From Elephant to the Amazons and Shipbuilders: 15 Exhibits to Make You Fall in Love with the Mykolayiv Local History Museum

A Tooth of a Prehistoric Elephant

Have you heard the sarcastic phrase, “Ukraine is the homeland of elephants”? The meme is not so much nonsense because our territory was the home of mammoth elephants from 3 million to 11-12,000 years ago. Proof of this is the tooth of a southern mammoth, discovered by a schoolboy, Oleg Popov, in 1975 on the cliff of the Pivdennyi Buh’s bank.

Generally speaking, during a significant part of the planet’s historical time, the territory of Ukraine was covered by the ocean, with megalodons, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs soaring in its waters over what are now forests, mountains, and steppes. From a geological point of view, the Tethys Ocean relatively recently evolved into a freshwater Sarmatian lake, which later coalesced with the Mediterranean and split into the Black and Azov seas.

Painted Cups of Trypillians, 4 millennium B.C.

Between 6th and 3rd millennia B.C. vast territory of modern Ukraine was inhabited by Trypillian tribes. This culture takes its name after the place of the first excavations nearby Trypillia village in Kyiv oblast.

The people of Trypillia were predominantly busy with agriculture and homestead cattle breeding. They are also known for practicing such crafts as stone and bone processing, spinning, and weaving. But the most distinguished feature of the Trypillian culture was their marvellous pottery. Large containers, such as grain vessels, bowls, and cups bore colorful paintings combining geometric details, plant elements, and solar signs. The scientists argue that in this way the people of Trypillia encrypted their vision of the universe.

The exposition features a cult-purpose binocular-shaped vessel. It originates from the excavations of Vikentii Khvoika, the famous researcher and discoverer of Trypillia.

Scythian Anthropomorphic Stele, V century B.C.

In the VII-III centuries B.C., Scythians inhabited the boundless steppes of the Northern Black Sea coast. The need to protect their cattle – the basis of their livelihood—arguably made the Scythians the best warriors of their time. Skilled archers, they were masterful at handling swords and spears. We can see what the Scythians’ weapons and armor looked like from the excavations of the steppe mounds or by eyeing the stone sculptures the Scythians had installed on the tops of mounds in honor of their first ancestor or deity.

One of the sculptures, a gift from the residents of the former village of Ternivka (now part of Mykolayiv city), is a gem of our museum’s exposition. In the early 20th century, the stela had been pulled down from the mound and utilized as a building block for a local farm. In 1955, when builders were dismantling the old farm structure, they noticed that the block resembled a man’s figure. Researchers from the museum compared the statue to the analogies, and having analyzed the type of the sword concluded that the limestone sculpture dates to the V century B.C.

The warrior has a sword, a bag for bows and arrows (called torit), and a sharpening bar. In his right hand, he holds a rhyton against his chest. The famous traveler and historian Herodotus testified that warriors used rhytons as vessels to mix wine with drops of their blood during the rite of fraternization. Having passed the ceremony, men considered themselves brethren bound to help each other in war and peace. Ukrainians may have inherited this rite of fraternization from the Scythians.

Temple-Shape Lantern, V century B.C.

The first Greek colony of Borysfenida (from Borysthenes, the Greek name of the Dnipro River) arose in the Northern Black Sea region in the second half of the 7th century B.C. on the then peninsula and now an island Berezan. Initially, the settlers lived in half-dungeons, fished, farmed grain and orchards, and developed trade. Over time, the settlement evolved into a full-blown city with regular construction, such as residential quarters, sanctuaries, and artisans’ workshops.

In 2011-2012, Ukrainian archaeologists unearthed there an entire production facility with the remains of kilns for firing ceramics. 11 gray clay lamps were found on the bottom of one of them, and they were immediately included in the museum’s exposition. In addition, the explorers discovered 18 fragments of a product of unknown purpose.

The restorers’ painstaking work with an unidentified artifact gave life to another pearl of the museum collection – a lantern. Such lanterns were already known in the Roman period of the Northern Black Sea colonies. The sensational fact about the lantern included in the museum’s collection is that it was manufactured a lot earlier – in the 5th century B.C. Round in shape, it has holes for hanging and a special stand in the middle for placing the light. The product is encircled by five stylized Ionic columns. Experts assume that this unique lantern is a model of a temple.

