Papers by Serhii Telizhenko
RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR: The tragedy of the cultural heritage of Ukraine, 2024
This article exposes the extent of Russian cultural aggression: the looting of museums and approp... more This article exposes the extent of Russian cultural aggression: the looting of museums and appropriation of items of the Ukrainian museum foundation, the damage to and demolition of archaeological sites of Ukraine, the explosion of the Kakhovka dam and the consequences of this disaster for Ukrainian cultural heritage, and the cultural erasure of Crimean Tatars.
Baltic Worlds, 2024
This article exposes the extent of Russian cultural aggression: the looting of museums and approp... more This article exposes the extent of Russian cultural aggression: the looting of museums and appropriation of items of the Ukrainian Museum Foundation, the damage to and demolition of archaeological sites of Ukraine, the explosion of the Kakhovka dam, and the consequences of this disaster for Ukrainian cultural heritage, and the cultural erasure of Crimean Tatars.
Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 2024
The Ogrin 4/4-a site in Dnipro-city was excavated in 2019. It was located between points 4 and 4-... more The Ogrin 4/4-a site in Dnipro-city was excavated in 2019. It was located between points 4 and 4-a, which are known from research conducted in 1932.
The earliest findings date back to the Neolithic period. Most artifacts from this period consist of pottery shards. Most Neolithic pottery is associated with the Azov-Dnieper culture of its second period. Additionally, the presence of pottery from the Surska culture should not be excluded.
Materials from the Early Bronze Age are scarce; fragments of ceramic vessels were found scattered throughout the cultural layer of the site. A destroyed burial of the Catacomb culture was also discovered, from which only the skull of an adult was preserved. Adjacent to the temporal bone, a clay cup with a flat bottom was found, decorated with horizontal incised lines.
The most substantial and richest findings at the Ogrin 4/4-a site turned out to be a layer from the final stage of the Bronze Age. The main part of the ceramic complex belongs to the latest period of this era. Notably, there is visible heterogeneity in the investigated ceramic vessels. The first group of findings has Western, Bilozerka or Bilohrudivka origins. However, there is a noticeable presence of Eastern pottery, derived from the Timber-Grave Culture. Similar situations have been encountered repeatedly in settlements along the Left Bank of the Dnieper River and in territories further east. The difference between the ceramic complexes of settlements primarily lies in the percentage distribution of various groups of pottery. Preliminary observations suggest that the population at the end of the Bronze Age in the Ogrin 4/4-a settlement had predominantly Timber-Grave Culture origins.
JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, 2024
The timing of the Holocene transition of the Black Sea from a brackish lake to a marine sea has l... more The timing of the Holocene transition of the Black Sea from a brackish lake to a marine sea has long been debated. Here, we report on the earliest records of cetaceans in the Black Sea region as a proxy for the connection with the Mediterranean and the transition from a brackish to marine environment. We base our analysis on cetacean skeletal finds and archival data on cetacean skeletal remains from the Bosphorus, the western, northern and eastern Black Sea, and the Kerch Strait. We find that all three contemporary cetacean species in the Black Seathe harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin and common dolphinhad migrated out of the Mediterranean to the Bosphorus and the Black Sea at least 8000-7000 years ago and reached the northern Black Sea by 5500 years ago at the latest. Our study suggests the establishment of a Mediterranean-Black Sea biogeographical connection for marine vertebrates at least 7000 years ago. The early presence of cetaceans in the Black Sea has implications for understanding its Holocene transition, as well as the evolutionary and ecological history of these species more generally.
Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2022, 2023
During the excavations in the historical area of the city of Ostroh "Cultural layer of the city o... more During the excavations in the historical area of the city of Ostroh "Cultural layer of the city of Ostroh", a few artifacts of LPC (Neolithic) and Volhynian-Lublin culture of the Copper Age were discovered. The most important part of the structure of the Trypillian culture, which was accompanied by an informative ceramic complex, should be considered the most important. Archaeological materials show that the population of the Trypillian culture appeared on the territory of the modern city of Ostrog at the beginning of the CII stage (about 3600 BC) as a result of the migration of the bearers of the traditions of the formative phase of the Brinzen group (type Shur I) from the territories of the Middle Transnistria and Prut River. Migrations from these lands to Volhynia did not stop even later, during the time of the existence of the classical sites of the Brinzen group (about 3500-3400 BC).
Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2022, 2023
As a result of research, it was established that the settlement Tustan is multi-layered. The olde... more As a result of research, it was established that the settlement Tustan is multi-layered. The oldest stage of the existence of the settlement is associated with the arrival in the valley of the Gnyla Lypa River of representatives of the LPC. The second stage took place in the Copper Age, which is indicated by the few fragments of potsherds of the Trypilian culture. In the Early Bronze Age, the left bank of the Hnyla Lypa River was inhabited by representatives of Mierzanovice culture potsherds. The Slavic-Russian period, which was discovered on the day surface, testifys to the fourth stage in the existence of the settlement.
Vita Antiqua, 2023
As a result of the Russian aggression, which began in 2014, hundreds, if not thousands, of cultur... more As a result of the Russian aggression, which began in 2014, hundreds, if not thousands, of cultural heritage sites were destroyed or damaged to one degree or another. Against this background, the objects of archaeological heritage, which include settlements, hillforts, barrows, burial mounds (kurgans), etc., stand out. Work on collecting information on damaged archaeological sites began back in 2014. In 2016, after a monitoring mission to study the state of archaeological heritage in the war zone within the territory of Luhansk region, information began to be collected somewhat more actively. Starting from February 2022, when even more Ukrainian territory was subjected to military action, even more archaeological heritage sites were damaged or completely destroyed. Identification and analysis of cases related to the destructive impact of the war on the archaeological heritage is the main task for the near future. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop methodological recommendations.
![Research paper thumbnail of Russia was 'Doomed to Expand [its] Aggression' Against Ukraine: Cultural Property Criminals' Responses to the Invasion and Occupation of the Donbas Since 20th February 2014](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/107289979/thumbnails/1.jpg)
THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT: POLICY & PRACTICE, 2023
This study explores how Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine
has affected cultural propert... more This study explores how Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine
has affected cultural property crime and how cultural property criminals
have responded to those practical, social, political and economic
changes. To do so, this online ethnography draws on netnographic
data from 184 artefact-hunters across Ukraine, Russia, Belarus,
Greece, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States
and Canada, two artefact-dealers and one violent political operator,
whose discussions spanned 19 online communities. It examines the
legal fictions and legal nihilism of antiquities looters; the criminal
operations of antiquities looters and antiquities traffickers in the
occupied territories of Ukraine; the international networks of artefacthunters
that facilitate the trading of equipment and antiquities, plus
the movement of the artefact-hunters themselves and the conduct of
their criminal operations. Thereby, it documents the pollution of
Western markets with tainted cultural goods from the occupied
territories of Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe and the contribution
of Western consumers to the conflict economy.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2023
The recent exploitation of marine species is relatively well documented and understood in terms o... more The recent exploitation of marine species is relatively well documented and understood in terms of impacts on species abundance, distribution, and resource use. In contrast, ancient exploitation of marine mammals remains poorly documented; in part, because a detailed meta-analysis of their presence in the zooarchaeological record is lacking. This is true in the Black Sea, where cetaceans are reported in the zooarchaeological record but have not yet been studied comprehensively. Here, we synthesize all available published and unpublished zooarchaeological data from 27 sites around the Black Sea, dating from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods (6500-6000 BCE) to the Medieval period (641e1475 CE), to document the extent and nature of the exploitation of the Black Sea cetacean species. The results suggest that cetacean exploitation was practised continuously in the Black Sea over a period of 8500 years from the Neolithic through to the Medieval period. This suggests a much longer history of marine mammal exploitation in the Black Sea than previously understood, pushing back the timeline of human impacts on the Black Sea marine fauna.
The Historic Environment Policy & Practice, 2023
The article examines the problems of monitoring the destruction of the archaeological heritage in... more The article examines the problems of monitoring the destruction of the archaeological heritage in Ukraine as a result of the aggression of the Russian Federation. The negative impact of the war on the general state of research is indicated. The problems that arise during the monitoring of archaeological heritage in the de-occupied territories are considered. Among the factors that make it difficult to record the loss of archaeological heritage, the following are detailed: problems related to the accounting of archaeological objects; issues of limited remote and direct access to sites in the de-occupied and front-line territories; immediate risks to life and health when conducting field research. The article also gives a brief description of the work carried out in relation to monitoring of archaeological sites in the de-occupied territories and presents the activities of the ‘Archaeological Landscapes Monitoring Group’. One of the conclusions of the study is the statement that there is an urgent need for a long-term state program to compile an archaeological record of Ukraine. The need to record losses in the field of archaeology during the war allows Ukraine to restart the system of site registration at a modern level and with the use of international experience.
Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2021, 2023
At the end of 2021, the Rivne expedition of the SE SRC "PASU" of the Institute of Archaeology of ... more At the end of 2021, the Rivne expedition of the SE SRC "PASU" of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine conducted security studies of the multi-layered settlement of Kvasyliv 2, located behind 0.75 km from the village of Kvasyliv, Rivne region.
The site is located on the elevation on the left bank of the Ustya River (a left tributary of the Horyn River), surrounded by a floodplain.
The excavation with a total area of 240 sq.m revealed 13 objects of different times (Early Bronze Age-Medieval time) that were identified and investigated one burial of Early Bronze Age.
Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2021, 2023
Науковий журнал Заснований у 2011 р. Щорічник Головний редактор БолтрИК Юрій, кандидат історичних... more Науковий журнал Заснований у 2011 р. Щорічник Головний редактор БолтрИК Юрій, кандидат історичних наук Редакційна колегія БуйсьКИх Алла, член-кореспондент НАН України ГорБАненКо сергій, кандидат історичних наук ЗАліЗняК леонід, доктор історичних наук, професор іВАКін Всеволод, кандидат історичних наук КулАКоВсьКА лариса, кандидат історичних наук лИтВИненКо роман, доктор історичних наук, професор Моця олександр, член-кореспондент НАН України, професор отрощенКо Віталій, доктор історичних наук, професор ПотєхінА інна, кандидат історичних наук сАПожнИКоВ ігор, доктор історичних наук сКорИй сергій, доктор історичних наук, професор терПИлоВсьКИй ростислав, доктор історичних наук, професор ФіАлКо олена, доктор історичних наук ЧАБАй Віктор, член-кореспондент НАН України, проф.
Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2021, 2023
As a result of research (test pits), the presence of two settlements of the Late Bronze Age was c... more As a result of research (test pits), the presence of two settlements of the Late Bronze Age was confirmed, and the distribution of materials from the second half of the 18th century on a large area was also established. Given a large number of broken ceramics and tile fragments, a production center for the manufacture of ceramics was located nearby.
Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2021, 2023
The paper presents the results of surveys conducted by the participants of the Luhansk archaeolog... more The paper presents the results of surveys conducted by the participants of the Luhansk archaeological expedition near the village of Borivske Luhansk region in 2021. Research has revealed several Neolithic sites and burials of the Late Bronze Age.
Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2021, 2023
The article is devoted to the final research of the early Neolithic site Starobilsk-I, which is l... more The article is devoted to the final research of the early Neolithic site Starobilsk-I, which is located in the city of Starobilsk in the Luhansk region. The cultural layer of the Early Neolithic period is the kitchen waste of freshwater mollusk shells, among which artifacts (tools made of flint, limestone, and bone) were found. The site dates back to the first quarter of the 6th millennium BC.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Nov 3, 2022
Materials and studies on archaeology of Sub-Carpathian and Volhynian area
The article presents the results of protective excavations and surveillance on the Modrychi 1 arc... more The article presents the results of protective excavations and surveillance on the Modrychi 1 archaeological site, located near the south-eastern outskirts of Modrychi village, Drohobych district, Lviv region. During the construction of a new highway bypassing the town of Truskavets, three excavation trenches were placed on a total area of 1,745.5 m2 on the section passing through the western edge of the monument. During the excavations, 137 archaeological objects were discovered, including 3 large amorphous household pits, 4 structures in the form of narrow ditches, and 130 pillar pits. Most objects are grouped and composed of two large overground buildings, once erected on the pillar supports. Considering the likeness with similar structures, which were discovered in the settlements of the Linear Pottery culture all over Europe, these objects are defined as the remains of residential buildings – the so-called «longhouses». The collection of archaeological finds was gathered in the...
