Georgia | Calm History For Sleep

Relax with calm bedtime reading that helps you drift into sleep and ease insomnia. This soothing journey helps quiet your thoughts as you explore Georgia in a peaceful and sleep-friendly way.

In this episode, Benjamin reads about Georgia’s ancient history, its place between Europe and Asia, and its rich cultural traditions in a slow and steady cadence. There is no whispering, just calm and informative storytelling that allows your mind to settle naturally. As the details unfold, your body can relax and your breathing may soften, helping you drift toward rest. Whether you are dealing with insomnia, stress, or anxiety, this gentle exploration offers both comfort and quiet learning. Press play, get comfortable, and drift off as you explore. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast where I help you drift off one fact at a time. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster, And today's episode is about the country Georgia. Thanks to Mocha for sponsoring today's episode. She says, Bilal Rais, I love you, And I can't wait to see you soon. Your girlfriend, Mocha. Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region on the coast of the Black Sea. It is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia, And is today generally regarded as part of Europe. It is bordered to the north and northeast by Russia, To the west by the Black Sea, To the south by Turkey and Armenia, And to the southeast by Azerbaijan. Georgia covers an area of 69, 700 square kilometers. It has a population of 3. 9 million, Of which over a third live in Tbilisi, The capital and largest city. Georgians, Who are native to the region and constitute the majority of the population, Are ethno-linguistically distinct from all of their neighboring nations, And primarily speak Georgian, A Kartvelian language that has no relation to any other language family in the world. Georgia has been inhabited since prehistory, And is known for hosting the world's earliest known sites of winemaking. The Classical era saw the emergence of several kingdoms, Such as Colchis and Iberia, That formed the nucleus of the modern Georgian state. In the early 4th century, Georgians officially adopted Christianity, Which contributed to their unification under the Kingdom of Georgia. Georgia reached its golden age during the High Middle Ages under the reigns of King David IV and Queen Tamar. Beginning in the 15th century, The kingdom declined and disintegrated under relentless attacks from hostile empires, Like the Mongols, The Ottoman Empire, And Persia. Georgia requested support from the Russian Empire, Which ended up gradually annexing the country starting in 1801. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia briefly emerged as an independent republic under German protection. However, The country was invaded and annexed by the Red Army in 1921, Then became one of the republics of the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, An independence movement grew quickly, Leading to Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union in April 1991. For much of the subsequent decade, The country endured economic crises, Political instability, And secessionist wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Following the peaceful Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia strongly pursued a pro-Western foreign policy, Introducing a series of reforms aimed at integration into the European Union and NATO. This Western orientation led to worsening relations with Russia, Culminating in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 and continued Russian occupation of parts of Georgia. Georgia is a representative democracy, Governed as a unitary parliamentary republic. It is a developing country with a very high human development index and an emerging market economy. Sweeping economic reforms since 2003 have resulted in one of the freest business climates in the world, Greater economic freedom and transparency, And among the fastest rates of GDP growth. Georgia is a member of numerous international organizations, Including the Council of Europe, Eurocontrol, BSEC, Guam, And Energy Community. As part of the Association Trio, Georgia is an official candidate for membership in the European Union. Since October 2024, Georgia has been immersed in a deep political crisis. Ancient Greeks, Strabo, Herodotus, Plutarch, Homer, Etc. , And Romans, Titus, Livius, Tacitus, Etc. , Referred to early Western Germans as Colchians, And Eastern Georgians as Iberians. The first mention of the name Georgia is in Italian on the Mappa Mundi of Pietro Vesconte, Dated 1320. At the early stage of its appearance in the Latin world, The name was often spelled J-O-R-G-I-A. Lore-based theories were given by traveler Jacques de Vitry, Who explained the name's origin by the popularity of St. George among Georgians, While Jean Chardin thought that Georgia came from the Greek Georgos, Tiller of the land. Modern scholarship generally derives the name Georgia from the Persian term Gorg, A historical ethnonym for Georgians. The ultimate origin of this term is debated, Though it may be connected to Gurgan, A region name, Meaning land of wolves. From Persian, The term was borrowed into Byzantine, Greek, Slavic, And later Western European languages. The adoption of the term Georgia in Western Europe coincided with increased contact during the Crusades and trade through Black Sea ports, Controlled by Genoese merchants. The association