A Vessel with the Image of an Amazon, IV Century B.C.

Homer’s Iliad was the first literary source to mention the mysterious ancient female warrior Amazons. The Amazons are also mentioned in works by Herodotus and other authors. Their images can be seen on anthropomorphic stelae, in numismatics, and jewelry. The depictions of the Amazons decorate vessels of various shapes, such as the amphora “pelike” used for a ceremonial feast.

This exhibit was confiscated at customs and handed over to the museum. The lack of clarity about where the pelike was found does not undermine its artistic and historical value. The front side of the vessel depicts a bust of an Amazon and her horse, and the reverse portrays two full-length male figures.

Remarkably, legendary female warriors are present not only in images and legends. Archaeological sources record the presence of women engaged in military affairs in the Scythian community of the Northern Black Sea region. In a society where males often go on long journeys, women had no choice but to stand up to protect their homes, property, and family. Olena Fialko, a researcher, recorded 303 burials of armed women on the territory of European Scythia.

Homer and Herodotus were right about the ancient practices of female warriors who knew how to fight for their homeland in the Ukrainian lands. About 60,000 women conscripted nowadays by the Armed Forces of Ukraine provide live evidence of the enduring traditions.

A Roman Warrior Figurine, the mid II Century B.C.

The Roman Empire’s grandeur rested on the shoulders of its legionaries. Well-trained warriors clad in heavy armor fought in concert and won hundreds of essential battles. The legionnaires arrived in the lands of modern Ukraine with purposes other than touristic, for sure. In the middle of the 1st century C.E., the Roman soldiers fought for six years in the Crimea with the Bosporan ruler Mithridates VII. After the victory, the legionnaires settled as permanent garrisons of Thira (modern Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi), Chersonesus (Sevastopol), and, of course, Olbia (lower flow of the Buh River). So, the territory of our region was once part of the Roman province of Lower Moesia.

A Roman-era Olbia was a small provincial town that downsized its economic activity after the Getae invasion. As a smaller city, it still had a citadel and was protected by mighty walls, towers, and a moat. Fortifications were also built outside Olbia to control the borders. This terracotta figurine of a Roman warrior was found in the village of Kozyrka 9, which was part of the rural district of Olbia.

Dedication to Achilles, the late I – early II century C.E.

— Who are you, warrior?
— Achilles, son of Peleus.

One may wonder how this iconic dialogue from the Hollywood movie “Troy” relates to Ukraine. But it does.

The Northern Black Sea region was one of the strongholds of the cult of the legendary hero Achilles, venerated here for a long time. The local Greek colonists worshipped him as their patron and called him Achilles Pontarchus – “Lord of the Sea.”

According to the legend, after the hero’s death in the Trojan War, the goddess Thetis brought her son’s body to the island of Levke, where Achilles continued his divine life. Levke is the modern Serpent Island (Zmiinyi Island). Here, a sanctuary in honor of Achilles was built, and sports competitions were held annually on the Achilles drome – that is, the Tendrivska Spit.

At first, the residents of Olbia looked after the sanctuary on Levke. In the second century C.E., patronage of the island was taken over by the city of Tomis (modern Romania). This made the Olviopolitans move the sanctuary to Borysfenida (now the island of Berezan). Every year, the Olbia principal statesmen proclaimed dedications to Achilles Pontarchus, engraved on marble trunks and positioned around the sanctuary, delineating its sacred borders.

One such dedication is kept in our museum. It was found in 1983 near Berezan and is permanently exhibited in the halls of archeology.

Petro Mohyla’s Euchologion, 1646

Petro Mohyla was born into a princely family in what is now modern Moldova, was raised in Western Ukraine, and, as a potential ruler, received a brilliant education. He knew Russian, Moldovan, Church Slavonic, Polish, Latin, and Greek, and according to some sources, he spoke French. He participated in military campaigns; for example, he commanded a cavalry unit in the historic battle against the Ottomans near the Khotyn Fortress in 1621. Later, he chose to make a drastic change in his life, transitioning from a warrior and secular prince to an archimandrite of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and eventually the Metropolitan of Kyiv, Galicia, and All Rus.

