Arheologia

Culture Clash in Atlanterra Cave (Cadiz, Spain): Diachronic Interactions Between Palaeolithic and Post-Palaeolithic Graphic Traditions

Hugo De Lara López — 2026-06-27

This article analyses the diachronic interaction between Palaeolithic and post-Palaeolithic graphic traditions documented in the Atlanterra Cave (Cadiz, Spain). Through a spatial and graphic approach, it explores how later motifs engaged with earlier imagery in terms of distribution, scale, superimposition, and visual hierarchy. The study highlights the reconfiguration of graphic space across different chrono-cultural phases.

On the Problem of Food Resources of the Kartamysh Inhabitants

Yu. M. Brovender — 2026-06-27

The article is devoted to the issue of substinance strategies of the inhabitants of the Kartamysh archaeological microdistrict within the Donetsk mining and ore center of the Bronze Age.
Considerable attention has been paid in the research literature to the production specialisation of the sites of this centre. However, the issue of substinance, taking into account the recently accumulated volume of the source materials, has unfortunately not been sufficiently studied.
One of the most expressive and well-studied complexes of the Donetsk mining and ore centre is the Kartamysh archaeological microdistrict, located near Novozvanivka village, Severodonetsk (formerly Popasna) Raion, Luhansk Oblast. As evidenced by the materials from its sites, it is obvious that the entire life activity of the residents of Kartamysh was focused exclusively on metal production, mainly on the mining and refining of copper ore. Evidence of metallurgy and metalworking found at the sites of Kartamysh, as well as at other objects of the Donetsk centre, testify to the production of metal products that satisfied the internal needs of miners-metallurgists, and, first of all, in metal tools of the mining cycle.
As in Kargali, there is no reliable information on the engagement of its residents in agriculture at the sites of the Kartamysh district. It is obvious that cattle breeding in Kartamysh, as well as in other sites of the Donetsk mining and ore centre, was also not the main activity of its inhabitants.
The available body of evidence for the Donetsk mining and ore centre of the Bronze Age, examined, including representative materials from the Kartamysh archaeological microdistrict, suggests that the entire life activity of metallurgical miners was subordinated to the extraction and beneficiation of copper ores. Enriched ore was a commodity exchanged by miners-metallurgists of the Donetsk centre, possibly through professional traders with neighbouring and distant tribes for livestock and agricultural products, as well as for various household items.

Artemis Anahita. Persian Trace in The Culture and Identity of the Roman City

A. Yu. Baukova — 2026-06-27

The article analyses historical sources, mainly Greek and Latin, on the goddess Artemis Anahita, of Persian origin, who became an important part of the urban culture of several cities in Asia Minor during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In terms of functions and visual representations, the Persian goddess Anahita was incorporated into the Greek worldview under the “appearance” of Artemis, not in the iconography of the well-known Hellenistic statue by Leochares, but in a form similar to the statue of Artemis of Ephesus. During the second and third centuries AD, the magistrates of Sardis, Hypaepa, and Philadelphia adopted this goddess as one of the symbols of their cities. Coin types featuring Artemis Anahita appeared not only on issues of autonomous minting but also alongside the busts of emperors. Thus, numismatic sources reveal the visual representation and function of the goddess in maintaining the local identity of city elites of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor.

«Fire-Steel Brooches», «Tongs» or «Ducks»? An Attempt at Attributing a Category of Saltiv Artefacts

O. O. Laptiev — 2026-06-27

The article deals with a rare type of fibula-shaped artefacts of the Saltiv culture with an unclear purpose. During the period from 1957 to 2021, at least 44 similar objects were found within the territory from the lower region of the Buh River to the middle region of the Volga River, and from the upper region of the Donets River to the North Caucasus. In situ, fibulae were found exclusively in burials, in both cremations and inhumations (pits and catacombs), and are dated no earlier than the 9th century. The historiography of these finds and attempts to determine the functional purpose of the objects is discussed in the relevant research. The following three main concepts regarding the use of objects have spread in the literature: “fire-steels”, “brooches” and combined — “fire-steel brooches”. Based on the hanging ring design features, three types are distinguished. The first two types are usually found in cremation burials, while the third, which is the most common, does not correlate with a certain burial rite or territory and can be considered the latest.
The accompanying inventory indicates that burials with fire-steel brooches belonged to the social elite of Saltiv culture society who were mounted warriors armed with spears, sabers, bows, and arrows. In inhumation burials, fire-steel brooches are located in the belt or femur area, which challenges their interpretation as fibulae. In some cremation complexes, fire-steel brooches were found together with other traditional forms of fire-steel. The nature of the damage on some artefacts indicates some technological operations, especially crimping of a triangular profile with a side size from 6 to 11 mm. Based on the accompanying inventory analysis and the design features, it has been suggested that the objects were associated with arrow manufacturing. The pin could have been usedused to create a channel for the arrowhead in the shaft; the clamper could have crimped the end of the shaft when attaching the arrowhead and fix wraps after gluing; the trapezoidal body could act as a template for uniform trimming of the feather arrow fletching.
The complexity of their production, design defects and limited versatility led to the gradual decline of the objects, which coincided with the disappearance of the Saltiv culture population in the Donets River upper region.

