Readings in Memory of Vladimir Grigoryevich Lukonin

The subject area of this annual conference embraces all spheres of Oriental studies in the Hermitage, reflecting the diversity of the collections of the Department of the East and the breadth of its staff’s scholarly researches. During the Readings, papers were presented on the art, history, philology and archaeology of Egypt and the Middle East, Central Asia, the Far East and Africa. Many contributors focussed on questions relating to the mutual influences of different cultures and civilizations. As usual, previously unstudied items from the stocks of the Hermitage’s Department of the East were introduced into scholarly circulation.