Unique artifacts, interesting finds and hard, painstaking work – all this is archeology. An archeologist, a lecturer at the Faculty of History of ZhSU named after Ivan Franko told us about her carrier and interesting findings in Zhytomyr region, Maryna Khadadova

«The first acquaintance with archeology took place in childhood. I was born in the Crimea, which contains many archeological monuments. It so happened that I stumbled upon excavations as a child, and I was interested in it. After graduating from school, I entered the Dnipropetrovsk National University, Faculty of History. I specialized in archeology. I was lucky enough to study archeology and work in an expedition led by a famous Ukrainian archaeologist, Professor Iryna Kovaliova. From the first year I started working in the expedition as a laboratory assistant, then as a senior laboratory assistant. Participated in the study of burial mounds of Yamna and Catacomb cultures and Scythians in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions»

«After graduating from university, I began working at the Zhytomyr Regional Museum of Local Lore. I worked in the funds department. The Zhytomyr Museum of Local Lore has a good archeological collection, which, unfortunately, is not yet possible to exhibit. During my work I took part in organizing archeological collections, putting archeological artifacts into scientific circulation. Later, in 2003, I started working at Zhytomyr State University named after Ivan Franko, at the Faculty of History. Now I teach archeology, methods of field archeology and manage archeological practice»

«With the beginning of teaching at the university, trips to archeological expeditions resumed, together with the students of the Faculty of History worked on an expedition at the Hybunske Horodysche XIII century – chronicle settlement of Bolokhiv land. The expedition was led by Academician Ion Izrailevich Vynokur – a prominent Ukrainian archaeologist and just a good man. For several years in a row I studied the mounds of Scythian times near the village Satans of Khmelnytsky region. Then, together with students, we explored the monuments of Trypillia culture on the Dniester as part of the Dniester complex expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. And since 2010 I have been working in the Zhytomyr Archaeological Expedition of the IA NAS of Ukraine. On the basis of the expedition students of the historical faculty of ZhSU named after Ivan Franko go on their practical course. The main research area of the expedition is Drevlya monuments of Zhytomyr region. These are the tribal centers of the Drevlians – Iskorosten, Malyn, Olevsk. Research on experimental archeology is also carried out on the basis of the expedition. Students-trainees gladly take part in them»

«An expedition is a specific world. A close circle of people in a limited area, sometimes cut off from the civilized world. Life in the expedition is often far from comfortable. Compatibility of people with each other is also a very important thing. Archaeologists usually have a sense of humor, a light friendly nature»

«For some reason, there is a stereotype that archeology is a man’s business. There are many women among archaeologists, although there are more men. But when you find yourself in this masculine environment and want to be perceived as equal, there is no room for whims or dissatisfaction. Everyone goes to dig in the rain – you go to dig in the rain, everyone pulls stones – you pull stones»

«But not everything is so good, there are still «black archaeologists», or rather looters. The purpose of archaeological research – to gain knowledge, the purpose of the «black archaeologist» – to make a profit. In the process of searching for archeological objects, these «searchers» destroy monuments – settlements and burials of different archeological periods»

«Young people are interested in archeology. We have a compulsory archeological practice at the Faculty of History, which most students go through in the field. Of course, it is not easy for everyone to adapt to such conditions – living in tents, especially if the weather is not very good, cooking on the fire. But as a result, most students retain fond memories of archaeological practice. At the end of the practice there is a tradition – dedication to archaeologists. Some then take part in archeological research in their free time»

«Unfortunately, we almost do not know Zhytomyr from the archeological point of view. Once in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century there was a very powerful archeological school in Zhytomyr. Serhiy Gamchenko and Ivan Levitsky worked here – people who were engaged in thorough archaeological research in Ukraine and, in particular, in the Zhytomyr region. But there was almost no archeological research in the city. Archaeological explorations were carried out, archeological monuments of different periods were recorded, and they were registered with the state. Most of the explorations were conducted by O.O. Tarabukin, a senior researcher at the Zhytomyr Regional Museum of Local Lore. Only in recent years we have conducted research on Castle Hill, near the Berdychiv Bridge»

«The task of archaeologists is not only to excavate, but also to preserve archeological monuments from destruction. This is difficult, because there are about 300 «active» archaeologists in the whole territory of Ukraine, but this is not enough»

«To know where something was, you need to dig. It is difficult to conduct archeological research in the city. It is almost impossible to study the cultural layer, especially in the central part, which often contains the oldest finds. Most of the cultural layers under the asphalt, tiles, under houses. However, we are trying to find places to work»

«Castle Hill – the place where the settlement used to be located, which gave rise to the city. The cultural layer contains finds from the Eneolithic (Copper Age) to the late Middle Ages. The territory of the Castle Hill was repeatedly built up. Today, the foundations and basements of the former market in the area of the park have been preserved. Remains of the fortifications of Zhytomyr Castle were found closer to the slope of the Castle Hill. When we laid the excavations in 2018, we immediately came across a unique monument – a round tower-dungeon, which is mentioned in the «Inventories» of the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, we were not able to study the find to the end. Remains of Late Trypillia dwellings were also found at this site»

«There were many mass finds at the excavation site – animal bones, fragments of pottery. Among the individual it is worth noting the copper icon with enamels of ancient times and a bone needle of about the 17th century. Archaeologists are not just digging up a piece of land. All the earth from the excavation is sifted everywhere with a special sieve. This allows you to detect the smallest finds, such as beads»

«I love my profession, I’m interested in researching the history of Zhytomyr. We want as many people as possible to be interested in the past, historical discoveries, to know and love the city in which they live»