A Group of Archaic Period Terracotta Figurines in the Samsun Museum

Akın Temür — 2026-06-27

This study focuses on a group of terracotta figurines discovered during a rescue excavation conducted in 2009 at Çakalca-Karadoğan Mound, located in Atakum District of Samsun (ancient name Amisos), situated on the southern coast of the Black Sea in northern Turkey. A total of 11 figurines found in a votive pit have been analysed and dated through typological and iconographic evaluations.

Non-Ferrous Metalworking in Kyivan Podil (10th — First Half of the 13th Century)

V. O. Kryzhanovskyi — 2026-06-27

The article focuses on the archaeological features and artefacts associated with the processing of non-ferrous metals discovered in the Podil district of Kyiv, highlighting the development of this craft during the period of Kyivan Rus. Specialised structures are presented, including bronze-casting workshops, jewellery workshops, metalworking workshops, domestic workshops, and cultural layers related to such activities. The identification and classification of these structures were made possible through the analysis of specialised artefacts, including metals intended for trade, semi-finished products, casting vessels, casting moulds, tools, and production waste. As a result, craft centres were discovered, indicating that non-ferrous metalworking was a widespread craft in one of the largest medieval cities of Rus.

The Red-Slip Amphora From Sarmatian Grave in Cherkasy Region

O. V. Symonenko — 2026-06-27

Despite the presence of a representative sample of material (more than 100 whole and fragmented vessels), there is still no published work in Ukrainian science with a general analysis of red-slip ware from Sarmatian graves in the Northern Black Sea region. Such research is currently underway, and each new find is worthy of attention. The paper deals with a forgotten vessel of a rare type — the table amphora.
The vessel was found in 1956 during D. T. Berezovets’s survey along the Ros River near the Neterebkа village of Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi Raion, Cherkasy Oblast, in the Sarmatian grave within a destroyed barrow. The vessel was stored at the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (collection no. 337, inv. no. 352) and mentioned only twice in the corpuses of Roman finds by V. V. Kropotkin and O. V. Symonenko.
This is a red-slip table amphora of the Pontic sigillata group, Zhuravlev shape 1.1. This is the only such vessel found in a Sarmatian grave, but they are well represented among the neighbours and relatives of the Sarmatians: the Late Scythians of Crimea (the Ust-Alma, Zavitne, Belbek IV, and Neizats burial grounds). This shape is dated to the second half of the 1st — early 2nd centuries AD.
In the Sarmatian graves of the Northern Pontic region the red-slip ware is quite diverse. The most common forms are cups, bowls, and plates, jugs of various types (including lagynoi and pelikae), mugs, dishes, kantharoi, toilet bottles, and even a guttus. However, this is the first time a table amphora was discovered.
Thus, it should be recognised that, unlike cups and plates, table amphorae were rare in the Sarmatian milieu, since such vessels were never found in the eastern Sarmatian territories either. Apparently, they were not practical and were not in demand in nomadic life. Or, on the contrary, they were rare and therefore expensive and not available to everyone. The circumstances of the Sarmatians’ use of Ancient Greek tableware have not been studied and represent an interesting area of research.

Materials of the Second Half of the 13th–15th Centuries From Desna River Chernihiv Region

S. O. Sorokin — 2026-06-27

The article presents findings of the second half of the 13th to the early 15th centuries, which have been uncovered in recent decades in the Desna River Chernihiv region. This period remains one of the least explored in the area, and the vast majority of the discovered artefacts haven’t been published.
In recent years, over 50 post-Mongol period sites have been identified. Additionally, four residential complexes dating of the abovementioned period have been examined during the excavation of multi-layered sites: two in Baturyn, and another two in Sedniv and Petrushyn.
The complexes consist of deepened foundation pits with various structural features. Two construction phases have been identified at the site investigated in Baturyn Fortress. The first phase dates to the first half of the 13th century. It is likely that during the Mongol invasion, the dwelling was destroyed by fire, but it was rebuilt later. Notably, during the rebuilding process, a new kiln was constructed on the place of the old destroyed one, incorporating elements of the preserved original structure. The foundation pit walls of the pillar construction, were lined with boards or slabs, as evidenced by the burnt remains. Based on ceramic artefacts, the second phase of the building’s use is dated to the second half of the 13th century.
Another post-Mongol dwelling in Baturyn was excavated within the Palace settlement, located to the east of the Citadel and Fortress. It is also a deepened sub-rectangular pit with a sloping entrance and walls supported by pillars. There weren’t any remains of a hearth. However, the presence of a significant number of bricks in the pit’s filling (which was destroyed by fire) suggests that there may have been a stove in the upper, ground-level part of the dwelling. The ceramic finds are dated to the 14th century.
A structure from the same period was also investigated in Sedniv, at the multi-layered settlement Oreshnia 2. It was also a deepened, sub-rectangular shelter. However, unlike the previous complexes, this one had walls that sloped inward toward the centre of the pit, with no pillar-supported structure. A narrow, elongated entrance was discovered on the eastern side, sloping down toward the pit. It is likely that it was a log construction building, with a stove in the upper (ground) part, as fragments of the latter were found in the filling. Based on the ceramic finds, it is dated to the second half of the 13th century.
The materials of Oleksandr Shekun’s research near Petrushyn village (15 km north from Chernihiv) are also being introduced into scientific discourse. In 1989, a rectangular pit of a dwelling was excavated, featuring a post-supported wall structure and a stove in the corner. Based on the ceramic materials, this structure is dated to the late 13th — mid-14th centuries.
A notable difference was observed between the earliest complexes mentioned above (Sedniv Oreshnia 2 and Baturyn Fortress), where traces of Ancient Rus profile formation traditions were still evident, and the later ones (Baturyn Palace and Petrushyn), where the development of local pottery showed clear external influences.

