Editing Georgian scripts (section)

== ''Asomtavruli'' ==
[[File:Mikael Modrekili Iadgari (2).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Iadgari of Mikael Modrekili]] in Asomtavruli, 10th century.]]
'''Asomtavruli''' ({{lang-ka|ასომთავრული}}, {{Lang|ka|ႠႱႭႫႧႠႥႰႳႪႨ}}; {{IPA|ka|asomtʰavɾuli}}) is the oldest Georgian script. The name {{lang|ka-Latn|Asomtavruli}} means "capital letters", from {{lang|ka-Latn|aso}} ({{lang|ka|ასო}}) "letter" and {{lang|ka-Latn|mtavari}} ({{lang|ka|მთავარი}}) "principal/head". It is also known as '''Mrgvlovani''' ({{lang-ka|მრგვლოვანი}}) "rounded", from {{lang|ka-Latn|mrgvali}} ({{lang|ka|მრგვალი}}) "round", so named because of its round letter shapes. Despite its name, this "capital" script is [[unicase|unicameral]].{{sfn|Daniels|1996|p=367}}

The oldest Asomtavruli inscriptions found so far date from the 5th century{{sfn|Machavariani|2011| p= 177}} and are [[Bir el Qutt inscriptions|Bir el Qutt]]<ref>ქსე, ტ. 7, თბ., 1984, გვ. 651–652</ref> and the [[Bolnisi inscriptions]].<ref>შანიძე ა., ქართული საბჭოთა ენციკლოპედია, ტ. 2, გვ. 454–455, თბ., 1977 წელი</ref>

From the 9th century, Nuskhuri script started becoming dominant, and the role of Asomtavruli was reduced. However, [[epigraphic]] monuments of the 10th to 18th centuries continued to be written in Asomtavruli script. Asomtavruli in this later period became more decorative. In the majority of 9th-century Georgian manuscripts which were written in Nuskhuri script, Asomtavruli was used for titles and the first letters of chapters.<ref>კ. დანელია, ზ. სარჯველაძე, ქართული პალეოგრაფია, თბილისი, 1997, გვ. 218–219</ref> However, some manuscripts written completely in Asomtavruli can be found until the 11th century.<ref>ე. მაჭავარიანი, მწიგნობრობაჲ ქართული, თბილისი, 1989</ref>

===Form of Asomtavruli letters===
In early Asomtavruli, the letters are of equal height. Georgian historian and philologist [[Pavle Ingorokva]] believes that the direction of Asomtavruli, like that of Greek, was initially [[boustrophedon]], though the direction of the earliest surviving texts is from left to the right.<ref>პ. ინგოროყვა, "შოთა რუსთაველი", "მნათობი", 1966, No. 3, გვ. 116</ref>

In most Asomtavruli letters, straight lines are horizontal or vertical and meet at right angles. The only letter with [[acute angle]]s is '''Ⴟ''' ([[Jani (letter)|''jani'']]). There have been various attempts to explain this exception. Georgian linguist and art historian Helen Machavariani believes ''jani'' derives from a [[Chi Rho|monogram of Christ]], composed of {{Script|Geok|Ⴈ}} (''[[Ini (Georgian letter)|ini]]'') and {{Script|Geok|Ⴕ}} (''[[Kani (letter)|kani]]'').{{sfn|Machavariani|2011| pp= 121–122}} According to Georgian scholar Ramaz Pataridze, the cross-like shape of letter ''jani'' indicates the end of the alphabet, and has the same function as the similarly shaped [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] letter [[taw]] ([[File:Phoenician taw.svg|20px]]), [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] [[Chi (letter)|chi]] (Χ), and [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] [[X]],<ref>რ. პატარიძე, ქართული ასომთავრული, თბილისი, 1980, გვ. 151, 260–261</ref> though these letters do not have that function in Phoenician, Greek, or Latin.

