Ashkharbek Kalantar
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Ashkharbek Kalantar ( hy, Աշխարհբեկ Լոռիս-Մելիք Քալանթար; February 11, 1884, in Ardvi,
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...
– June 1942) archaeologist and historian, played an important role in founding of archaeology in Armenia. Born into the Armenian noble families of Loris-Melikov and Arghutians (from maternal side), he graduated
St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter t ...
in 1911 under
Nicholas Marr Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr (, ''Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr''; , ''Nikoloz Iak'obis dze Mari''; — 20 December 1934) was a Georgian-born historian and linguist who gained a reputation as a scholar of the Caucasus during the 1910s before embarking ...
. He was appointed a Fellow of the Archaeological Institute, of
Imperial Russian Archaeological Society The Imperial Russian Archaeological Society (Императорское Русское археологическое общество), originally known as the Archaeological-Numismatic Society, was an archaeological society in the Russian Empire ...
and the keeper of the
Asiatic Museum The Asiatic Museum (Азиатский музей) in Saint Petersburg was one of the first museums of Asian art in Europe. Its existence spanned 112 years from 1818 to 1930 when it was incorporated into the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the ...
in St. Petersburg. He was one of the founders of
Yerevan State University Yerevan State University (YSU; hy, Երևանի Պետական Համալսարան, ԵՊՀ, ''Yerevani Petakan Hamalsaran''), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919 ...
. Ashkharbek Kalantar authored more than 80 scholarly articles.


Early life

Ashkharbek Kalantar was born in Ardvi,
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...
on February 11, 1884. He received his early education at the Nersisian School in
Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...
, graduating from there in 1903. He continued his studies at the
St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter t ...
with
Nicholas Marr Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr (, ''Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr''; , ''Nikoloz Iak'obis dze Mari''; — 20 December 1934) was a Georgian-born historian and linguist who gained a reputation as a scholar of the Caucasus during the 1910s before embarking ...
as his teacher. He terminated his studies in 1911 to become a member of the archaeological society of the University.


Excavations at Ani

As a student, Kalantar in 1907 participated the archaeological excavations of Nicholas Marr in the Armenian medieval capital Ani. In 1914 he was appointed the head of the XIIIth Ani Archaeological excavation campaign. In 1918 he organized the evacuation of about 6000 items from the Ani Museum, which are currently in
History Museum of Armenia The History Museum of Armenia (armenian: Հայաստանի պատմության թանգարան) is a museum in Armenia with departments of Archaeology, Numismatics, Ethnography, Modern History and Restoration. It has a national collection of ...
in Yerevan. He was the last archaeologist to describe monuments, mostly in Ani region, which did not survive after the 1920s. In 2013 an international expedition repeated Kalantar's expedition of August–September 1920 to document the current - often desperate - situation of ten or more monuments of Ani region (Alaman, Arjo-Arij, Bagaran, Khtskonk, Mren, etc.).Ghazaryan, Armen (2013). From Arjo Arich to Mren: Comparative Analysis ... http://www.armeniandiaspora.am/images/menus/774/content.pdf


Ancient irrigation systems and Urartian inscriptions

In 1910s Kalantar studied the ancient monuments in the Lori and Surmali regions, the basilica in Zor, headed the excavations in medieval monastery Vanstan (Imirzek) in Armenia and revealed its epigraphic materials. In 1917 with
Nicholas Adontz Nicholas Adontz (, ''Nikoghayos Adonts’'', also spelled Adonts; ; January 10, 1871 – January 27, 1942) was an Armenian historian, specialist of Byzantine and Armenian studies, and philologist. Yuzbashyan, Karen. s.v. Adonts', Nikoghayos ...
he participated the II Van Archaeological expedition and studied the Urartian inscriptions there. From 1920 to the 1930s he revealed the existence of a pre-Urartian irrigation system on Mt. Aragats and Geghama range in Armenia, discovered vishaps (stone monuments) there, studied their rock-carved figures, and published articles on the Urartian inscriptions found in Armenia.


