The History Museum of Armenia has inaugurated the Armenian-French international exhibition titled “Yesterday and Today: In the Footsteps of Jacques de Morgan,” which will be open to the public until March 11, 2025. This exhibition features remarkable artifacts excavated by renowned 19th-century archaeologist Jacques de Morgan in Akhtala, a region in northern Armenia.
For the first time in Armenia, five unique artifacts from the French National Museum of Archaeology are on display. These pieces have been curated alongside over sixty items discovered during Armenian-French archaeological expeditions following in de Morgan’s footsteps in the 1990s. Several of these exhibits are being presented to the public for the first time.
The opening ceremony was attended by Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, Alfred Kocharyan; France’s Ambassador to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies; Director of the French National Museum of Archaeology, Rose-Marie Mousseaux; and numerous art enthusiasts.
The exhibition was organized with the support of the Armenian and French Ministries of Culture, in collaboration with the History Museum of Armenia and the French National Museum of Archaeology. The initiative was also backed by the French Embassy in Armenia.
In his congratulatory speech, Deputy Minister Kocharyan highlighted the importance of strengthening international museum collaborations, emphasizing Armenia’s active engagement with French institutions. He underscored the growing agenda of joint initiatives, which promise exciting future projects.
The Director of the History Museum of Armenia, David Poghosyan, announced that the collaboration with French institutions would continue, noting the recently signed memorandum of understanding with the Louvre Museum. Joint exhibitions are planned for the coming year, reflecting the deepening partnership between Armenia and France.
