Concept of the Collections of the History Museum of Armenia

The collections of the History Museum of Armenia began to take form in the 1920s. In the initial period, they were primarily composed of collections brought from the Museum of the Armenian Ethnographic Society of Tiflis (founded in 1908), the Museum of Nor Nakhijevan, pieces transferred from the Museum of Vagharshapat, items rescued from the Repository of Ani, collections created by the Committee for the Protection of Antiquities, and other sources. In the early 1930s, a so-called “collection refinement” took place, prioritising the formation of systematic and programmatic collections stemming from exhibition requirements to targeted work, especially through archaeological excavations and ethnographic expeditions. In the 1940s, the expansion of the Museum’s collections also became more active through donations. The Museum’s ethnographic collection and numismatic collections were especially enriched by means of large-scale donations from the Armenian diaspora with great gratitude, along with commemorative and documentary materials related to modern and contemporary history. In the 1950s, the Museum also gained the right to expand its collections through purchasing items.
Today, the History Museum of Armenia has a collection of over 400 000 items, the majority of which are archaeological artefacts, followed by numismatic, ethnographic, and documentary materials. The archaeological and numismatic collections are mainly expanded through excavations, as well as purchases and donations, whereas ethnographic and documentary materials are primarily expanded through donations and purchases. For a persistent period during the previous century, the Museum had its own archaeological expeditions, which carried out planned excavations based on the Museum’s scientific and exhibition needs. Unfortunately, this work was largely discontinued in the 1970s. As a result, the Museum’s collections were compiled in an inconsistent manner often with the formation of extensive and diverse collections focused on specific historical periods and themes, and in some cases with the formation of homogeneous and small-scale collections. In recent years, the Museum has continued to apply nearly all available methods for compiling its collections, while actively collaborating and organising joint events with various organisations and individuals.  However, there is still work to be done in respects to the direction of systematically and purposefully expanding the collections in line with the Museum’s scientific and exhibition requirements.  In this regard, one of the more targeted trends in collection development today is raising public awareness and implementing collaborations, as well as conducting more targeted acquisitions through state funding.
For the enrichment of the Museum’s collections, all valuable museum-worthy items related to Armenia are certainly important. However, in order to present comprehensively in the Museum all historical periods and the identity and characteristics of the Armenian people, the Museum gives preference to:

• All types of written and material sources and archaeological values related to the Orontid, Artaxiad, Arsacid, and Bagratid dynasties of Armenia;
• All types of written and material sources and cultural values related to statehood and cultural heritage of Cilician Armenia;
• Various collections related to Armenian communities and especially to the history of the Armenian diaspora;
• Ethnographic items related to different historical-geographical regions of Armenia, particularly Artsakh and Nakhijevan, as well as objects related to modern and contemporary history;
• Documents, original photographs, recordings, and videos related to modern and contemporary Armenia, as well as material items related to Armenian public and political figures and events.