding from this, economic diversity. The present work presents historical data and ethnographic materials proving economic relations historically existing between different historicalethnographic regions of Georgia. From the concrete facts of economic ties between the different historical-ethnographic units of Georgia we can name: outside work of the highlanders; use of lowland pastures by highland shephards and vice versa; trade relations between different regions, etc. Despite the fact that the historical-ethnographic units of South Georgia from the end of the 16th century turned to be within the Ottoman Empire, the economic relations established in the depth of history were not broken. The regions, politically separated from Georgia, brought agricultural products, food products, especially bread, to Tbilisi and Gori for sale. Here, cattle and sheep from entire Georgia gathered on the spring pastures. In the late Middle Ages the population of the mentioned region did not suspend economic ties with the population of not only East, but of West Georgia as well. The facts are stressed that the higlanders brough to the lowland not only cattle and sheep to the winter pastures, but they also were given lands there (vineyards) into ownership. All the historical-ethnographic groups of Georgia were engaged in trade relations. The Georgian people represent one economic system. Ivane Javakhishvili saw the basis of political unity of Georgians just in close economic relations between the different historical-ethnographic regions.