Boris Piotrovsky | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1908-02-14)February 14, 1908 |
| Died | October 15, 1990(1990-10-15) (aged 82) Leningrad,Soviet Union |
| Resting place | Smolensky Cemetery, Saint Petersburg |
| Occupation(s) | Archaeologist, historian |
| Known for | Excavations of Karmir Blur (Teishebaini); studies onUrartu |
| Political party | CPSU (from 1945) |
Boris Borisovich Piotrovsky, alsoPiotrovskii (Russian:Бори́с Бори́сович Пиотро́вский; February 14 [O.S. February 1] 1908 – October 15, 1990) was aSovietRussianacademician,historian-orientalist andarchaeologist who studied the ancient civilizations ofUrartu,Scythia, andNubia. He is best known as a key figure in the study of the Urartian civilization of the southern Caucasus.[1] From 1964 until his death, Piotrovsky was also Director of theHermitage Museum in Leningrad (nowSaint Petersburg).
Piotrovsky was born inSaint Petersburg in 1908. He specialized in the history and archaeology of theCaucasus 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 ofTeishebaini inArmenia (known in Armenian asKarmir 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, Kirovakan (nowVanadzor) and Aygevan until 1971.[2]
These were not Piotrovsky's sole contributions in the archaeological field, however. Piotrovsky worked elsewhere in the Caucasus, especially on theScythian culture. In 1961, he was placed at the head of an expedition of theAcademy of Sciences of the Soviet Union to studyNubian monuments in Egypt.[3] He also spent 26 years as Director of theHermitage Museum, which has been run by hisson Mikhail thereafter. He was also the supervisor of the renowned Armenian archaeologistGregory Areshian. The Hermitage holds an annual conference in his honor. He died of acerebral hemorrhage in Leningrad in 1990 at the age of 82.[1]
He was married toHripsime Djanpoladjian, who was an archaeologist and epigrapher.[4]
In his lifetime, he published more than 200 works in the fields of archaeology, history and art.[1] One of Piotrovsky's most important works isThe History of Urartu and its Culture, published in 1944 and which went on to receive theStalin Prize in 1946.[2] Other notable works include:
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