Georgians are an ethnic group native to
Georgia and the
Caucasus, with diaspora communities throughout Russia, Turkey, Greece, Iran, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union. Georgians arose from
Colchian and
Iberian civilizations of classical antiquity. In the early 4th century, the
Georgians became one of the first to embrace Christianity and now the majority of Georgians are
Orthodox Christians. The Georgian nation was formed out of a diverse set of geographic subgroups, each with its characteristic traditions, manners,
dialects and, in the case of the
Svans and
Mingrelians, regional languages. The
Georgian language, with its
own unique writing system and extensive written tradition, which goes back to the 5th century, is the
official language of Georgia. According to the
State Ministry on Diaspora Issues of Georgia, unofficial statistics say that there are more than five million Georgians across the world. This photograph, taken around 1888 in
Mestia, shows an elderly Svan peasant with a dagger and smoking a long pipe. The image is in the collection of the
Library of Congress in the United States.
Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden