November 548
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Historical Background of National Archives of Georgia

An essential component of contemporary humanity's cultural life is the archive. It holds a special position in the nation as a record of the wisdom and experience of the ancestors and as a documentary memory. It is a priceless treasure trove of historical records that contain human wisdom and experience amassed throughout the ages. In contemporary civilized nations, archives and archival operations are regarded as crucial domains for political construction.

The country's political, economic, scientific, and cultural interests are served by the National Archives, and the vital foundation of authority is the documented legacy of one's forefathers.

The word "archive" is Latin. Its original meaning, which dates back to the second century B.C., was "the place where the state acts were stored." Its etymology is linked to the Greek word ἀρχή (arkhē), which originally denoted the location of the authority and subsequently the repository for official records. 

The emergence of written documents and the need for their conservation and preservation are related to the founding of the archive.

The manuscripts were kept and conserved by their authors, secular and ecclesiastical authorities, courts, and religious institutions in ancient Georgia and other nations. Each authority refers to a set of legal norms and the supporting documentation for both domestic and international family members, including legislative actions, income-expense books, agreements, deeds, diplomatic letters, etc.

Although we lack precise and direct announcements regarding the archives of the ancient era, it is established through oblique notifications that there was a royal archive in the sixth century that served as both a repository for papers and a treasury. There were also private archives and churches.

According to the statute concerning the construction of the Republic's Central Scientific Archive, enacted by the Democratic Republic of Georgia, the contemporary archives in Georgia were formed on April 23, 1920.

The Georgian revolutionary committee published a decree on July 1, 1921, titled "About the Reorganization of the Archival Affair," which governed the archival field of the Georgian SSR for nearly 70 years.

The State Department of Archives of Georgia, under the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, has been the official representative of the state since 2004.

The Minister of Justice of Georgia passed Law No. 71 on March 12, 2007, which established the National Archives of Georgia as a legal entity of public law.

Currently, the National Archives has approved state authority over the archival and bussiness correspondence labor domains, as well as the establishment of the national archival fonds.