Petro Mohyla devoted all his life to reforms that guided the development of Ukrainian society for centuries to come. He founded the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, reorganized the church, and promoted book publishing.

The museum’s collection has one visual evidence of the latter: a Euchologion (prayer book), printed in 1646 in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by order of Petro Mohyla. According to legend, students of the Kyiv Collegium presented this book to Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. It is a solid volume of 1583 pages in a leather-covered wooden jacket.

Cossack Tombstone Cross, 1782

Mykolayiv Oblast is an ancient terrain of the Cossack glory. It housed numerous Zaporizhia winter camps, guard posts, and water body crossings. During the New Sich period (1734-1775), it was the location of the Bugogardivska, Prognoivska, and partly Ingulska palankas.

Our museum’s collection includes over 500 artifacts from the Cossack era, including household items, weapons, cult objects, and fine art pieces. Fragmented tombstone crosses from the late 18th century form a separate category.

As conventionally known, Zaporizhzhia Cossacks were heartfelt believers and tried to follow church rites and customs accurately. They treated their dead or fallen brothers respectfully and honored their memory with unique funeral rites and monuments.

The cross from the burial place of the Cossack Vasyl Konoshko was brought to the museum in 1926 by Feodosiy Kaminsky, the famous Mykolayiv local historian. Examining the old cemetery of Kislyakivka (now Lymany) village, the researcher paid attention to the inscription on the limestone cross: “The servant of God, Vasyl Konoshko, of the former Zaporozhian Cossack army, Platnerevsky Kurin, rests here in blessed memory, in the month of January 21, 1782” (in the original language). Feodosiy Kaminsky analyzed the style of execution of the monuments and the master’s handwriting and concluded that Nikita Khrestoriz, a former Cossack of the Pashkiv Kurin, made them. It appeared that the master made an inscription about that in the lower part of one of the crosses in the local cemetery.

The clever Cossack was not baffled by the forced liquidation of the Sich in 1775 and found a new job for which he had a knack and diligence.

Forest Cat

For a long time, the southern part of the modern Mykolayiv Oblast was under the waters of the ancient ocean. The sea did not flood the granite-steppe area along the Buh River (Pobuzhzhia) for over 60 million years. Therefore, each parcel of the region is characterized by unique plant species: the south of the Mykolayiv region boasts Centaurea margaritalba, which have survived only here and nowhere else in the world; the north is the only place in the world where Moehringia hypanica and Cerasus klokovii (Klokov cherry trees) grow. The Kinburn spit is one of Europe’s most significant areas overgrown by wild orchids – over 60 hectares.

Pheasants, hedgehogs, ferrets, and foxes lurk amidst the grasses and bushes. There is also a representative of the feline family – the forest cat, a rare mammal listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. It is generally similar to an ordinary domestic cat but slightly larger. The forest feline can reach almost a meter in length; its females weigh on average 3.5 kg, and males – 5 kg.

The taxidermized forest cat entered the museum collection in 2012.

Picture Cossack Mamai, 18-19th Centuries

A warrior sits beneath a tree, strumming a bandura and humming a song. Seemingly nothing special, but in fact, this is Cossack Mamai, one of the key characters in Ukrainian culture and a unique figure with no peers in any other folklore.

For half of the millennium, one could encounter this Cossack pictured on canvasses, walls of houses, and household items — both in the nobility’s homes and poor villagers’ huts. Every pictured detail has a symbolic meaning. The oak symbolizes strength, the bandura or kobza refers to the national traditions, the horse and spear allude to the readiness to fight, while the bottle and the cup imply the fluidity of life, as these items were often put in the grave of the fallen warrior.

The true identity of Cossack Mamai remains a mystery. The most well-known figure associated with this name was a Horde military statesman from the 14th century. Later his noble descendants were directly related to the Cossackdom, and the surname gained popularity in the Sich – the archives record dozens of Mamais.

