On Mount Lysivka in Vynnyky, archaeologists found a fragment of a fortification built around 3,500 BC
According to the researcher of the Department of Archeology of the Institute of Ukrainian Studies named after I. Krypyakevych of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Candidate of Science Andrii Gavinskyi, this is the oldest fortified settlement of the Eneolithic era found on the territory of the Lviv region and one of the three oldest in the west of Ukraine.
Andrii Gavinskyi has been conducting research in the hills near Lviv for ten years. He says that Trypil fortified hillforts on the territories of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine are well-known. The peculiarity of the new find is that it was created by builders – representatives not of the Tryplian culture, but of the Lycha culture.
“We can see the remains of a wooden wall. First, a trench 30 cm wide was dug. It was dug very evenly, which indicates the presence of special tools even then. Logs in this ditch are driven next to each other. And the outside of the palisade was plastered with clay, which sealed the fence. We can conclude that it was a strong, impregnable fence about three meters high,” the archaeologist said.
The Lysivka and Zhupan mountains are unique, because there are many monuments preserved here in the forest between the soil layers. In general, archaeological excavations have been carried out in Vynnyky since the 1990s. Thanks to many years of research, a lot of artifacts have been found, which indicate that the culture of lilac ware bordered on the Tripoli culture, and the territory of Vinnyk is precisely the border of the two cultures. Archaeologists consider the newly discovered defensive settlement of the Eneolithic era to be a sensational historical proof of this.
In the future, archaeologists plan to find and excavate the second line of the stockade. There is an assumption that it is nearby, a few meters away. In the future, the find will become a popular tourist destination and will be included in tourist catalogs and historical encyclopedias.
We remind you that Ukrainian archaeologists conduct research in partnership with Polish colleagues. This is a joint archaeological expedition of the Institute of Ukrainian Studies named after I. Krypyakevych of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the communal institution of the Lviv Regional Council “Museum of History and Local Lore” (Vynniki), Lviv National University named after I. Franko and the Institute of Archeology of the University of Rzeszów.
“We find new monuments of the past of our region almost every year. Dishes, in particular characteristic crown jugs made in the form of a watering can, a weaving workshop, houses were found. This proves that our ancestors, who lived on these lands thousands of years ago, built two-story buildings, made fabrics, and ceramics. So far, it has been possible to explore about 40 percent of the monuments hidden in the Vinniki mountains. Borys Voznytskyi began researching these territories, later a famous scientist, Professor Mykola Peleshchyshyn, worked here for many years. Their case continues. Now it is an international partnership and scientific friendship with Polish colleagues, which gives good results” – explained the director of the municipal institution of the Lviv Regional Council “Museum of History and Local Lore” Ihor Tymets.