Roman-Byzantine Eagles in the Georgian Context from the Early Antiquity to the Medieval and Modern Periods

Recently, more than ever, the role of monuments has been imperative for scholars to shape national identity both for nationalism and memory studies. However, since the state has an influence on the society’s cultural memory, it simultaneously controls perceptions formed around icons and/or symbols, as well as their display as the embodiment of the national virtue. Once emerged, created, appropriated, or borrowed, national symbols and their perception take on a life of their own.
The article focuses on iconic symbols of “Eagles” in the Georgian context from the early Antiquity to the Medieval and Modern periods. It explores the implication of the symbol and its functions to establish meaning in the society. The paper explains the process of interaction among meaning, style, content, and receivers, as well as provides a framework to understand how historical memory can serve as a constitutive, relational, and purposive content for collective and state identities.
Acknowledging that heritage is a highly political process, susceptible to the needs of power, the research draws on a number of examples to underline that the symbols of the past portrayed in various media legitimate political symbolism in fact represent political standpoint.

Keywords: eagle, memory, national identity, imperial symbols, symbols of power.