During the construction of fortifications in southern Ukraine, soldiers from the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade uncovered an ancient burial site dating back to the 6th-5th century BC.
The brigade reported this on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.
“During the construction of fortifications in southern Ukraine, ordinary earthworks turned into a sensational archaeological discovery. Excavator driver Mykola found a small amphora. Interested, he turned to his comrade Yevhen, who is passionate about history. Together, they decided to hand the finding over to the Staroflotski Kazarmy Museum,” the message states.
Experts from the museum, on analyzing the finding, determined that it was an Ionian amphora, which had been used for ritual purposes and placed in graves. The location where the soldiers were carrying out fortification work turned out to be an archaic burial site dating back to the 6th-5th centuries BC.
The museum experts were particularly intrigued by another discovered piece of Corinthian pottery – an oinochoe. This ancient Greek jug, with one handle and three spouts, was used for pouring wine during symposiums – ritualized banquets in Ancient Greece that were accompanied by lively revelry, an important part of male leisure.
“These are ritual items specifically created for burials, brought from Greece. It’s important that the items are intact, without damage, which indicates the high social status of the individuals buried,” explained Oleksandr, a former archaeologist and lecturer at Mykolaiv National University named after V.O. Sukhomlynskyi, now a serviceman.
Along with the artifacts, the military personnel from the civil-military cooperation service also handed over the remains of ancient people to the museum.
Earlier, in the same region, a Neolithic flint knife was recently found by shepherds on the banks of the Southern Buh River.
Photo: The 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade
