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Eneolithic and Bronze Age

Bronze Age (approximately IV and I thousand B.C.) was an epoch, when the oldest written history, which, however, borders old epic poems and legends, begins. Memory about this time is kept by thousands of burial mounds which are possible to be seen in Ukraine. We do not know the names of the peoples, who lived in those times, that is why archaeologists often give them conditional names, which originate from the types of buildings of burial places or localities, where these or those antiques were first found.
Ceremony of burial under the burial mounds is connected with the new pictures of life after death, which acquired distribution in the III thousand B.C. People tried to provide this life by new ceremonies, burial inventories, which included pottery, decorations, weapon, tools and magic amulets.  A burial it became a place, where offerings, mentioning ceremonies were conducted. It was the symbol of connection with the ancestors, the symbol of property on a certain territory. Burial mounds became landmarks of old steppe roads.
 It was in this epoch that the wheel became widespread — at first whole made, of wood. Wars of Bronze Age gave a shove to the development of armaments. Axe–mattocks, made of stone, became the symbol of this period. In some myths these wares are described as a weapon of the ancient gods. However, metallurgy of bronze attained prominent success on the territory of Ukraine already in the III millennium B.C. Of the ore obtained in the miners of Donbas and Volhynia, metal was smelted, which was used for making axes, spearheads, sickles and decorations. These wares discovered in old treasures and burial places strike by their perfection.
In the comparison with the previous time ceramic production experiences decline, in fact the nomadic way of life of the vast majority of population did not assist its development. In late Bronze Age old tribes on the territory of Ukraine were pulled in the whirlpool of events of that time world history, among which: hikes of “sea peoples”, Trojan War impertinent raids of bellicose riders — Cimmerians. That is why among the antiques found on this land we can see the things, made in the workshops of distant Siberia and Middle Asia, Central Europe and the Balkans.
The ceramic wares of pit and catacomb cultures — burial pottery — dated from early Bronze Age. The bronze battle–axes, look perfectly and the best of which make the impression of works of art. The vast majority of bronze wares in the collection can be dated back to late Bronze Age — epoch of hikes of “sea peoples” and Trojan War. Those are spearheads and darts, daggers and sword; possibly, the similar wares were in the arsenal of legendary Odysseus, the great warrior and traveler. By the way, the first mention about the “country of Cimmerian people”, south of modern Ukraine, is tied–up exactly with his wandering.

Idol
Idol

III - II cent. B.C. Pottery: modelling, screw-thread. Length 15,9 cm, width 6,0 cm. Inv.No PCP 5318

A figurine is anthropomorphous, conventionalized, and oblate. Has the form of oblong triangle with rounding corners. The head - as the three-cornered sprout extended to the shoulders, marked at the front by the arcuated groove. The breasts are reproduced by two protuberant sticks. On each side the figure is decorated with three transversal grooves

Pot
Pot

2500-2000 years B.C. Pottery: modelling, deep ornamental pattern. Height 31,2 cm, diameter 28,0 cm. Inv.No PCP 5315

Pot with the egg-like trunk, small flat bottom, short neck and horizontally cut away cylinder edges. The external surface of crockery is totally covered by a magnificent ornamental pattern: modelled in combination with deep one. Three modelled circles belt the crockery with the finger prints.  The surface of the crockery is yellow-grey, with dark patches.

Pot
Pot

2500-2000 years B.C. Pottery: modelling, deep ornamental pattern. Height 24,cm, diameter 26,cm. Inv. No PCP 5314

Pot with the high, widely deflected funnel-shaped edges and the protuberant trunk conically narrowed to the small flat bottom. The external surface is decorated with the magnificent ornamental pattern: modeled combination of deep with relief. The surface is grey, with dark patches.

Pot
Pot

2500-2000 years B.C. Pottery: modelling, deep pressed ornamental pattern. Height 25,4 cm, diameter 26,6 cm. Inv.No PCP 5313

Pot is cubical, ornamented, widely opened. Has high, barely deflected edges, the neck fluently changes to the protuberant trunk, conically narrowed to the flat bottom. The external surface is fully decorated with the refined deep ornamental pattern. The surface of the crockery is grey-vinous.