Arheologia
A total of 145 flint items, as well as four obsidians and seven stone-made artefacts, were collec... more A total of 145 flint items, as well as four obsidians and seven stone-made artefacts, were collected during the excavations on the Linear Pottery culture settlement Modrychi-1 in Lviv Oblast, which is located within Ukrainian Outer Subcarpathia. The assemblage of flint and obsidian items has been analyzed as an integral complex that characterizes the material culture of the Neolithic settlement. The prevailing number of flint items such as cores, flakes and blades reflect on-site production. As for the obsidian artefacts, an attempt was made to establish the origin of raw materials.
The European Archaeologist, 2022
The conflict in Ukraine has caused the large-scale destruction of historical landscapes. Thousand... more The conflict in Ukraine has caused the large-scale destruction of historical landscapes. Thousands of archaeological sites—both those undergoing archaeological investigations as well as ones that had yet to be opened—have been damaged. Currently, cultural heritage protection activities in Ukraine focus mainly on ‘visible’ objects, such as architectural monuments, religious and historical buildings and objects of monumental art. Monitoring the state of archaeological heritage objects in Ukraine is a challenge. The search for and recognition of sites is difficult because they exist in an ‘unmanifested’ state. The vast majority of archaeological sites are not included on the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. Moreover, the necessary monument protection measures are not applied consistently throughout all territories. The specificity of archaeological sites is that their discovery is often directly related to catastrophic events: in the current case, the destruction of landscape resulting from military operations.
Археологічні зошити з Пересопниці, 2021
The publication presents the preliminary results of the study of two Neolithic pits (21 and 24), ... more The publication presents the preliminary results of the study of two Neolithic pits (21 and 24), which were discovered during rescue excavations of the multi-layered settlement of Rivne Beach 1A in 2019. The settlement was first discovered by B. A. Pryschepa and has been the subject of several research projects. Of particular note are the excavations of V. K. Pyasetsky, which produced a reference collection of Early LBK materials.
Pit 21 lay in the western portion of the study area. It was oval in plan (1.4m × 2.5m x 0.12m deep), oriented south-west to north-east. The fills within the pit contained materials of different periods, with Neolithic materials dominating the lower portions. The ceramic assemblage consisted of kitchen and tableware potteries, which are broadly dated to Early LBK. Flint, derived from Turonian tier sources, was used by the Neolithic population for knapping and tool making. The majority of the recovered flint tools are represented by retouched blades, including
scrapers, borers, and portions of composite sickles. A nearby concentration of Neolithic pottery sherds appears to indicate the later recutting of the pit.
Pit 24 was larger (2.7m × 3.2m x 0.67m deep) and lay in the north-western
part of the study area and was oriented north-west to south-east. Excavation of the feature allowed the recovery of some 178 flint artifacts, datable to the Neolithic. The largest portion of the assemblage was composed of débitage (73.5%) with identifiable tools making up just 26.5%. The tools recovered included items formed on both blades and chips: scrapers, truncated blades, drills/borers, and blades with retouching. Some 65 pottery sherds were recovered from the feature and
represented portions of several vessels, including hemispherical bowls, conical and high bowls, and necked vessels. The pottery was decorated with fingerprints, engraved ornamentation in linear arrangements, and relief decoration. Taken together, the artefact assemblage from this pit indicates an Early LBK date. This is compatible with artefacts and radiocarbon dates of 6570 ± 60 BP and 6475 ± 80 BP returned from features excavated by V. K. Pyasetsky at the same site (Kotova, Kovalyukh, Manko, Okhrimenko 2007).
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Papers by Serhii Telizhenko
The earliest findings date back to the Neolithic period. Most artifacts from this period consist of pottery shards. Most Neolithic pottery is associated with the Azov-Dnieper culture of its second period. Additionally, the presence of pottery from the Surska culture should not be excluded.
Materials from the Early Bronze Age are scarce; fragments of ceramic vessels were found scattered throughout the cultural layer of the site. A destroyed burial of the Catacomb culture was also discovered, from which only the skull of an adult was preserved. Adjacent to the temporal bone, a clay cup with a flat bottom was found, decorated with horizontal incised lines.