Mamai continued to be popular even after the disbanding of the Cossacks, as it symbolized people’s longing for freedom. During the USSR, the images were recognized as manifestations of so-called bourgeois nationalism—in some places, the paintings were destroyed. But the character was so popular that many pictures survived. You can see one of them in the museum’s collection.

Peg Rushnyk, Early 20th Century

The tradition of embroidery originated in our region in ancient times. Samples of embroidery made with gold thread over the clothes of a rich woman who lived 2000 years ago were discovered during the excavations of the Sarmatian mound Sokolova Mohyla near Kovalivka village.

This story is about the picturesque village of Lysa Hora, which stretches along the banks of the Chorny Tashlyk River in Mykolaiv Oblast. The settlement is known for its ancient Cossack traditions, unique rites, and unparalleled crafts. It has long been considered the center of weaving in the region. For many generations, women made patterned fabrics and carpets. The names of the weavers Nadiya Zhumatiy, Raisa Ivanova, and Hanna Selivanova are widely known, and their masterpieces are kept in the museum collection.

The richly ornamented peg rushnyk by Anna Selivanova, which you see in the photo, was made at the beginning of the 20th century. It is almost 4 meters long and combines woven geometric and embroidered floral patterns. The towel is made of cotton and woolen threads. Women bought Bambak (cotton) threads at a fair and manually span and dyed in bright colors the woolen ones. Then, the craftswomen wove the towel on a loom and added embroidered adornments. Women used the peg rushnyks to decorate the interior of their houses fixing them on a peg over the window openings.

Scale-model of the Frigate “Saint Nicholas”, Mid-20th Century.

As we already know, people lived on the territory of modern Mykolayiv for a long time. The city’s initial precursor was an ancient settlement of the Cimmerians and later the territory controlled by the Cossacks. The modern city’s active growth began after 1788 when a shipyard was founded at the mouth of the Ingul River. Local shipbuilders heaved off the first ship, “Saint Nicholas,” two years later. It was named in honor of the seizure of the Turkish fortress Ochakiv, which happened precisely on St. Nicholas’ Day.

Saint Nicholas was a 46-meter-long and 13-meter-wide sailing frigate armed with 50 guns. In the following years, it participated first in the Russo-Turkish War and then in the conflict with France. The ship ended its life in Naples, where it was sold for 11,500 ducats.

The Mykolayiv Admiralty continued its work and quickly became the region’s shipbuilding hub. It was here that the first paddle steamer “Vezuviy” (1820), the first military steamer “Meteor” (1825), and the first iron “Inkerman” (1857) were launched on the Black Sea. Two and a half centuries later, Mykolayiv is legitimately nicknamed “the city of shipbuilders”.

Collection of Bulgarian Jewelry, 19th century

— What do you see in front of you?
— A treasure.

During the construction of the post office building in 1966 in Mykolayiv, they unearthed a real treasure. It consisted of 1,091 objects: coins, table silver, exquisite belts, necklaces, and bracelets — meticulously executed and precious jewelry. Judging by the nuances, the jewelry was made in the 19th century by Bulgarian craftsmen, including from the settlement of Ternivka, where several families of silversmiths lived. They continued the traditions of the jewelry business, widespread in Eastern Thrace, from where the first 16 Bulgarian families had moved to the Mykolayiv region in 1802.

Bracelets “Hryvnia” were the pieces of jewelry most adored by Bulgarian women. They wore them on both hands; therefore, the bracelets were typically manufactured in pairs. One could easily tell if a young girl was engaged because she wore the so-called “gloves” («ръкавиці» in Bulgarian), which looked like half-sleeves made of red fabric covering arms from the elbow to the fingertips, with silver “hryvnias” glittering on top.

Local women loved and preferred large buckles—kulans or pafts. They were of different shapes, but mostly leaf-shaped ones survived to this day. Each buckle had a unique pattern, sometimes encrusted with semi-precious stones. The pafts played the dual role of a decoration and a kind of amulet.

Regrettably, much of the jewelry was lost during the famine and war and postwar years, when the residents of Ternivka were forced to sell the jewels in exchange for food for their families.

The project is implemented with the support of the Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).