Meeting to Commemorate Vladimir Grigoryevich Lukonin (1932-1984)Department of Culture and Art of the Orient

On 29 January, 2003, the Oriental Department of the State Hermitage Museum hosted the traditional Vladimir G. Lukonin Readings marking the 71st anniversary of the scholar's birth.

Vladimir Grigoryevich Lukonin (1932-1984) was a major Russian connoisseur of culture of ancient and medieval Iran, standing for two decades at the head of the Hermitage Oriental Department. The Lukonin Readings are remarkable for the genre of presentations which are made in the form of concise reports presenting recent discoveries or new interpretations of well-known problems. Presentations dealt with culture of ancient and medieval East, reconstruction of archeological monuments, reading of new inscriptions, attribution and interpretation of works of art in the Hermitage collections. A new view of the Oriental Department's traditional theme of the Great Silk Way was presented to the audience. The conference's wide range of themes and original approaches to materials are characteristic of the scholarly heritage of Vladimir G. Lukonin.

Vladimir Grigoryevich Lukonin (1932-1984)

Hermitage Director Mikhail B. Piotrovsky ad the conference