Pot
Pot

2500-2000 years B.C.Pottery: modelling, deep mortise ornamental pattern. Height 18,5 cm, diameter 20,0 cm. Inv.No PCP 5311

Pot is ornamented. Has short vertical edge with an even cut and spherical trunk with a flat bottom. The external surface is decorated with relief in combination with a deep stamp ornamental pattern. The surface is of a grey-vinous colour

Amphora
Amphora

2500-2000 years B.C. Pottery: modelling, deep mortise ornamental pattern. Length 12,7 cm, height 9,4 cm, diameter 11,3 cm. Inv.No PCP 5310

Vessel as an amphora with the cylinder neck, with the even cut and the spherical trunk on the shoulders of which two horizontal ears of handles are placed symmetrically. The external surface is decorated with the deep ornamental pattern: on the external edge of the cut there are slanting notches, on the neck there is the belt of four-five horizontal traced stripes. From the basis of the neck on the shoulders to the bottom four triangles are downed by the top downward, they are also formed by obliquely strips which meet at an angle to the top of the triangle. The surface is dark, grey-black.

Hammer with zoomorphic image on the top
Hammer with zoomorphic image on the top

2800-2500 years B.C. Black with light-yellow disseminations of diorite-diabase:  polishing, boring. Length 11 cm. Inv. No PCP 4716. Inv.No PCP 4716

Hammer with zoomorphic knob is made of black, with pale yellow patches, diorite, diabase. The hole was drilled flint drills.

Zoomorphic stone ware
Zoomorphic stone ware

2800 - 2500 years B.C. Stone: polishing, stone engraving. Length 38,3 cm. Inv.No PCP 4697  

The ware is made of stone, zoomorphic, of a longitudinal form, with the conventionalized head of bear on the end, with the working surface (for felling) and massive handle with ledges-holders.

Ax-mattock
Ax-mattock

End III - beginning II cent.  B.C. Bronze: forming. Length 20,4 cm. Inv.No PCP 4665    

Ax-mattock with a tubular butt. The blade is of a cornered form, gradually broadens to the under part. The surface is crude, with on tracks founding in the form, with plenty of organic admixtures. 

Ax
Ax

End III - beginning II cent. B.C. Bronze: forming. Length 14,6 cm. Inv.No PCP 4662 Inv.No PCP 4662 Inv.No PCP 4662  

Ax with a tubular butt, a small billow near the external edge of the butt. The blade of a subthree-cornered form, wide, massive, fluently broadens to the under part, it is arched. The surface is crude with on tracks founding in the form, with plenty of organic admixtures. 

Ax
Ax

End of III-II cent. B.C. Bronze: forming, forging. Length 16,7 cm. Inv.No PCP 4660     

Ax with a tubular butt, a small billow near the external edge of butt. The blade of a subthree-cornered form, fluently broadens to the underbody, is arched. Butt is decorated with a relief belt. The surface is crude, with on tracks founding in the form, with plenty of organic admixtures.  

 Ax
Ax

End III - beginning II cent. B.C. Bronze: forming. Length 13,7 cm.  ...........    Inv.No PCP 4661.Inv.No PCP 4661  .

Ax of “kolontaevsky” type, with a short tubular butt and “comb” on it. The blade is hammered, of a subthree-cornered form, fluently broadens to the under part, it is arched. Butt is decorated with a relief belt. The surface is crude, with on tracks founding in the form, with plenty of organic admixtures.

Dish
Dish

2500-2000 years B.C. Pottery: modelling, ornamenting. Height 8,6 cm, diameter 25,4x22,8 cm. Inv.No PCP 1393 Inv.No PCP 1393  

Dish (bowl) is semispherical, stocky, with flat, deflected to the center edges. Under them four horizontal ears of handles are placed. The external surface has a gray-brown colour, decorated with a rope ornamental pattern.

Censer
Censer

2200-2000 years B.C. Pottery: modelling. Height 5,2 cm, diameter 21,5 cm. Inv.No PCP 1369     

Censer with direct corollas. It looks like the shallow massive cup on three short thick leglets. Inwardly under edges there is a miniature semispherical bowl - separate section. Surface of grey-vinous colour, sanded. It is considered that censer was used for the odorization of air and in the cult ceremoniesююююююю 

Clay on a pallet
Clay on a pallet

2200-2000 years B.C. Pottery: modelling, ornamenting. Height 29,3 cm, diameter 25,7 cm. Inv.No PCP 1125   Pottery: modelling, ornamenting. Height 29,3 cm, diameter 25,7 cm.   

Clay on a pallet, opened, pot-like, with cylinder, medium-high, by edges and spherical trunk leaned against the tracery hollow pallet of cut-conical form with expansion to the bottom. Four large three-cornered openings are made in the pallet - against each other, that creates the tracery effect. The ware has the dark-grey colouring, here and there are black spots.