The most substantial and richest findings at the Ogrin 4/4-a site turned out to be a layer from the final stage of the Bronze Age. The main part of the ceramic complex belongs to the latest period of this era. Notably, there is visible heterogeneity in the investigated ceramic vessels. The first group of findings has Western, Bilozerka or Bilohrudivka origins. However, there is a noticeable presence of Eastern pottery, derived from the Timber-Grave Culture. Similar situations have been encountered repeatedly in settlements along the Left Bank of the Dnieper River and in territories further east. The difference between the ceramic complexes of settlements primarily lies in the percentage distribution of various groups of pottery. Preliminary observations suggest that the population at the end of the Bronze Age in the Ogrin 4/4-a settlement had predominantly Timber-Grave Culture origins.
has affected cultural property crime and how cultural property criminals
have responded to those practical, social, political and economic
changes. To do so, this online ethnography draws on netnographic
data from 184 artefact-hunters across Ukraine, Russia, Belarus,
Greece, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States
and Canada, two artefact-dealers and one violent political operator,
whose discussions spanned 19 online communities. It examines the
legal fictions and legal nihilism of antiquities looters; the criminal
operations of antiquities looters and antiquities traffickers in the
occupied territories of Ukraine; the international networks of artefacthunters
that facilitate the trading of equipment and antiquities, plus
the movement of the artefact-hunters themselves and the conduct of
their criminal operations. Thereby, it documents the pollution of
Western markets with tainted cultural goods from the occupied
territories of Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe and the contribution
of Western consumers to the conflict economy.
The site is located on the elevation on the left bank of the Ustya River (a left tributary of the Horyn River), surrounded by a floodplain.
The excavation with a total area of 240 sq.m revealed 13 objects of different times (Early Bronze Age-Medieval time) that were identified and investigated one burial of Early Bronze Age.
Pit 21 lay in the western portion of the study area. It was oval in plan (1.4m × 2.5m x 0.12m deep), oriented south-west to north-east. The fills within the pit contained materials of different periods, with Neolithic materials dominating the lower portions. The ceramic assemblage consisted of kitchen and tableware potteries, which are broadly dated to Early LBK. Flint, derived from Turonian tier sources, was used by the Neolithic population for knapping and tool making. The majority of the recovered flint tools are represented by retouched blades, including
scrapers, borers, and portions of composite sickles. A nearby concentration of Neolithic pottery sherds appears to indicate the later recutting of the pit.
Pit 24 was larger (2.7m × 3.2m x 0.67m deep) and lay in the north-western
part of the study area and was oriented north-west to south-east. Excavation of the feature allowed the recovery of some 178 flint artifacts, datable to the Neolithic. The largest portion of the assemblage was composed of débitage (73.5%) with identifiable tools making up just 26.5%. The tools recovered included items formed on both blades and chips: scrapers, truncated blades, drills/borers, and blades with retouching. Some 65 pottery sherds were recovered from the feature and
represented portions of several vessels, including hemispherical bowls, conical and high bowls, and necked vessels. The pottery was decorated with fingerprints, engraved ornamentation in linear arrangements, and relief decoration. Taken together, the artefact assemblage from this pit indicates an Early LBK date. This is compatible with artefacts and radiocarbon dates of 6570 ± 60 BP and 6475 ± 80 BP returned from features excavated by V. K. Pyasetsky at the same site (Kotova, Kovalyukh, Manko, Okhrimenko 2007).
The earliest findings date back to the Neolithic period. Most artifacts from this period consist of pottery shards. Most Neolithic pottery is associated with the Azov-Dnieper culture of its second period. Additionally, the presence of pottery from the Surska culture should not be excluded.
Materials from the Early Bronze Age are scarce; fragments of ceramic vessels were found scattered throughout the cultural layer of the site. A destroyed burial of the Catacomb culture was also discovered, from which only the skull of an adult was preserved. Adjacent to the temporal bone, a clay cup with a flat bottom was found, decorated with horizontal incised lines.
The most substantial and richest findings at the Ogrin 4/4-a site turned out to be a layer from the final stage of the Bronze Age. The main part of the ceramic complex belongs to the latest period of this era. Notably, there is visible heterogeneity in the investigated ceramic vessels. The first group of findings has Western, Bilozerka or Bilohrudivka origins. However, there is a noticeable presence of Eastern pottery, derived from the Timber-Grave Culture. Similar situations have been encountered repeatedly in settlements along the Left Bank of the Dnieper River and in territories further east. The difference between the ceramic complexes of settlements primarily lies in the percentage distribution of various groups of pottery. Preliminary observations suggest that the population at the end of the Bronze Age in the Ogrin 4/4-a settlement had predominantly Timber-Grave Culture origins.
