Mikheil Tsereteli

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Prince Mikheil G. Tsereteli (Michael von Zereteli. მიხეილ წერეთელი in Georgian. December 23, 1878-March 2, 1965) was a famous Georgian historian, philologist, sociologist and public benefactor, Dr.Sci., Professor.

He was born in 1878, in a village Tskhrukveti (Imereti region of Western Georgia). His father was Prince Giorgi Tsereteli. His brother Vasil Tsereteli (1862-1938) was a famous Georgian physician, writer and public benefactor.

In 1911 Mikheil Tsereteli graduated from the Heidelberg University (Germany). In 1913 he received a PhD degree in History. In 1914-1918 he was Associate Professor of the Berlin University and Chairman of the Committee of Independent Georgia. In 1916 Tsereteli was a representative of Georgia in the Union of Nations in Lausanne, in 1918-1919 Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG) in Sweden and Norway.

In 1919-1921 Tsereteli was a Professor of the Tbilisi State University (TSU).

On February 25, 1921 the sovereign Georgia was occupied by the Soviet Russia. Since March, 1921 Mikheil Tsereteli was the Emigre.

In 1921-1933 Tsereteli was a Professor of the University of Brussels (Belgium), in 1933-1945 Professor of the Berlin University. Since 1945 he lived and worked in Munich.

In 1930s-1940s he was a Chairman of the "Georgian National Committee" (Berlin-Paris).

Mikheil Tsereteli was a member of the Editorial Board of the International Scientific Journal "Bedi Kartlisa - Revue de Kartvelologie" (Paris).

Main fields of scientific activity of Prof. Tsereteli were: Sumerology, history of Georgia and the Caucasus, history of Ibero-Caucasian civilization, Rustvelology (Shota Rustaveli was a great Georgian Poet of the 12th century), the rights of the Nations (Peoples), sociology, etc. He was author of more than 80 scientific-research works (among them about 10 monographs).

Mikheil Tsereteli died in 1965, in Munich. He is buried in Leuville-sur-Orge (France).

[edit] Some of main scientific works of Mikheil Tsereteli

• "Nation and mankind. Sociological investigation" (a monograph), Tbilisi, 1910, 250 pp (In Georgian)
• "Sumerian and Georgian: a study in comparative philology" (a monograph), JRAS, 1913 (In English)
• Shota Rustaveli. "Der Mann im Tigerfelle". Edited and translated from Georgian by M. Tsereteli, Munchen, 1955 (In German)
• "Georgien und der Weltkrieg" (a monograph), Potsdam, 1915 (In German)
• "Das Sumerische und das Georgische".- "Bedi Kartlisa - Revue de Kartvelologie", No 32-33, Paris (In German)