Every archaeological find is like a puzzle in understanding our history. Sometimes they are small, and others become sensational discoveries, offering new insights.
For archaeology, it’s not just the find that matters but also where and how it was discovered. We’ve compiled a selection of the most significant discoveries in Ukrainian archaeology.
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Scythian Pectoral
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Nebelyvka Temple
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Khorskytsia Sword
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Warriors from Mamai Hill
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Trypillian Goddess
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Stone Icon
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Ancient Rus Street on Poshtova Square
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500-Year-Old Pysanka
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Stone Idol
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Mace from Tiahyn
Scythian Pectoral

The Scythian gold pectoral is one of the most famous archaeological finds in Ukraine. It has become a symbol of ancient Ukrainian culture and the Scythian heritage. This masterpiece of ancient art was discovered by Boris Mozolevsky in the Tovsta Mohyla burial mound (Dnipropetrovsk region) in 1971.
Made of gold in the 4th century BC, the pectoral measures about 30 cm in diameter and weighs 1,140 grams.
It is now preserved in the Treasury of the National Museum of History of Ukraine.
Nebelyvka Temple

The Trypillian culture, first discovered by Vikentiy Khvoyka over 130 years ago, continues to amaze with its achievements.
In 2012, a Ukrainian-British expedition investigated the remains of a structure approximately 20×60 meters in size in Nebelyvka, Kirovohrad region. This two-story building contained seven altars, fragments of decorated clay, and ritual pottery.
This led scientists to conclude that a real Trypillian temple, about 6,000 years old, had been discovered. Theories about which were previously based only on miniature models of dwellings.
Khortytsia Sword

In 2011, a fisherman found a unique sword in the Dnipro River near Khortytsia Island. This 10th-century sword, of Carolingian type, is decorated with silver, copper, and brass and bears the inscription “VLFBERHT,” a mark found on only 170 such swords across Europe.
The sword is associated with the death of duke Sviatoslav and is believed to have belonged to him. It is now housed at the Khortytsia National Reserve.
Warriors from Mamai Hill

The multi-layered archaeological complex of Mamai Hill has yielded many finds, including the discovery of two Scythian warrior burials in 2019. One burial, which was looted, was large, while the second, undisturbed, contained the skeleton of an 18–20-year-old, possibly a squire buried with a person of high social status.
This site includes a short Scythian sword (akinak) and a Greek amphora from the 6th–5th centuries BC, extending the presence of Scythians in the region by 200 years.
Trypillian Goddess

The Trypillian goddess, also known as the Venus of Trypillia, was found in 2009 in Vinnytsia region. Created about 6,000 years ago, this clay female figurine was discovered almost intact.
Its distinctive feature is the presence of nine clay balls inside, producing a sound when shaken. This is the only such find so far, symbolizing fertility and motherhood.
Similar clay figures have distinct feminine features, with a special emphasis on the chest and hips, reflecting the cult of fertility, femininity, and motherhood in the ideas of the spiritual life of Trypillians.
Stone Icon

A stone icon, found near Kaniv in the 1930s, is one of the oldest examples of stone iconography from the Kyivan Rus era.
Ukrainian scientists claim that there are no monuments with such unique carvings in the world’s museums. The staff of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” provided their expert opinion.
It depicts the Virgin Mary with a child surrounded by apostles and saints, with an inscription on the reverse: “Lord, help your servant Vasily” in Old Church Slavonic.
This unique artifact is believed to date from the 13th century and might have belonged to Volodymyr Monomakh.
Ancient Rus Street on Poshtova Square

In 2015, during the construction of a shopping center on Poshtova Square, an ancient street with wooden structures from the 11th–12th centuries was uncovered. The discovery led to a conflict with the developers. In 2019, this site was declared a national monument of archaeology and history, but the fight to preserve it continues.
500-Year-Old Pysanka

In 2013, Lviv archaeologists discovered a 500-year-old pysanka during excavations on Shevska Street at a depth of 5.5 meters. This accidental find, dating back to the 15th–16th centuries, was uncovered in a water reservoir and was made on the shell of what was likely a goose egg.
The uniqueness of this discovery lies in the material, as eggshells are highly perishable. Despite this, the pysanka, adorned with a scratched design, has survived 80-90% intact.
The archaeologists transferred this rare artifact to the National Museum of Kolomyia, specifically to its department—the Pysanka Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated to decorated Easter eggs.
Stone Idol

In 2018, the Dnipro National Historical Museum named after Yavornytsky added another stone baba (sculpture) to its collection. However, this one is unique. Standing over 2.5 meters tall, it is a pagan idol converted into an Orthodox cross in the early 19th century.
The artifact is covered in both Christian and pagan symbols, making it the first of its kind discovered by historians.
It was found by Illia Hodynia, a second-year student at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Institute of Geology). He was passionate about the history of his native region and located the site, Mogila Yefimovka, using an old 1860s map that marked a stone cross. He then verified the information, leading to the remarkable discovery.
Mace from Tiahyn
The discovery of a medieval mace in Tiahyn in 2021 became a sensation in Ukrainian archaeology. The mace, found in a burned layer of the fortress by volunteers assisting the Southern Medieval Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, dates back to the 15th century. It is an exceptionally rare artifact for the Northern Black Sea region. Its octagonal shape, intricate ornamentation, and lead core suggest high craftsmanship and indicate that the mace likely belonged to a person of significant status.
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Svitlana Biliaieva, who led the expedition, hypothesized that the mace might have belonged to Bohdan Hlynsky, a figure associated with the early Zaporizhian Cossacks. In 2024, on the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, this unique mace was presented as a 3D model following careful restoration and digitization.