This display gives an introduction to one of the most ancient states in the Caucasus - Urartu (9th-7th centuries B.C.). The room is dedicated to the memory of Boris Piotrovsky, an outstanding orientalist and archaeologist who was director of the State Hermitage Museum from 1964 to 1990. A large portion of the exhibits were discovered in the course of excavations of the fortress of Taishebaini (near Yerevan) that were directed by Boris Piotrovsky between 1939 and 1971. Particularly notable are bronze armour, weapons and utensils with cuneiform inscriptions and also earthenware vessels for the storage of grain and wine. In the centre of the rooml are bronze ornaments of a throne from the town of Rusakhinili that were acquired from private collectors in the late 19th century.
