Summary
Hamlet L. Petrosyan
The anthropomorphic relieves of the Artsakh khachkars are the unique manifestation in the culture of khachkars. It is not occasional, that young Hovsep Orbeli paid special attention to the suc composistions during his scientific trip to Khachen in 1909, and he wrote the separate article dedicated on this matter. The researcher only decribed thirteen setips, and tried to find out the sources of their origination, time, as well as the images’ identity considering them as the unique display of the Armenian culture. However, later, while studying the sculptural images again, Orbeli tried to display them as manifestation of the “Albanian” culture. This circumstance was taken by Azerbaijani researchers as a chance for their attempts to “albanization” the khachkars of Artsakh.
In the present aricle the ceration chronology, the main themes and images and the folk roots of the anthropomorphic composition are presented on base of examination of the more than hundred khackars, as well as the reasons of considering them as “Albanians” by Orbeli are revealed.