Gli "Ibériens" di Jean-François Champollion

In this essay, the notes that Jean-François Champollion (1790-1832) took during his study of Georgian are published and analysed for the first time. We establish that they were written before the 1830s and derived from the second edition of Liber complectens Georgianæ seu Ibericæ vulgaris linguæ institutiones grammaticas (1670) by Francesco Maria Maggio, C.R. (1612-1686), a missionary in Georgia between 1637 and 1638. We show that Champollion naturally inherited quite a few mistakes from the Theatine father, yet his notes, despite their schematic and functional nature, are imbued with the personal reflection of the scholar, who does not fail to live up to his reputation as a great linguist.