Menabde, L. (Ed.) The Martyrdom of Shushanik: Research and Essays (Shushanikis tsameba: Gamokvlevebi da tserilebi), 1978. In Georgian.

შუშანიკის წამება : გამოკვლევები და წერილები. / რედ.: ლ. მენაბდე.
თბილისი : თბილისის უნივერსიტეტის გამომცემლობა, 1978.
234 გვ. ; 21 სმ. ტირაჟი 3000 ც. წიგნი ეძღვნება იაკობ ცურტაველის "შუშანიკის წამების" 1500 წლისთავს.
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The Martyrdom of Shushanik: Research and Essays (Shushanikis tsameba: Gamokvlevebi da tserilebi). / Ed.: L. Menabde.
Tbilisi: Tbilisi University Press, 1978.
234 pp.; 21 cm. Print run: 3,000 copies. Published in honor of the 1500th anniversary of Jakob Tsurtaveli’s "The Martyrdom of Shushanik." In Georgian.

This 1978 scholarly volume is a landmark commemorative collection dedicated to the crown jewel of Georgian hagiography, "The Martyrdom of Shushanik" (Shushanikis tsameba). Published by Tbilisi State University Press under the rigorous editorship of the prominent philologist Levan Menabde, the book was issued to mark the 1500th anniversary of the work’s creation by Jakob Tsurtaveli in the 5th century (approx. 476–483 AD).
"The Martyrdom of Shushanik" is the earliest surviving original work of Georgian literature. It recounts the tragic and heroic resistance of Queen Shushanik against her husband, Prince Varsken, who had renounced Christianity for Zoroastrianism to appease the Persian Empire. This collection brings together specialized research and essays from leading Kartvelologists of the Soviet era, analyzing the text from historical, linguistic, and theological perspectives.
The essays within explore the complex political landscape of 5th-century Kartli, the stylistic innovations of Tsurtaveli’s prose—which is noted for its psychological realism rare in early medieval hagiography—and the enduring impact of Shushanik’s martyrdom on Georgian national identity. As a 1500-year anniversary edition, this book serves as both a scientific resource and a tribute to the deep antiquity of the Georgian literary tradition.
With a limited print run of 3,000 copies, this academic publication is highly sought after by Kartvelologists, historians of the Caucasus, and collectors of scholarly Georgian editions. It remains an essential reference for understanding the foundational text that began the written history of Georgia.