Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports on the Exhibition of the Goddess Anahit’s Statue

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia has addressed the exhibition of the statue of the goddess Anahit in Armenia.

“Mother Goddess: From Anahit to Mary” is an exhibition in collaboration with the History Museum of Armenia and the British Museum. The History Museum of Armenia actively collaborates with the British Museum in London, among other prestigious museums worldwide.

In 2018, the History Museum of Armenia participated in the international exhibition titled “I am Ashurbanipal, King of the World, King of Assyria” organized at the British Museum, showcasing 10 unique exhibits from its collection.

In 2023, the British Museum opened an international exhibition titled “Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece,” where the History Museum of Armenia also participated, presenting three unique cultural artifacts: a gold breastplate found in Armavir, a clay bull-shaped ritual vessel (6th-5th centuries BC), and a clay bear-shaped ritual vessel found in Artashat (1st century BC).

During the opening of the exhibition, discussions were held with officials from the British Museum. In particular, Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Zhanna Andreasyan, and the Director of the History Museum of Armenia, David Poghosyan, met with British Museum Director Hartwig Fischer and other officials.

The meetings focused on the prospects for further cooperation between the two museums, new opportunities, and ensuring the continuity of joint exhibitions.

With the approval of the British Museum's Board of Trustees, this year the History Museum of Armenia plans to temporarily display the preserved half-statue and hand of the bronze statue of the goddess Anahit (2nd-1st centuries BC) as part of the exhibition “Mother Goddess: From Anahit to Mary.” For the first time, these artifact-significant exhibits will be compared with notable items from different historical periods held in the History Museum of Armenia.