Fourteen thousand five hundred years ago ancient peoples, the mammoth hunters, used to roam the area where the village of Mezhyrich (Cherkasy oblast) now stands. It is also possible that, driven by curiosity, they reached the territory of modern-day Kaniv, sometimes called the capital city of the world Ukrainian community. Naturally, the main purpose of such migrations was to reach the best hunting grounds in order to feed their families. It is unlikely that they marveled at the beauty of their surroundings. In those remote times life was lived close to the ground and was decidedly unromantic.
Unlike our distant ancestors, our hearts begin to beat faster when we realize that almost 15,000 years ago the Dnipro and Ros rivers already flowed in the vicinity of Kaniv, and that unusual animals grazed there — not our well-known horses, cows, or goats but large and powerful animals known as mammoths.
The latest archaeological expedition to arrive in Mezhyrich this summer was led by Dmytro NUZHNY, senior research fellow at the Department of Stone Age Archaeology of the National Academy’s Institute of Archaeology. Dr. Nuzhny kindly agreed to give an interview to The Day.
We know that our digs have been traditionally financed abroad. Who is financing your excavations this time?
Nuzhny: The French National Research Foundation. We defended this project with Stephane Pean on the French side and received a three-year US grant worth about 250,000 dollars.
Are there any Ukrainians willing to invest in this noble project?
Nuzhny: None. Official archaeology is experiencing a period of stagnation. Paradoxically, practitioners of “black archaeology” [excavation for the purpose of robbery] are thriving. Some of them enjoy protection from high-ranking people. This is only natural, considering that every Ukrainian dignitary wants to have a piece of Ukrainian antiquity in his mansion. To this end, special restricted areas, known as zakaznyky, are set up on promising archaeological sites where we mere mortals are not allowed to enter, while our “black brothers” have complete access and are allowed to dig to their heart’s content, provided they share their finds with the boss.
I hope the Mezhyrich site hasn’t turned into another zakaznyk?
Nuzhny: It hasn’t, God be praised. But another tendency has emerged. The hangar covering an ancient mammoth hunters’ camp has been vandalized four times: the robbers stole bones and wrecked our equipment. The militia has responded to our cry for help only once. They sent people, we signed a statement, and that was it. I suspect that no one looked for the guilty parties.
You have been here for several weeks. Are there any results?
Nuzhny: There is a team of 10 people working here, including Ukrainians and experts from France, Belgium, Canada, and other countries. We have archaeologists, paleontologists, archaeozoologists, geologists, and botanists. There are only four or five sites in the world like the one we have in Mezhyrich. Judging by what we have unearthed, it may be assumed that three to four families lived in each 9-by-8 meter dwelling, consisting of a father, mother, sisters, brothers, and several young children. Their homes were cramped. However, considering this was the Ice Age, with permafrost only several dozen centimeters under their feet, people lived according to the principle of “ the closer together the warmer.” They spent the winter in the lower reaches of the Ros River after storing as much meat as they could get in pits dug in clay in or near their homes. When the weather became warmer, they left their homes and moved up to the plateaus, where they did their hunting.
What was their menu?
Nuzhny: Mostly meat. I must refute the incorrect assumption that it was exclusively mammoth meat. The populace preferred bison and deer, so mammoth meat ranked third. After returning home in the fall — some homes having been destroyed by the elements or wild animals — the people would rebuild them, taking the best bones to build new homes. At this time in Europe, people were building their homes out of stone, but stone wasn’t available here as construction material.
You mean those people would return to the same place?
Nuzhny: That’s right. It was their permanent place of residence in winter; a village-like settlement. Speaking of their daily menu, they didn’t eat fish. No bones of any fish have been unearthed in all the years of excavations (the Mezhyrich site was discovered 41 years ago, in 1966). We assume that the rivers were buried by sand or silted up by strong winds, sandstorms, and torrential rains (the glacier was then located on the territory of today’s Belarus).
What kind of clothing did they wear?
Nuzhny: They knew how to make clothes out of animal hides, so they mostly wore leather clothing. They hunted for hares and wolves for their pelts (wolf pelts were for grownups, while hare pelts were used as “diapers” for the children). They had no iron implements, just the ones they made out of bones and flint. Characteristically, the hunters must have made bonfires using mostly bones because we haven’t discovered any traces of charcoal.
Have your expectations come true after this year’s dig?
Nuzhny: Our main objective was to carry out complex studies to establish the most precise dates possible of our discoveries. To this end we received a great deal of assistance from our foreign colleagues in terms of the kind of equipment they brought. Now I feel confident enough to state that Mezhyrich is the most accurately dated ancient human settlement in Eastern Europe, thanks to our efforts and hi-tech equipment.
Considering the romantic aspect of archaeology, the adrenalin rush that comes when you make thrilling discoveries, a solid team, and a good salary, does not all this indicate that the archaeological profession is becoming increasingly important?
Nuzhny: You’re right about the romantic aspect, adrenalin, and a solid team. Salaries remain a problem. Until recently, my pay, as an archaeologist with a Ph.D. in history, amounted to some 500 hryvnias a month. Now it is in the neighborhood of 1,500 hryvnias. I have traveled on most expeditions with my wife. Do you really thing this sum is enough for a scholar? Let me say again that, starting in 1991, all my expeditions have been financed by Frenchmen, Americans, or Belgians. What about the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian foundations, businesspeople? I must point out that all our foreign partners have been invariably loyal; they have never tried to order us around. We have always generously shared the results of our research with them. All our progress reports have been in the media, so anyone who has an interest in archaeology can read about them, including our government officials, who so care about or - to be more precise - who are pretending that they care about preserving Ukraine’s historical and cultural heritage. Unfortunately, so far my observations indicate that they are not interested in our work.
