Ashkharbek Kalantar

Ashkharbek Kalantar (Armenian: Աշխարհբեկ Լոռիս-Մելիք Քալանթար; February 11, 1884, in Ardvi, Armenia – June 1942) was an Armenian archaeologist and historian. He had important role in founding of archaeology in Armenia. Born in Armenian noble families of and (from maternal side), he graduated St. Petersburg University in 1911 under Nicholas Marr. He was appointed a Fellow of the Archaeological Institute, of Russian Imperial Archaeological Society and the keeper of the Asiatic Museum in St. Petersburg. He was one of the founders of Yerevan State University. Throughout his lifetime, Ashkharbek Kalantar has authored more than 80 scholarly articles.

Ashkharbek Kalantar was born in Ardvi, Armenia on February 11, 1884. He received his early education at the Nersisian School in Tiflis, graduating from there in 1903. He continued his studies at the St. Petersburg University with Nicholas Marr as his teacher. He terminated his studies in 1911 to become a member of the archaeological society of the University.

Already a student, since 1907 Kalantar participated the archaeological excavations of Nicholas Marr in Armenian medieval capital Ani. In 1914 Kalantar 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 in Yerevan. He was the last archaeologist to describe monuments, mostly in Ani region, which did not survive since 1920s.

In 2013 an international expedition repeated Kalantar's expedition of August-September 1920 and compared the present, often desperate situation of over 10 monuments of Ani region (Alaman, Arjo-Arij, Bagaran, Khtskonk, Mren, etc.).

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