has affected cultural property crime and how cultural property criminals
have responded to those practical, social, political and economic
changes. To do so, this online ethnography draws on netnographic
data from 184 artefact-hunters across Ukraine, Russia, Belarus,
Greece, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States
and Canada, two artefact-dealers and one violent political operator,
whose discussions spanned 19 online communities. It examines the
legal fictions and legal nihilism of antiquities looters; the criminal
operations of antiquities looters and antiquities traffickers in the
occupied territories of Ukraine; the international networks of artefacthunters
that facilitate the trading of equipment and antiquities, plus
the movement of the artefact-hunters themselves and the conduct of
their criminal operations. Thereby, it documents the pollution of
Western markets with tainted cultural goods from the occupied
territories of Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe and the contribution
of Western consumers to the conflict economy.
The site is located on the elevation on the left bank of the Ustya River (a left tributary of the Horyn River), surrounded by a floodplain.
The excavation with a total area of 240 sq.m revealed 13 objects of different times (Early Bronze Age-Medieval time) that were identified and investigated one burial of Early Bronze Age.
Pit 21 lay in the western portion of the study area. It was oval in plan (1.4m × 2.5m x 0.12m deep), oriented south-west to north-east. The fills within the pit contained materials of different periods, with Neolithic materials dominating the lower portions. The ceramic assemblage consisted of kitchen and tableware potteries, which are broadly dated to Early LBK. Flint, derived from Turonian tier sources, was used by the Neolithic population for knapping and tool making. The majority of the recovered flint tools are represented by retouched blades, including
scrapers, borers, and portions of composite sickles. A nearby concentration of Neolithic pottery sherds appears to indicate the later recutting of the pit.
Pit 24 was larger (2.7m × 3.2m x 0.67m deep) and lay in the north-western
part of the study area and was oriented north-west to south-east. Excavation of the feature allowed the recovery of some 178 flint artifacts, datable to the Neolithic. The largest portion of the assemblage was composed of débitage (73.5%) with identifiable tools making up just 26.5%. The tools recovered included items formed on both blades and chips: scrapers, truncated blades, drills/borers, and blades with retouching. Some 65 pottery sherds were recovered from the feature and
represented portions of several vessels, including hemispherical bowls, conical and high bowls, and necked vessels. The pottery was decorated with fingerprints, engraved ornamentation in linear arrangements, and relief decoration. Taken together, the artefact assemblage from this pit indicates an Early LBK date. This is compatible with artefacts and radiocarbon dates of 6570 ± 60 BP and 6475 ± 80 BP returned from features excavated by V. K. Pyasetsky at the same site (Kotova, Kovalyukh, Manko, Okhrimenko 2007).
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Keywords: war, archeological heritage, Ukraine
Russia's aggression against Ukraine has been going on for 8 years and if, from 2014 to February 2022, military action was limited exclusively to the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, now, the war has to some extent covered the whole of Ukraine. The humanitarian catastrophe, accompanied by the ruthless destruction of human settlements and infrastructure, the killing of civilians, and mass migration, has also had an impact on the condition of the archaeological heritage.
Damage or destruction of archeological sites can be considered as motivated (purposeful) and unmotivated (accidental). Cases of unmotivated destruction of archeological sites (settlements, burial mounds, and underground cemeteries) predominate. This is due to the fact that the warring parties use the features of the archaeological sites and other features of the terrain where the archeological sites are located for self-defense, such as the construction of protective structures.
The war was also accompanied by the destruction of local lore and university museums, which housed archaeological collections (Mariupol, Popasna, Severodonetsk, Rubizhne, Izyum). The fate of archeological collections from museums of settlements that are currently under occupation (Starobilsk, Melitopol, Kherson, Berdyansk, Genichesk, and others) remains unknown. Archeological collections’ expropriation and illegal export to the territory of Russia (or transfer from recently-occupied territories to long-occupied territories in preparation for export), and their theft by looters or Russian servicemen for the purpose of sale to other collectors or replenishment of their own collections, are serious risks. An example is the removal of a collection of "Scythian gold" and other artifacts from the Melitopol Museum.
