TWO-DAY CONFERENCE ENTITLED "BORIS PIOTROVSKI AND ARMENIA" OPENS IN YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY
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NOYAN TAPAN

Ju ne 12, 2008

The two-day conference entitled "Boris Piotrovski and Armenia", which
was held on the initiative of the RA Ministry of Education and Science,
the RA National Academy of Sciences and the Yerevan State University,
was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of academician Boris Piotrovski
and the 90th anniversary of archeologist Hripsime Janpoladian.

Welcoming the participants of the conference, Aram Simonian, the
Rector of the Yerevan State University, mentioned that these two
jubilees should be celebrated with great lustre as a matrimonial
couple is meant in this case, which has played a too great role in
the spiritual life of the Armenian people. "It is well worth that the
Armenian people shows its gratitude not only by organizing a conference
but by republishing the values they have created. They have laid down
the foundation of a science, which continues to develop even under
difficult conditions. Our archeologists self-devotedly continue the
unfinished work, this couple has left," said the Rector of the Yerevan
State University.

Vladimir Barkhudarian, an academician of the RA National Academy
of Sciences, expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the
conference, mentioning that Hripsime Janpoladian has made a rather
great contribution to the sphere of the history of Armenology of the
Middle Ages. And the contribution of Boris Piotrovski is also great
in the training of the archeologist-staff.

Vahan Hovhannisian, the Head of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun faction of the
National Assembly, attached importance to the selfless work of the two
scientists and mentioned that many people have wanted to introduce
the work of Piotrovski as anti-Armenian, but real scientists know
that the scientific heritage he has left is invaluable not only at
an inter-Armenian, but also world scientific level.

Russian archeologist, orientalist and historian Boris Piotrovski
was the Head of the Leningrad Department of the SSSR Academy of
Sciences, then the Head of Hermitage. Since 1930 he studied Cyclopian
castles and Urartu monuments in Armenia, conducted excavations in
the Teyshebaini fortress-town (Red Hill), Tsovinar, Vanadzor and
Aygevan. The archeologist also studied the cultures of the earlier
period of Transcaucasus, the Northern Caucasus and the Middle Asia. The
works of Boris Piotrovski are dedicated to the history, culture and
art of the Caucasus, the Old East, Urartu, in particular, the issues
of the oldest history of Armenia and the origin of the Armenian people.