British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Vladimir Lukonin

Vladimir Lukonin (Volodya) was born in Leningrad in 1932 and after graduating from Leningrad State University he was appointed to the staff of the State Hermitage in 1957. In 1964, aged 32, he was promoted to be Head of the Oriental Department. In his short career he published more than a dozen books, mostly on aspects of Parthian and Sasanian Iran and Central Asia, including a volume on the Sasanian seals in the Hermitage (with A.J. Borisov) and another on the Sasanian silver (with K.V. Trever) that appeared posthumously. His book in the Archaeologia Mundi series entitled Persia II (1967) ensured that his name became known outside the Soviet Union. These books were supported by a series of important articles.

He is also remembered as a captivating and charming man. His warm and engaging personality won him friends all over the world, and in the days of the Cold War he did much to bridge the gap between Soviet and Western scholars. On trips abroad he made a lasting impression upon those with whom he came into contact. He believed strongly in an international approach to scholarship, which the fund in his memory seeks to reflect.