<div class="center">[[File:Coin of Queen Tamar 1200 AD.png|130px]] [[File:ლაშა-გიორგის მონეტა 1210 წ..png|130px]]<br/><small>Coins of Queen [[Tamar of Georgia]] and King [[George IV of Georgia]] minted using Asomtavruli script, 1200–1210 AD.</small></div>

From the 7th century, the forms of some letters began to change. The equal height of the letters was abandoned, with letters acquiring ascenders and descenders.<ref>ივ. ჯავახიშვილი, ქართული დამწერლობათა-მცოდნეობა ანუ პალეოგრაფია, თბილისი, 1949, 185–187</ref><ref>ე. მაჭავარიანი, ქართული ანბანი, თბილისი, 1977, გვ. 5–6</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="line-height:1.2;width:30em;"
|+Asomtavruli letters
|- style="text-align:center;"
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴀ</span><br/>''ani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴁ</span><br/>''bani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴂ</span><br/>''gani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴃ</span><br/>''doni''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴄ</span><br/>''eni''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴅ</span><br/>''vini''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴆ</span><br/>''zeni''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴡ</span><br/>''he''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴇ</span><br/>''tani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴈ</span><br/>''ini''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴉ</span><br/>''kʼani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴊ</span><br/>''lasi''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴋ</span><br/>''mani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴌ</span><br/>''nari''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴢ</span><br/>''hie''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴍ</span><br/>''oni''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴎ</span><br/>''pʼari''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴏ</span><br/>''zhani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴐ</span><br/>''rae''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴑ</span><br/>''sani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴒ</span><br/>''tʼari''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴣ</span><br/>''vie''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴓ/ႭჃ</span><br/>''uni''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴔ</span><br/>''pari''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴕ</span><br/>''kani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴖ</span><br/>''ghani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴗ</span><br/>''qʼari''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴘ</span><br/>''shini''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴙ</span><br/>''chini''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴚ</span><br/>''tsani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴛ</span><br/>''dzili''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴜ</span><br/>''ts'ili''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴝ</span><br/>''ch'ari''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴞ</span><br/>''khani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴤ</span><br/>''qari''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴟ</span><br/>''jani''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴠ</span><br/>''hae''
|bgcolor="#ffffff"| <span style="font-size:230%;">Ⴥ</span><br/>''hoe''
|}

===Asomtavruli illumination===
In Nuskhuri manuscripts, Asomtavruli are used for titles and [[illuminated capital]]s. The latter were used at the beginnings of paragraphs which started new sections of text. In the early stages of the development of Nuskhuri texts, Asomtavruli letters were not elaborate and were distinguished principally by size and sometimes by being written in [[cinnabar]] ink. Later, from the 10th century, the letters were illuminated. The style of Asomtavruli capitals can be used to identify the era of a text. For example, in the Georgian manuscripts of the [[Byzantine art|Byzantine]] era, when the styles of the [[Byzantine Empire]] influenced [[Kingdom of Georgia]], capitals were illuminated with images of birds and other animals.<ref>ელენე მაჭავარიანი, ენციკლოპედია "ქართული ენა", თბილისი, 2008, გვ. 403–404</ref>

<div class="center">[[File:Asomtavruli letter მ.png|110px]] [[File:Asomtavruli letter თ (t).png|110px]]<br/><small>Decorative Asomtavruli capital letters, [[Mani (letter)|Ⴋ]] (m) and [[Tani (letter)|Ⴇ]] (t), 12–13th century.</small></div>

From the 11th-century "limb-flowery", "limb-arrowy" and "limb-spotty" decorative forms of Asomtavruli are developed. The first two are found in 11th- and 12th-century monuments, whereas the third one is used until the 18th century.<ref>ვ. სილოგავა, ენციკლოპედია "ქართული ენა", თბილისი, 2008, გვ. 269–271</ref><ref>ივ. ჯავახიშვილი, ქართული დამწერლობათა-მცოდნეობა ანუ პალეოგრაფია, თბილისი, 1949, 124–126</ref>

Importance was attached also to the colour of the ink itself.{{sfn|Machavariani|2011| p= 120}}

Asomtavruli letter [[Ⴃ]] (''doni'') is often written with decoration effects of [[fish]] and [[bird]]s.{{sfn|Machavariani|2011| p= 129}}

The "Curly" decorative form of Asomtavruli is also used where the letters are wattled or intermingled on each other, or the smaller letters are written inside other letters. It was mostly used for the headlines of the manuscripts or the books, although there are complete inscriptions which were written in the Asomtavruli "Curly" form only.<ref>ივ. ჯავახიშვილი, ქართული დამწერლობათა-მცოდნეობა ანუ პალეოგრაფია, თბილისი, 1949, 127–128</ref>

<div class="center">{{anchor|Gospel of Matthew}}[[File:Mokvis saxareba - Mates saxareba.png|250px]]<br/><small>The title of [[Gospel of Matthew]] in Asomtavruli "Curly" decorative form.</small></div>

===Handwriting of Asomtavruli===
The following table shows the stroke direction of each Asomtavruli letter:{{sfn|Mchedlidze|2013| p= 105}}

[[File:Asomtavruli.svg|500px|center]]