Here stands a silent tribute. It marks the residence of a remarkable man. This is the \u0418.\u00a0\u0410.\u00a0\u041e\u0440\u0431\u0435\u043b\u0438 Plaque. It commemorates the life and work of Joseph Orbeli.
Let’s delve into the story behind the \u0418.\u00a0\u0410.\u00a0\u041e\u0440\u0431\u0435\u043b\u0438 Plaque. Joseph Orbeli was a prominent Soviet-Armenian orientalist. He was an academic and public figure. Orbeli specialized in the medieval history of Transcaucasia. From 1934 to 1951, he administered the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad. He also founded the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. He served as its first president from 1943 to 1947.
Born in 1887 in Kutaisi, Georgia, Orbeli’s journey began. He completed his secondary education in Tbilisi. In 1904, he entered Saint Petersburg University. There, he studied history and philology. He focused on Latin and Greek. Orbeli graduated in 1911.
During his university years, Orbeli joined Professor Nikolai Marr in Armenia. He participated in excavations at Ani. Ani was the medieval Armenian capital. Marr encouraged Orbeli to immerse himself in archaeology. He also studied literature, lithography, and linguistics. Marr believed this was crucial for Orbeli’s research.
After graduating, Orbeli returned to Armenia. He became the director of the museum at Ani. He headed excavations during Marr’s absences. Orbeli traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh. He gathered lithographic material. He also visited Western Armenia. There, he studied Armenian, Seljuk, and Urartian monuments. He researched Armenian and Kurdish dialects.
By 1912, Orbeli was a leading authority on Armenian antiquities. He joined the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society. In 1914, he taught Armenian and Kurdish studies at Saint Petersburg University. In 1916, he discovered an inscription of Urartian king Sarduri II. It was during a Russian archaeological expedition near Lake Van.
Orbeli continued his work at Saint Petersburg University. He became an assistant professor of Armenian-Georgian studies in 1917. He also taught at Moscow’s Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages. Before the Russian Revolution, he published several books. These covered artifacts from Ani. They included studies on classical philology, Armenian history, archaeology, and art.
In July 1934, Orbeli was appointed to the Hermitage Museum. He steered it through Stalin’s purges. During the Siege of Leningrad in December 1941, Orbeli organized a festival. It honored Ali-Shir Navai, a medieval Turkic poet. Orbeli significantly expanded the Hermitage’s Oriental art collection. He made it a world-leading museum. He also led the national school of Caucasus studies. Orbeli emphasized the importance of linguistic studies.
In 1934, Orbeli attended the Ferdowsi millennial celebrations in Iran. In 1935, he organized the 3rd International Congress of Iranian Art and Archeology at the Hermitage Museum. Arthur Upham Pope was also a key figure in this event.
From 1955 to 1960, Orbeli headed the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Leningrad University. Joseph Orbeli died on February 2 1961. He was buried at Bogoslovskoe Cemetery in Leningrad.
The \u0418.\u00a0\u0410.\u00a0\u041e\u0440\u0431\u0435\u043b\u0438 Plaque reminds us of a scholar. He dedicated his life to preserving and understanding the past. His work at the Hermitage and his contributions to Oriental studies left a lasting legacy. It is a legacy that continues to inspire scholars today.