Ukrainian Soldiers Unearth Ancient Greek Burial

2 months ago 5
Miniature amphora, Mykolaiv, UkraineMiniature amphora, Mykolaiv, Ukraine

MYKOLAIV, UKRAINE—According to a report by the Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrainian soldiers digging defensive fortifications stumbled upon an ancient Greek burial site in southern Ukraine. During excavation work, a machine operator from the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade noticed a small amphora sticking out of a freshly dug trench, which he brought to the Mykolayiv Regional Museum of Local History. Museum experts determined that the vessel was of Ionian origin and was specially crafted for ritual purposes during funerary ceremonies. Further investigation at the site revealed an oinochoe—an ancient Greek jug with a single handle and three spouts—and human remains that experts believe were buried in a sixth- or fifth-century b.c. necropolis. “These are ritual objects made specifically for burials and brought from Greece,” said Oleksandr, a former archaeologist from Vasyl Sukhomlynskyi Mykolaiv National University who is now serving in the military. “The fact that the vessels are intact and undamaged suggests that the buried individuals held a high social status.” During the first millennium b.c., ancient Greeks established several colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea near present-day Ukraine. For more on Ukrainian archaeology, go to "Ukraine's Lost Capital."

Searching for Lost Cities May/June 2024

London on the Black Sea

Crimea, Ukraine

Read Article

Sixteenth-century nautical map of the Black Sea

(Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy)

Features September/October 2023

Ukraine's Lost Capital

In 1708, Peter the Great destroyed Baturyn, a bastion of Cossack independence and culture

Read Article

(Leonid Andronov/Alamy Stock Photo)

Top 10 Discoveries of 2020 January/February 2021

Largest Viking DNA Study

Northern Europe and Greenland

Read Article

(Dorset County Council/Oxford Archaeology)

The Story of the Horse July/August 2015

Taming the Horse

Read Article

(Courtesy Jean Clottes)

  • Letter from the Levant March/April 2025

    On the Origin of the Pork Taboo

    Exploring ancient people’s shifting beliefs about rearing and eating pigs

    Read Article

    Courtesy Giorgio Buccellati

  • Digs & Discoveries March/April 2025

    Primordial Alphabet Soup

    Read Article

    Courtesy Glenn Schwartz

  • Digs & Discoveries March/April 2025

    Iberian Gender Imbalance

    Read Article

    Universidad de Granada/Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, M. et al. Scientific Reports (2024)

  • Digs & Discoveries March/April 2025

    Ice Age Needlework

    Read Article

    Courtesy Spencer Pelton

Sign up for our monthly e-Update which includes highlights of the current issue, links to special collections from the magazine’s archive, and opportunities available only for subscribers.

Read Entire Article