Background
ORBELI, Iosif was born on March 20, 1887 in Kutaisi.
ORBELI, Iosif was born on March 20, 1887 in Kutaisi.
1911 graduate History and Philology Faculty and Oriental Faculty, Saint St. Petersburg University.
1914-1931 associate professor, then professor, Saint St. Petersburg (Leningrad) University. 1919-1931 member, State Academy of the History of Material Culture. 1920-1934 founder-custodian, Oriental Department, 1934-1951 director, Hermitage Museum.
1938-1943 chairman, Arm Branch, Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Academy of Sciences. 1943-1947 president, Arm Academy of Sciences. 1955-1960 dean, Oriental Faculty, Leningrad University.
1956-1961 head, Leningrad Branch, Institute of Oriental Studies (later Institute of Asian Peoples), Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Academy of Sciences. Studied history of Caucasus and medieval culture of Middle East. Valuable studies of Sassanid and Seljukian cultures.
Also studied Arm epigraphy, folk epics and architecture of Geo and Arm and Kurdic language. Founded school of Caucasian studies based on combination of material culture and Philology. Close associate of North.Ya.
Marr; 1911-1912 and 1916 collaborated with Marr in excavation of ancient Arm City of Ani, near Lake Van.
Member, Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Academy of Sciences from 1935. Member, Arm Academy of Sciences from 1943. Honorary member, London Archeological Social.
Honorary member, Iranian Academy of Sciences from 1957.