Abstract

The article compares Mtskheta and Philadelphia as crucibles of nationhood, drawing on archival, architectural and political sources. It situates Tocqueville’s observations within contemporary American life, recounts field research in Delaware and Philadelphia in spring-summer 2020, and traces Mtskheta’s resilience through Roman, Arab, Mongol, and Russian incursions. Juxtaposing Georgian monarchic continuity with American republican origins, the author interrogates civil society, state‑building and rituals of independence. Material culture – cathedrals, flags, statues, and bells – evidences how collective memory and political purpose are enacted across eras and nations. The piece blends travel‑driven archival inquiry with comparative historical analysis and outlines linguistic scholarship: preservation of Georgian scripts and medieval manuscripts in Mtskheta, and recovery and interpretation of colonial‑era documents and Indigenous place‑names in Philadelphia, showing how language shapes civic identity and mediates memory across divergent political traditions.