with St. George, A popular figure in medieval Christendom, May have reinforced the exonym's appeal in Latin Europe. The native name is Sargartvelio, Land of Kartvelians, Derived from the core central Georgian region of Kartli, Recorded from the 9th century, And in extended usage, Referring to the entire medieval kingdom of Georgia prior to the 13th century. The Georgian circumfix, Sa-Kh-O, Is a standard geographic instruction designating the area where X dwell, Where X is an ethnonym. The self-designation used by ethnic Georgians is Kartvelebi, First attested in the Umle-Sun inscription found in the Old City of Jerusalem, Dated to the 5th or 6th century. The medieval Georgian chronicles present an eponymous ancestor of the Kartvelians, Kartlos, A great-grandson of Japheth, Who medieval chroniclers believe to have been the root of the local name of their kingdom. However, Scholars agree that the word Kartli is derived from the Karts, A proto-Kartvelian tribe that emerged as a dominant regional group in ancient times. The name Sargartvelo consists of two parts, Its root, Kartveli, Specifies an inhabitant of the core central eastern Georgian region of Kartli, Or Iberia, As it is known in sources of the Eastern Roman Empire. The official English-language name of the country is Georgia, Per Article 2 of the English-language version of the Georgian Constitution, Adopted in 1995, Although at the time the name was specified in Article 1 instead. In Georgia's two official languages, Georgian and Abkhaz, The country is named Sargartvelo and Kartvela, Respectively. Prior to the adoption of the Constitution in 1995, And following the dissolution of the USSR, The country was officially called the Republic of Georgia. Several languages continue to use the Russian variant of the country's name, Gruzia, Which the Georgian authorities have sought to replace through diplomatic campaigns. Since 2006, Israel, Japan, South Korea, And Hungary officially changed their appellation of the country to variants of the English Georgia. In 2020, Lithuania became the first country in the world to adopt Sargartvelo's in all official communications. The oldest traces of archaic humans in what is now Georgia date from approximately 1. 8 million years ago in the form of the Dmanisi hominins, A subspecies of Homo erectus, Representing the oldest known fossils of hominins in Eurasia. Buffered by the Caucasus and benefiting from the Black Sea ecosystem, The region seems to have served as a refugium throughout the Pleistocene, While the first continuous primitive settlements date back to the Middle Paleolithic, Close to 200, 000 years ago. During the Upper Paleolithic, Settlements developed mostly in western Georgia in the valleys of the Rioni and Kvirila rivers. Signs of agriculture date back to at least the 6th millennium BC, Especially in western Georgia, While the Mekvari basin became stably populated in the 5th millennium BC, As evidenced with the rise of various cultures closely associated with the Fertile Crescent, Including the Triletian Mesolithic, The Shulaveri-Shomu culture, And the Lelatepe culture. Archaeological findings show that settlements in modern-day Georgia were responsible for the first use of fibers, Possibly for clothing, More than 34, 000 years ago. It also hosts the earliest known sites of winemaking, Dating to circa 6, 000 BCE, And the first signs of gold mining, 3rd millennium BC. The Kura-Araxes, Trileti-Vanatsur, And Kolkian cultures coincided with the development of proto-Kartvelian tribes that may have come from Anatolia during the expansion of the Hittite Empire, Including the Mushki, Laz, And Baziris. Some historians have suggested that the collapse of the Hittite world in the Late Bronze Age led to an expansion of the influence of these tribes in the Mediterranean Sea, Notably the Kingdom of Tabal. The Classical period saw the rise of a number of Georgian states, Including Colchis in western Georgia, Where Greek mythology located the Golden Fleece, Sought after by the Argonauts. Archaeological evidence points to a wealthy kingdom in Colchis as early as the 14th century BC. And an extensive trade network with Greek colonies on the eastern Black Sea shore, Though the entire region would be annexed first by Pontus and then by the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. Eastern Georgia remained a decentralized mosaic of various clans until the 4th century BC, When it was conquered by Alexander the Great, Eventually leading to the creation of the Kingdom of Iberia under the protectorate of the Seleucid Empire, An early example of advanced state organization under one king, And an aristocratic hierarchy. Various wars with the Roman Empire, Parthia, And Armenia made Iberia regularly change its allegiance, Though it remained a Roman client state for most of its history. In 337, King Marian III adopted Christianity as the state religion of Iberia, Beginning the Christianization of the western Caucasus region and solidly anchoring it in Rome's sphere of influence by abandoning the ancient Georgian polytheistic religion heavily influenced by Zoroastrianism. However, The Peace of Assylacene in 384 formalized the Sasanian control over the entire Caucasus, Though Christian rulers of Iberia sought to rebel at times, Leading to devastating wars in the 5th through the 6th centuries, Most famously under the rule of King Vatang Gorgasali, Who expanded Iberia to its largest historical extent by capturing all of western Georgia