UNIQUE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENTS OF MELITOPOLLAND: HISTORICAL-ARCHAEOLOGY SPECIFICITY AND PROBLEMS OF PRESERVATION

Abstract

The article carries out a comprehensive historical and archaeological analysis
of the unique archaeological monuments of the Melitopol region as an important
component of the cultural heritage of Southern Ukraine. The purpose of the study is
to determine the specificity, scientific and cultural and historical value of the
archaeological monuments of the region, to clarify their place in the system of
archaeological heritage of the Northern Black Sea Region and to substantiate the
need for their comprehensive study and preservation. The methodological basis is
historical and archaeological, cultural and landscape, systemic, comparative and
historical and interdisciplinary approaches. The main groups of archaeological
monuments of the Melitopol region are analyzed – mound complexes, settlements,
burial grounds, cult objects, monuments of the Bronze Age, Scythian and Sarmatian
times, as well as medieval antiquities. Special attention is paid to such iconic
monuments as Kamyana Mohyla, Melitopol Kurgan and other archaeological sites of
the region. It is shown that the uniqueness of the archaeological heritage of the
Melitopol region is determined not only by individual exceptional finds, but also by
the concentration of monuments of different historical eras within a single steppe
cultural landscape.

It is substantiated that the archaeological monuments of the Melitopol region
constitute an important source for the reconstruction of long-term processes of
settlement, economic development, cultural interaction and transformation of the
population of the Northern Azov region. Separately, modern threats to the
archaeological heritage associated with the Russian occupation, illegal excavations,
robbery, destruction and loss of access to monuments are considered. The main
directions of documentation, digital fixation and further research of the
archaeological heritage of the Melitopol region are proposed.
Keywords: Melitopol region, archaeological heritage, archaeological sites,
Kamyana Mohyla, Melitopol mound, Northern Azov region, Scythian culture,
mounds, cultural landscape, archaeological research.