Letters of Bohdan Khanenko From the Scientific Archive of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

H. O. Stanytsina — 2026-06-27

The Scientific Archives of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine holds, among a large number of different archival materials, personal collections of archaeologists. In addition to other documents, many of these collections also contain correspondence which the scholars received from colleagues, friends, acquaintances and relatives.
The personal collections of Fedir Vovk (anthropologist, archaeologist, ethnographer, museologist), Vikentii Khvoika (discoverer and founder of Ukrainian archaeology, who identified several archaeological cultures and monuments) and Danylo Shcherbakivskyi (archaeologist, teacher, museum historian, art historian, artist, ethnographer, ethnologist) include a total of 76 letters, postcards and telegrams from Bohdan Khanenko (Ukrainian industrialist, philanthropist, art historian, collector, one of the founders of the Kyiv Art, Industry and Science Museum). These letters have never been published before and are unknown to a wide range of scholars.
The personal collection of F. K. Vovk contains 18 letters and two telegrams from Bohdan Khanenko, dated between April 14, 1899 and September 23, 1902, which is the earliest correspondence stored in the Scientific Archives. All correspondence was sent from Kyiv, with the exception of one telegram from Paris and one letter from Motovylivka (a station not far from Kyiv). Most of B. I. Khanenko’s letters to F. K. Vovk concern the publication of his collection Antiquities of Prydniprovia.
The largest number of letters is preserved in the personal collection of Vikentii Viacheslavovych Khvoika: a total of 51 letters with postcards and telegrams from Bohdan Ivanovych Khanenko, two letters, some of which are undated, from his secretary for 1904 and 1911, and one from his accountant. In 1905, while serving in the Red Cross Department for the evacuation of the sick and wounded in the Far East, Khanenko sent three postcards, one letter, and one short note in which he wrote that he hoped to return home soon. The majority of the correspondence concerns the Kyiv Museum, in particular the acquisition of collections and excavations, and there are also letters concerning the publication of the third volume of crosses and icons.
The smallest number of letters from B. I. Khanenko is preserved in the personal collection of D. M. Shcherbakivskyi, and consists of only three letters written by B. I. Khanenko at the time when he tried to persuade D. M. Shcherbakivskyi to return to Kyiv to work in the Museum, offering him a position at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the educational department as a teacher, while also time proposing work in the Kyiv Museum. These letters were written in Saint-Petersburg and are dated from November 1909 to February 1910.

Historiography of Architectural and Archaeological Research of the Halych Castle Complex During the Period of Independence of Ukraine

I. O. Lysyi — 2026-06-28

The castle complex of the end of the 16th century in Halych city (Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine) with its structural and compositional elements (castle with storerooms, chancellery, court building and the Сhapel of St. Catherine, five towers and three entrance gates) is one of the historical and architectural objects that have repeatedly been subjected to archaeological research. Since 1991 archaeologists have focused their attention on the study of elements of the Halych castle complex, trying to investigate unknown or little-known historical stages of its functioning, and to discover archaeological artefacts and finds for further evaluation. The analysis of historiography of the architectural and archaeological studies of the Halych castle complex made it possible to organise and distinguish three conditional periods of scientific research. The first period (1991–1996) was devoted to the discovery and study of cultural stratums, the determination of historical changes in the fortification system, the mapping of fortifications of the Schliakhetska (Noble) Tower and the Chapel of St. Catherine. The second period (1997–2010) includes archaeological pre-project and project studies for restoring fragments of castle walls and the Schliakhetska Tower and ways of preserving and representing the historical and archaeological potential. The third period (2013–2024) is associated with archaeological explorations and earthworks to determine constructional and spatial structure of components of the Entrance Tower. The planning and practical implementation of future archaeological studies should create prerequisites for preservation and protection, and optimal ways of utilitarian adaptation and integrated use of archaeological, historical and architectural objects of the Halych castle.