Founding of the Yerevan State University and of the Commission of Ancient Monuments

In 1918 and 1919 he lectured in Transcaucasian university in Tiflis, in 1919 he becomes one of seven founding members of the
Yerevan State University Yerevan State University (YSU; hy, Երևանի Պետական Համալսարան, ԵՊՀ, ''Yerevani Petakan Hamalsaran''), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919 ...
, the founder of the chair of archaeology and oriental studies. With architect
Alexander Tamanian Alexander Tamanian (, March 4, 1878 – February 20, 1936) was a Russian-born Armenian neoclassical architect, well known for his work in the city of Yerevan. Life and work Tamanian was born in the city of Yekaterinodar in 1878 in the family ...
and painter
Martiros Saryan Martiros Saryan ( hy, Մարտիրոս Սարյան; russian: Мартиро́с Сарья́н; – 5 May 1972) was a Soviet Armenian painter, the founder of a modern Armenian national school of painting. Biography He was born into an Armenia ...
he was one of founders of the Commission of Ancient Monuments in Armenia. During 1920-1938 he organized over 30 expeditions in Armenia. In 1931 Kalantar directed the excavations in Old
Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
. In 1930s with
Alexander Tamanian Alexander Tamanian (, March 4, 1878 – February 20, 1936) was a Russian-born Armenian neoclassical architect, well known for his work in the city of Yerevan. Life and work Tamanian was born in the city of Yekaterinodar in 1878 in the family ...
acted to save the two basilica churches, Katoghike and Poghos-Petros in Yerevan (both were finally destroyed by the ruling regime). In 1935 Kalantar was appointed as the member of the Council of Armenian branch of Soviet Academy of Sciences.


Publications

Ashkharbek Kalantar authored over 80 articles. The English translations of his selected works were published in 3 volumes in 1994, 1999, 2004 by Recherches et Publications, Paris-Neuchâtel, and in Armenian in Yerevan, 2007.
American Journal of Archaeology The ''American Journal of Archaeology'' (AJA), the peer-reviewed journal of the Archaeological Institute of America, has been published since 1897 (continuing the ''American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts'' founded by t ...
(AJA 100, 638, 1996) reviewing Kalantar's volume writes: "While Lehmann-Haupt and Marr are often credited with sparking investigations into the history and prehistory of eastern Anatolia and southern Transcaucasia, this compilation* of selected writings and photographs of Ashkharbek Kalantar (1884-1942) makes a persuasive case that it was he who most thoroughly shaped archaeology in the Armenian highlands." "Kalantar's life and work provide a testimony to the enduring importance of the Armenian highlands to world history and prehistory..."


Great Purge victim

On 19 March 1938 Kalantar was arrested in
Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
by the Stalinist regime, among other professors, as an ‘enemy of the nation’; the precise date and place of his death in Russia are unknown.


Legacy

A bust of Ashkharbek Kalantar was unveiled in February 2015 in the entrance hall of
Yerevan State University Yerevan State University (YSU; hy, Երևանի Պետական Համալսարան, ԵՊՀ, ''Yerevani Petakan Hamalsaran''), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919 ...
. Edik Minasyan, Dean of the Faculty of History at Yerevan State University, said of Kalantar:


Later publications

* Ashkharbek Kalantar, ''Armenia: From the Stone Age to the Middle Ages,'' Civilisations du Proche Orient, Se´rie 1, Vol. 2, Recherches et Publications, Neuchâtel, Paris, 1994; * Ashkharbek Kalantar, ''The Mediaeval Inscriptions of Vanstan, Armenia,'' Civilisations du Proche-Orient: Series 2 - Philologie, Vol. 2, Recherches et Publications, Neuchâtel, Paris, 1999; * Ashkharbek Kalantar, ''Materials on Armenian and Urartian History'' (with a contribution by Mirjo Salvini), Civilisations du Proche-Orient: Series 4 - Hors Série, Neuchâtel, Paris, 2004;


From Kalantar's documents

kalant1912_Rus_Mus_01.jpg, Of Russian Museum of the Emperor Alexander III, St.Petersburg, 1912 kalant1914_Ani_01.jpg, Of Imperial Academy of Sciences, on the excavations in ancient Ani, 1914 kalant1914_Otkr_List_01.jpg, "Open List" of Imperial Ministry, St.Petersburg, on the excavations in Ani conducted by Kalantar, 1914 kalant1917_1_01.jpg, Of Imperial Archaeological Society, St.Petersburg, regarding the expedition to Van, 1917 kalant1917_Van_01.jpg, Of General-Commissar of Turkish Armenia, regarding the expedition to Van, 1917 kalant1928_Julfa_01.jpg, On visit to ancient Julfa by Kalantar and Jurgis Baltrusaitis of Sorbonne, 1928


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalantar, Ashkharbek Webarchive template wayback links 1884 births 1942 deaths People from Lori Province Saint Petersburg State University alumni Academics of Yerevan State University 20th-century Armenian historians Armenian archaeologists Archaeologists from the Russian Empire Soviet archaeologists Armenian studies scholars Armenian people from the Russian Empire Soviet Armenians Great Purge victims from Armenia