Students of Odesa University complete the first archaeological expedition since the beginning of the pandemic

Students of the South Ukrainian Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushynsky have completed their first archaeological practice since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which took place in the village of Orlivka, Izmail district, Odesa region.

As noted on the university's website, the excavations were carried out under the supervision of Doctor of Historical Sciences Ihor Bryiuk and assistant Vladyslav Vodko.

The research was carried out on the outskirts of Stone Mountain, a unique geological formation where a border fortress of the Roman Empire functioned in the Roman period. It was this hill that controlled the narrowest part of the Danube, where a crossing had existed since ancient times.

This time the expedition focused on the suburbs, where archaeologists found the remains of ancient structures and numerous artifacts: Roman ovens, pits, household items, jewelry, coins, ceramics - evidence of trade and cultural contacts between the local population and the cities of the Mediterranean and the steppe regions of the Northern Black Sea. The burials are especially valuable, as they help to recreate the idea of the way of life and beliefs of people of the past.

Among the most interesting finds of the expedition:

• Roman coins of Emperors Antoninus Pius and Constantius II.
• Roman fibulae (clasps) of the so-called warrior type
• A red-lacquer ceramic lamp
• A fragment of a stone mace from the Late Bronze Age
• Two burials, one of which is probably of the Chernyakhiv culture
• A large number of ceramics from different periods.

Research on Stone Mountain began in the 1960s. The remains of a Roman fortress, which was part of the Roman Empire's border defense system, were discovered here.

Earlier, students of the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after Ushynsky and employees of the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine found Roman pottery and building blocks at the foot of the monument to Duke de Richelieu on Prymorskyi Boulevard in Odesa.

Photo: South Ukrainian Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushynsky

Кирило Бойко