Courtesy: 126th Territorial Defense Brigades
Members of the Ukrainian 126th Territorial Defense discovered amphorae, or ancient containers used to store and transport liquid and dry goods. Although the tall, bottle-necked shape was popular in Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine pottery, the earliest examples date back to the Neolithic period. Soldiers discovered the amphorae while preparing Odessa, Ukraine's third-largest city and a strategically important seaport on the country's southwest coast, for further Russian aggression. The containers date from the third and fourth centuries B.C., when Odessa was known as Odessus.
Due to Russia's military campaign to take over the city, documentation of the archaeological site is currently impossible; however, images shared by the 126th Territorial Defense show its members transporting the artifacts, as well as several ceramic fragments, to the Odessa Archaeological Museum for preservation.
Cultural heritage has been destroyed across Ukraine as a result of Russia's invasion, which began on February 24. According to UNESCO, at least 127 culturally significant sites in the besieged country have been damaged, including 54 religious structures, 15 monuments, and 11 museums. The Kuindzhi Art Museum and the Local History Museum in Ivankiv, which housed dozens of paintings by famed Ukrainian folk artist Maria Prymachenko, were among the first to be destroyed. The United Nations monitoring body has called for the protection of the country's archaeological property, despite Russia's heavy bombardment and the ongoing refugee crisis.
Jean Dubreil