Academician S.A. Zhebelev and State Hermitage

This article analyzes the relations between the State Hermitage Museum and Sergei Aleksandrovich Zhebelev, one of the most important ancient historians working in Russia in the first half of the twentieth century. Based on previously unpublished archival sources in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the article enlarges our knowledge of Zhebelev’s biography and scholarly activity, describes his position on preserving Russia’s cultural heritage, and sheds new light on the history of the Hermitage – in particular, on its evolving structure as a research institution.