History Museum of Armenia

Armenia Museum of Art and History
Հայաստանի Պատմության Թանգարան

Armenia Museum of Art and History
Established 1919
Location Yerevan,  Armenia
Type national museum
Collection size Archeological, Numismatic, Ethnographic
Website http://www.historymuseum.am/

The History Museum of Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստանի Պատմության Թանգարան) is the national museum of Armenia founded in 1919 as Ethnographic-Anthropological Museum-Library. It is located on the Republic Square in Yerevan.

Contents

History

The History Museum of Armenia was founded by the Parliament Law No. 439, September 9, 1919. It was called Ethnographic-Anthropological Museum-Library and had Yervand Lalayan as its first director. It started receiving visitors on August 20, 1921. Museum was renamed State Central Museum of Armenia (1922), Cultural-Historical Museum (1931), Historical Museum (1935), State History Museum of Armenia (1962) and History Museum of Armenia (2003).

The History Museum of Armenia was formed on the basis of the collections of the Armenian Ethnographical Association of the Caucasus, Nor Nakhijevan Museum of Armenian Antiquities, Museum of Antiquities of Ani, Vagharshapat Repository of Ancient Manuscripts (15,289 objects).

In 1935, based on the collections of this Museum, separate museums were established by the order of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia:

  1. the Museum of Art of the Armenian SSR was organized based on the Museum’s Department of Art (the present-day National Gallery of Armenia) - 1660 objects passed on to the newly-founded museum.
  2. the Museum of Literature (the present-day Charents Museum of Literature and Art) was formed based on the Museum’s Department of Literature - 301 objects and 1298 manuscripts passed on to the newly-founded museum.

The State Museum of Ethnography founded in 1978 received 1428 objects and 584 photographs. The museum is for 100% subsidized by the State, the owner of the collection and the building. The History Museum of Armenia is entrusted with a national collection of c. 400,000 objects and has the following departments: Archeology (35% of the main collection), Ethnography (8%), Numismatics (45%), Documents (12%). The History Museum of Armenia replenishes its collections by finds from excavations at ancient sites in present-day Armenia during scientific expeditions of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, by purchases and donations.

The museum represents an integral picture of the history and culture of Armenia from prehistoric times (one million years ago) till our days.

The History Museum of Armenia presents the rare traces of cultural interrelations with the ancient eastern countries in the Armenian Highland: Egypt, Mitanni, the Hittite kingdom, Assyria, Iran, the Seleucid state, Rome and the Byzantine Empire.

The History Museum of Armenia owns an enormous and exceptional collection of the 3rd-2nd millennia BC bronze specimens, which belong to the world treasury of masterpieces.

The History Museum of Armenia possesses the sumptuous historical-cultural heritage of Urartu, the powerful Armenian state in the Ancient East: exceptional cuneiform inscriptions, bronze statuettes, wall-paintings, painted ceramics, arms and weapons with sculptural ornamentation, unique specimens of gold, silver and bone, excavated from Karmir Blur, Arin-Berd and Argishtikhinili.

The History Museum of Armenia possesses the cuneiform inscription of 782 BC about the foundation of the city of Erebuni (Yerevan), by the Urartian king Argishti I.

The History Museum of Armenia owns a collection of the most ancient evidences of the history of transport, 15th-14th century BC wooden carts and chariots, excavated from Lchashen, and their miniature models in bronze.

The History Museum of Armenia owns a collection of Miletian, Greek-Macedonian, Seleucid, Parthian, Roman, Sasanid, Byzantine, Arabic, Seljuk and other gold, silver and copper coins, circulating in Armenia.

The History Museum of Armenia owns a rich collection of Armenian coins, issued in Tsopk, Minor Hayk (3rd century BC – 150 BC), coins of the Armenian Artaxiad dynasty (189 BC – 6 AD), of the Kiurike kingdom (11th century) and Armenian kingdom of Cilicia (1080-1375).

The History Museum of Armenia presents valuable specimens of peculiar transformation of the Hellenistic culture in Armenia, excavated from the archeological sites of Garni, Artashat and Oshakan (sculpture, architectural details, jewellery and ceramics).

The History Museum of Armenia presents the 4th-5th century Christian culture of Armenia with the unique architectural, sculptural and ceramic finds, excavated from the cities of Dvin and Ani, from the fortress of Amberd.

The History Museum of Armenia has carried out conservation and restoration work.

The History Museum of Armenia has published works on Armenian architecture, archeology, ethnography, history, series and reports on archeological excavations (since 1948).

The History Museum of Armenia carries out educational and scientific-popular programs on history and culture.

Directors

1. Yervand Lalayan 1919-1927
2. Karo Ghafadarian    1940-1964
3. Morus Hasratian 1964-1975
4. Telemak Khachatrian 1983-1987

Exhibitions

The history museum participated in international exhibitions:

The History Museum of Armenia had exhibitions within the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of adopting Christianity as state religion in Armenia:

Four exhibitions are planned for 2007:

  1. in Louvre – under the working title “Christian Armenia”
  2. in Musée d'Orsay – “Photography of Hundred Years”
  3. in Lyon, Museum of Textiles and Antiquities – “Armenian Textiles”
  4. in Paris, Pavillon des Arts – “The Armenian National Costumes”

See also

References