A study by Caucasus University Professor Tengiz Verulava - “Peripheral Intellectuality and Hellenic Paideia in Late Antiquity: Reassessing the Colchian School,” has been published in the international peer-reviewed journal Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica (2026, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 389–406).

The study explores the intellectual legacy of the Colchian school of rhetoric and philosophy, active near Phasis in Late Antiquity, and its place in the educational landscape of the Greco-Roman world.

Drawing on historical sources, particularly the writings of Themistius, the renowned fourth-century philosopher and rhetorician, the article examines the school’s philosophical orientations, the influence of Aristotelian and Platonic traditions, and its connections with the intellectual centres of the Roman Empire.

The study’s principal scholarly contribution lies in its formulation of the concept of “peripheral intellectuality,” which presents Colchis not as a passive recipient of Hellenic culture, but as an active regional centre for preserving, interpreting and disseminating knowledge.

The article highlights western Georgia’s significant place in the intellectual history of the ancient world and offers a new perspective on the study of Georgia’s educational and philosophical heritage in an international context.

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica is indexed in Scopus.

Article citation:

Verulava, T. (2026). Peripheral Intellectuality and Hellenic Paideia in Late Antiquity: Reassessing the Colchian School. Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica, 32(1): 389-406. DOI: 10.47743/saa-2026-32-1-18

Link: http://saa.uaic.ro/32-1-18/