Yaroslav Chentsov digitizes the exhibition. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
Yaroslav Chentsov , a graduate student at the Faculty of History and Philosophy of the I. Mechnikov Odesa National University, defended his dissertation on "Nomadic Population of Steppe Ukraine in the Period of the Juchi Ulus: Reconstruction of the Structure of Identities."
According to the Dean's Office of the Faculty of History, Yaroslav Chentsov thus received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Yaroslav Chentsov explained to the intendant that he chose this particular dissertation topic for a number of reasons. Firstly, from the very beginning of his scientific career he was interested in medieval archaeology, and the topic of the nomads of the Dzhuchi Ulus was chosen as the least researched, especially in the period of independent Ukraine, as well as interesting and relevant in terms of applying new approaches to the analysis of the material accumulated in Soviet times.
"This includes both the use of the latest technologies, such as 3D modeling, and the analysis of archaeological material through the prism of identifying the identities of the nomadic population - ethnic, regional, gender, status, as well as the problem of identity distortion," the scientist explained.
In February 2025, the team of the Archaica NGO digitized and created 3D models of Egyptian artifacts, Cypriot sculpture, exhibits from Samarkand, and artifacts from the South of Ukraine - Crimea and Odesa region. In addition, the museum building, which is an architectural monument of national importance, was digitized. Yaroslav Chentsov was a member of this team, digitizing the museum's exhibits.
Olena Smyntyna, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Archeology, Ethnology, and World History at the I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University, was the dissertation's supervisor. Reviewers: Nataliia Petrova, PhD in History, Associate Professor of the Department of Archeology, Ethnology and World History at the I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University, and Vadym Chepizhenko, PhD in History, Associate Professor of the Department of Archeology, Ethnology and World History at the I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University. The opponents were Svitlana Bilyaeva, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Archeology at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and Hennadii Kazakevych, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Art History at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