The task of archaeologists is to collect available information and, later, to monitor archaeological heritage in areas where hostilities have taken place. Currently, the largest database of destruction or damage to the archaeological heritage is one for the Luhansk region, as it has been purposefully collected since 2014. It consists of more than 25 recorded cases and has a gradation of damage types.
Detection and determination of damage or destruction of archeological heritage sites is a prospect only in the post-war period when survey areas will be safe for this purpose. Currently, no international protocols for the protection of cultural/archaeological heritage sites are in place in the area of active hostilities.
This monograph is the result of two years of research into the multi-layered settlement of Ratniv-II and sites located nearby. Given this, there is a need for generalized conclusions. The area of the settlement investigated as a result of excavations in 2014 and 2015 is 443.6 sq.m.
The earliest stage in the settlement of the valley of the middle stream of the River Chornohuzka should be considered the beginning-middle of the 6th millennium BC. The tools on the blades, which belonged to the autochthonous population in the transit period from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic, should be associated with this time.
The Neolithic era is represented by a single object –a household pit of the Linear Pottery culture (note phase), which dates back to the second half of the 6th millennium BC. The ceramic complex of object 17 finds a lot of analogies unique for this object in particular and for the culture of Linear Pottery culture of Volyn Heights, in general, is the conduct of the first
paleobotanical analyses, based on the results of which radiocarbon dates were obtained.
Copper age artefacts at the settlement are a small number, mostly collected during surveys on the modern surface and in isolated cases – in the cultural layer. The ceramics of three cultures were collected – Malice, Trypillia, and Globular Amphora cultures.
The Early Bronze Age is represented by features 21, 36 and feature 59, excavated in 2015, with materials from the cultural layer and survey material. The first of them is a shallow storage pit with a slightly trapezoidal cross-section, the second remains unexplored
in the main area. Feature 59 is a pit trapezoidal in cross-section, characteristic of the Mierzanowice culture. The Trzciniec-Komariv culture, or the Trzciniec-Komariv cultural circle, is represented by feature 22 of an
elongated shape sunk into the loess, which includes an internal pit and traces of a hearth, which allows it to be interpreted as part of a dwelling.
The Early Iron Age is represented by features 4, 18 and 37/61, as well as features 41, 53, 55-58, 62-63, which were explored in 2015. The first of them is a mysterious “moat”, the purpose of which can only be guessed, the second is a small depression near it. Many discoveries were made in the cultural layer and lifting material. The ceramic assemblage of the Lusatian culture is quite typical for the region, but the very presence of materials from the Mylohrad culture in the settlement along with the Lusatian ones is unusual for the River Styr basin. However, the materials
of the latter are known in significant quantities in the Rivers Horyn and Ikva, where they occur alongside the materials of the Mohilian group.
The Late Roman period is represented by quantitatively insignificant finds of Welbark culture materials in the cultural layer and lifting material. Separate finds of ceramics of the Przeworsk culture at the settlement
are a synchronous admixture. Traces of a bone-cutting workshop and traces of spinning and weaving were found. Finds of this time were also discovered during the survey of the Bakai-I settlement.
The Slavic occupation of the Middle Ages in the materials of Ratnov II is represented by the Prague and Raikovets cultures, as well as materials from the Old Russian period. The studied area provided materials
that can be used to distinguish several periods of the features’ functioning.
At the multi-layered settlement Ratniv-II, the research that began in 2014 (being prepared for publication) was continued. The approximate size of the settlement from west to east is about 520 m, and from north to south 240 m. On an area of 124 m2, 21 features were surveyed: the Early
Bronze Age (# 59 and 67), Early Iron Age (# 4, 41, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 61, 62, 63), Old Rus (#52, 64, 66, 69), the third quarter of the XXth century. (# 51, 54). The cultural and chronological affiliation has not been established for features #60, 65, 68. In the north-eastern part of the
settlement there is a test pit in which the Old Rus object was discovered, and the lifting material collected on the plowed surface testifies that the
settlement has existed since the Neolithic times (Linear Pottery Culture).