and building a new capital in Tbilisi. In 580, The Sasanian Empire abolished the Kingdom of Iberia, Leading to the disintegration of its constituent territories into various feudal regions by the early Middle Ages. The Roman-Persian Wars plunged the region into chaos, With both Persia and Constantinople supporting various warring factions in the Caucasus. However, The Byzantine Empire was able to establish control over Georgian territories by the end of the 6th century, Ruling Iberia indirectly through local kurapolities. In 645, The Arabs invaded southeastern Georgia, Starting an extended period of Muslim domination in the region. This also led to the establishment of several feudal states seeking independence from each other, Such as the Emirate of Tbilisi and the Principality of Kakheti. Western Georgia remained mostly a Byzantine protectorate, Especially following the Lazic War. The lack of a central government in Georgia allowed the rise of the Bagrationi dynasty in the early 9th century. Consolidating lands in the southwestern region of Tau Klarjeti, Prince Hashad I, 813-830, Used infighting between Arab governors to expand his influence to Iberia and was recognized as presiding prince of Iberia by both the Abbasid Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. Though Hashad's descendants formed competing princely lines, Adonai IV managed to unify most Georgian lands, Except for the Kakheti and Abkhazia, And was crowned king of the Iberians in 888, Restoring the monarchy abolished three centuries before. In western Georgia, The king of Abkhazia benefited from the weakening of Byzantium in the region to unify various tribes and become one of the most powerful states of the Caucasus in the 8th century. In the 9th through the 10th centuries, Abkhazia grew its influence through several military campaigns and came to control much of Iberia and competing with the Bagrationi. Dynastic conflicts eventually weakened Abkhazia in the second half of the 10th century, While in Tauklargeti, Prince David III used his influence within Byzantine Anatolia to empower the Bagrationi. Bagrat III, Heir of the Bagrationi dynasty, Successfully became king of Abkhazia in 978. Prince of Tauklargeti, 1000, And king of the Iberians, 1008, Allowing him to unify most Georgian feudal states and be crowned in 1010 as king of Georgia. For much of the 11th century, The nascent Georgian kingdom experienced geopolitical and internal difficulties with various noble factions opposed to the centralization of the Georgian state. They were often backed by the Byzantine Empire, Which feared a dominion of the Caucasus region by the Bagrationi dynasty, And in some instances fueled internal conflict through aristocratic families seeking more power. However, Ties between Byzantium and Georgia were normalized when the two countries faced a new common enemy, The rising Seljuk Empire in the 1060s. Following the decisive Byzantine defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, Constantinople started to retreat from Eastern Anatolia, And entrusted Georgia with its administration, Placing Georgia at the forefront of war with the Turks in the 1080s. The kingdom of Georgia reached its zenith in the 12th to early 13th centuries. This period, During the reigns of David IV and his great-granddaughter Tamar, Has been widely termed as the Georgian Golden Age. This early Georgian renaissance, Which preceded its Western European analogue, Was characterized by impressive military victories, Territorial expansion, And a cultural renaissance in architecture, Literature, Philosophy, And the sciences. The Golden Age of Georgia left a legacy of great cathedrals, Romantic poetry and literature, And the epic poem, The Night in the Panther's Skin, Considered a national epic. David IV suppressed dissent of feudal lords and centralized power in his hands to effectively deal with foreign threats. In 1121, He decisively defeated much larger Turkish armies during the Battle of Didgri and abolished the Emirate of Tbilisi. The 29-year reign of Tamar, The first female ruler of Georgia, Is considered the most successful in Georgian history. Tamar was given the title, King of Kings, And succeeded in neutralizing her opposition, While embarking on an energetic foreign policy aided by the downfall of the rival powers of the Seljuks and Byzantium. Supported by a powerful military elite, Tamar was able to build on the successes of her predecessors to consolidate an empire that dominated the Caucasus and extended over large parts of present-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, Eastern Turkey, And northern Iran, And used the vacuum of power left by the Fourth Crusade to create the Empire of Trebizond as a Georgian vassal state. The revival of the Kingdom of Georgia was set back after Tbilisi was captured and destroyed by the Khwarezmian leader Jalal ad-Din in 1226, Followed by devastating invasions by Mongol ruler Genghis Khan. The Mongols were expelled by George V, The Brilliant, Known for reuniting eastern and western Georgia and restoring the country's previous strength and Christian culture. After his death, Local rulers fought for their independence from central Georgian rule until the total disintegration of the kingdom in the 15th century. Georgia was further weakened by several disastrous invasions by Timur. Invasions continued, Giving the kingdom no time for restoration, With both Kara-Koyunlu and Akh-Koyunlu Turkomans constantly raiding its southern provinces.