Boris Piotrovsky

Infobox Person


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birth_date = February 14, 1908
death_date = October 15, 1990
birth_place = Petersburg, Russian Empire
death_place = Leningrad, Soviet Union
known_for = Excavations of Karmir Blur (Teishebaini); studies on Urartu
occupation = Archaeologist, historian
party = Communist Party of the Soviet Union (from 1945)
footnotes =

Boris Borisovich Piotrovsky ( _ru. Бори́с Бори́сович Пиотро́вский; also written Piotrovskii; OldStyleDate|February 14|1908|February 1 – October 15, 1990) was a Soviet Russian academician, historian-orientalist and archaeologist who studied the ancient civilizations of Urartu, Scythia, and Nubia. He is best-known as a key figure in the study of the Urartian civilization of the southern Caucasus.Wire report from the Associated Press. " [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDF1139F934A25753C1A966958260 Boris B. Piotrovsky, Archeologist; Director of the Hermitage Was 82] ." "The New York Times". October 17, 1990. Retrieved July 21, 2008.] From 1964 until his death, Piotrovsky was also the Director of the prestigious Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Biography

Piotrovsky was born in Petersburg in 1908. He specialized in the history and archaeology of the Caucasus region and beginning in the 1930s, he began to acquaint himself with Urartian civilization. He was the head of 1939 excavations that uncovered the Urartian fortress of Teishebaini in Armenia (known in Armenian as "Karmir Blur", or Red Hill). Evidence found there has been key in understanding the Urartian civilization. Piotrovsky lead further excavations in Armenia in the ancient settlements of Tsovinar, Redkig-lager, Vanadzor (formerly Kirovakan) and Aygevan until 1971.hy icon Areshyan, G. "«Պիոտրովսկի»" (Piotrovsky). Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia. vol. ix. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1983, p. 302.]

These were not Piotrovsky's sole contributions in the archaeological field, however. Piotrovsky worked elsewhere in the Caucasus, especially on the Scythian culture. In 1961, he was placed at the head of an expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences to study Nubian monuments in Egypt. [The State Hermitage Museum. [http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/11/b2003/hm11_1_30.html The Hermitage Readings in memory of Boris Piotrovsky (1908 - 1990)] . Accessed July 22, 2008.] He also spent 26 years as Director of the Hermitage Museum, which has been run by his son Mikhail thereafter. The Hermitage holds an annual conference in his honor. Among the dozens of medals Piotrovsky received by the Soviet government are the Hero of Socialist Labor (1983), Order of Lenin (three times), and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (three times).

He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Leningrad 1990 at the age of 82.

Works

In his lifetime, he published more than 200 works in the fields of archaeology, history and art. One of Piotrovsky's most important works is "The History of Urartu and its Culture", published in 1944 and which went on to receive the USSR State Prize in 1946. Other notable works include:

*"Urartu: The Kingdom of Van and Its Art" (1967)
*"The Ancient Civilization of Urartu" (1969)
*"The Hermitage: Its History and Collections" (1982)

References

External links

* [http://hermitage.informbureau.com/the_art_and_culture_of_the_peoples_of_the_caucasus.htm The Art and Culture of the Peoples of the Caucasus: 1100 B.C.–19th century] (From the Hermitage website. One of the sections explains the importance of Teishbaini.)
* [http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/11/b2003/hm11_1_30.html Conference announcement] for the conference in Piotrovsky's honor. Gives some biographical information.