During fortification work in the Mykolaiv region, Ukrainian military personnel found several ancient Greek artifacts. Among the finds are an ancient Greek oinochoe jug and an amphora that was made for ritual purposes and was probably used in funeral ceremonies.
This is reported by Archaeology Magazine.
An oinochoe is an ancient Greek jug with one handle and three spouts that was used to pour wine during symposia, traditional male gatherings that included feasting and entertainment.
Experts believe that the human skeletal remains found alongside the artifacts were buried in a necropolis dating back to the sixth or fifth century BC.
"These are ritual objects made specifically for burials and brought from Greece, " said Oleksandr, a former archaeologist, lecturer at Vasyl Sukhomlynskyi Mykolaiv National University, who is currently defending Ukraine from Russian aggression. " The fact that the vessels are intact and undamaged indicates that the buried people had a high social status."
The discovery was made when a soldier noticed a small amphora sticking out of a freshly dug trench. Realizing its importance, he told his colleague, who was very interested in history, about the find. After careful analysis, the staff of the Staroflotski Barracks Museum identified the amphora as Ionian.
These finds shed light on the history of Greek presence on the northern Black Sea coast, in what is now Ukraine and Russia. The ancient Greeks established numerous colonies in southern Ukraine, starting in the 6th century BC. These colonies traded with the Scythians, Goths, and early Slavs, and some, such as Olbia, became rich centers of culture and trade.
These colonies later united into the Bosporan Kingdom, which later came under the rule of the Roman Empire, continuing a Hellenic and Hellenistic presence throughout the Roman era. When Rome gave way to Christian Eastern Rome or Byzantium, the Greek presence remained and transmitted Greco-Roman culture and Orthodox Christianity to Kievan Rus'.
This is not the first time that Ukrainian military personnel have found ancient Greek artifacts since the start of the Ukrainian-Russian war. In May 2022, soldiers unearthed a nearly 2,500-year-old vessel and ancient Greek amphorae while digging defensive structures in Odessa to protect the city from Russian attacks.
We will remind, earlier, Kyiv law enforcement officers prevented the illegal sale of rare artifacts from the 4th-5th centuries , seized on the "black market" - the unique finds will be transferred to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.