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VITA ANTIQUA                                                                          ISSN 2522-9419 (Online), 2519-4542 (Print)
Center for Paleoethnological Research
VITA ANTIQUA 16, 2025, Tangible Heritage of Ancient Times : approaches, contexts, interpretations

Yaroslav Volodarets-Urbanovych¹
Early Medieval Jewelry from the Kherson Local History Museum : stolen heritage
¹Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
¹ORCID: 0000-0003-1560-3608

DOI: 

ABSTRACT

The report presents information about a number of archaeological finds of early Middle Ages from funds and exposition of the Kherson Local History Museum. This jewellery entered the museum’s collection in different years. It was possible to author to get acquainted with these materials in 2018 and 2019. A part was published almost immediately, others later — during 2024 and 2025. Work on processing part of the collection was stopped by the global Covid-2019 pandemic. And on February 24, 2022, a full-scale invasion of russian troops began, including in the south of Ukraine, with the occupation of Kherson. In November 2022, during the robbery by the russian occupiers of the Kherson Local History Museum, a number of items (including jewellery of the early Middle Ages) were taken in an unknown direction. Their further fate is unknown.

All archaeological finds can be divided into four groups according to ethnocultural affiliation and general dating.

 

  1. Аnthropomorphic pendant from «Oleshkovsky Pіski» (Fig. 2; 3). Archaeological find belongs to the circle of «Black Sea-Caucasian» pendants of Alans or Bulgarians, it under discussion could be dated to the 4th— 7thcc. It entered the collection of Viktor Goshkevich (the founder and funder of the museum) back in 1900 or 1905.
  2. Finds of strap adornments by «Heraldic» style (second half of the 6th— 7thcc.) from three points — Novooleksiivka, Novochornomor’ia and Kalanchak (Fig. 4—7), in total of 12 archaeological finds. This jewellery entered the museum’s collection in the 1960s and early 1970s, thanks to the works of Israel Ratner (an employee-archaeologist of the museum).
  3. Buckle of early Byzantine time from Heroiske village (Fig. 8). This find belongs to the circle of very famous produces of the «Syracuse» type. Similar buckles date back to the last quarter of the 6th— 7thcc. This jewel also entered the museum’s collection thanks to the works of Israel Ratner.
  4. Jewellery findings from Pravi Solontsi Hoard, which belongs to the assemblages of the Martynivka circle. The complex comprises 20 whole and fragmented metal items and 1 bead of nontranslucent glass (Fig. 9; 10). The items existed in starting from the end of the 6th/ turn of the 6th—7th cc. to the middle / third quarter of the 7th c.

The report presents the most complete information about those finds that have been processed and data about which may be lost. It should be hoped that attracting the attention of the world public and the work of the relevant services will be able to return the stolen heritage of Ukraine during the full-scale invasion, including from the collection of the Kherson Local History Museum.

Keywords: The Kherson Local History Museum, Early Middle Ages, Slavs, nomads, jewelry.

Lenguage: Ukrainian

ПДФ

Cite us:

Volodarets-Urbanovych Y.V. 2025. Early Medieval Jewelry from the Kherson Local History Museum : stolen heritage. VITA ANTIQUA,16. Tangible Heritage of Ancient Times : approaches, contexts, interpretations

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