In the northern part of the village Ratniv a triple burial of the Mierzhanowice culture of the Early Bronze Age, destroyed by a local resident was inspected. The results of the anthropological
analyzes are presented in Appendix 2. As a result of the surveys, the following settlements and sites were located: Bakai-I (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Copper Age, Bronze Age, Late Roman period); Bakai-II (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Copper Age, Bronze Age, Late Roman
period; first half of the XXth century), Didovychi-I (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Early Bronze Age), Didovychi-II (Mesolithic, Copper Age, Bronze
Age, the first half of the XXth century), Didovychi-III (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Copper Age, Early Bronze Age, Late Roman period, Old Rus),
Didovychi-IV (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Copper Age, Late Bronze Age, XVII-XVIII centuries), Didovychi-V (Mesolithic, Copper Age, Early Iron Age).
On the south-eastern outskirts of the village Baiv (to the north-east from Ratniv) two multilayered settlements were localized – Baiv-Vysochyna with artifacts of Neolithic, Copper Age, Early Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, and Old Rus and Baiv-II (Neolithic, Copper Age, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Late Roman period and Old Rus).
On the island of Victoriany to the north-west of Ratniv a multilayered settlement with artifacts in chronological boundaries from the Neolithic
to the XIV-XV-XVIII centuries was found as a result of excavation of test pits. Two test pits were excavated on the island of Kolyadka, in which features of the Mezhanovytsia culture of the Early Bronze Age were found. During surveys on the island, artifacts were found, which have been divided into the following chronological periods: Neolithic, Copper Age, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Late Roman period, and Old Rus.
Near the village Ozdiv (to the north-east of Ratniv) surveys were conducted, as a result of which two settlements were located. In the
settlement of Ozdiv-I, which is located in the northern part of the village, materials of Old Rus origin, as well as the end of the XIX-first half of
the XX centuries are present. Artifacts of the Bronze and Early Iron Age were found in the settlement of Ozdiv-II, which is located in the
north-eastern part of this village.
Appendix 1. Ye. Yanish (Research Associate at the Institute of Zoology of the NAS of Ukraine named after I.I. Schmalhausen), an analysis of the
faunal complex obtained as a result of excavations of the multi-layered settlement Ratniv-II and exploration in the vicinity of the village of Ratniv.
Appendix 2. Senior Researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the NAS of Ukraine O. Kozak conducted a detailed anthropological analysis of the bones from a destroyed triple burial found in the northern part of the village of Ratniv.
Appendix 3. A publication devoted to the definition of the Ratnivska Meso-Neolithic archeological culture, the bearers of which played
a significant role in compiling the Linear Pottery Culture in Western Ukraine.
Appendix 4. The publication of the radiocarbon dates of the paleobotanical samples taken from the bottom of features #59 became
possible with the help of a Senior Researcher at the Bioarchaeology Research Centre of Vilnius University, PhD Giedre Motuzaite-
Matuzeviciute. The samples of carbonized grains and nutshells are dated to the second half of the III-first half of the IV centuries AD. The obtained dates characterize the late stage of the development of the Chernyakhiv or Velbar cultures and raise questions about the correctness of the conclusions about the age of the paleobotanical materials made without radiocarbon analysis.
Translated by Sean Mark Miller, MA.
reflect the range of her scientific interests, covering the period from antiquity to the Late Middle Ages. The new archaeological materials, historiographical and faunal studies as well as analysis of museum collections of finds from the past years' excavations are represented in the book.
ЛЮДИНА ТА ЛАНДШАФТ: первісна археологія Східної Європи. – VITA ANTIQUA, №9. Збірка наукових статей. – К.: 2017. Збірка наукових праць присвячена сучасним дослідженням питань взаємодії оточуючого середовища та первісних суспільств на території Європи і сучасним дослідженням в галузі ландшафтної археології. Представлені матеріали, що демонструють міждисциплінарний підхід у дослідженні пам’яток первісності. Запропонована збірка буде корисною для всіх, хто цікавиться первісною історією, археологією та географією Європи – археологам, географам, біологам, історикам-краєзнавцям, студентам вищих навчальних закладів.
Збірка наукових праць присвячена сучасним дослідженням питань розвитку та взаємодії первісних спільнот на території голоценової Європи. Хронологічно збірка охоплює заключні фази кам’яної доби та початку доби ранніх металів. Особлива увага приділена процесу неолітизації та взаємодії різних суспільств Південної та Східної Європи. Запропонована збірка буде корисною для всіх, хто цікавиться первісною історією, археологією та географією Європи – археологам, преісторикам, історикам-краєзнавцям, етнографам, музейним працівникам, дослідникам культурної спадщини, студентам вищих навчальних закладів.