Investigating 5,000-Year-Old Huts in Ukraine

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• published: 05 Aug 2011
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For more news visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://facebook.com/NTDTelevision At 5,000 years, the Trypillian Culture, also called the Cucuteni Culture, is considered one the oldest in Europe. Ukrainian archaelogists celebrate the 30th anniversary of the start of research on a large Tripolye settlement. Our correspondents visited the excavations. From the break of dawn, students from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy are in the field. Armed with knives and brushes, they practice what they've learned in archaeology. By gradually unearthing this ancient structure, located in the Cherkassi region of Ukraine, students get a feel for the old farming culture. [Olga Sosnitskaya, Cultural Studies Student]: "We have to pick up ground, and immediately wipe it with a brush, very gently protecting the plaster from damage, and see what's down there. And so we clear away very consistently and very slowly." During more than ten years of practical training in Talyanki, students have dug up 46 homes from the 2700 that are estimated to be there. Archaeologists are proud of this settlement, thought to be the world's largest in that era. [Alexey Corwin-Piotrowski, Scientific Secretary, Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine]: "This population, which we call Tripolye, has not gone the usual way of civilization and urbanization. Instead of a state, there were large populations existing in rural structures." [Ruslana Demchuk, Director of Student Practice]: "Inhabitants of Tripolye lived in large villages. They built their homes like this, with defensive walls. And in the center - a circle. It was a kind of arena where they organized different activities. They kept the sacred bulls there." For archaeologists, these old stones and ceramics are a language that speaks volumes about the past. [Alexey Corwin-Piotrowski, Scientific Secretary, Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine]: "In this part there was a bench where dishes stood. And then next to the bench, graters for corn. One could sit on the bench, thresh the corn and grind it to make flour." [Anna Varavva, NTD Correspondent]: "Judging by the remains, there was an orange clay furnace here. In a Trypillian home it occupies a significant part of the house. And these shards are the remains of ancient pottery". It's not yet known if Trypillian homes were two-stories high and if or why they were burned. The field work is being funded by a businessman from the UK. [Bertrand Coste, Philanthropist]: "I think it is interesting for other people who try to understand what Ukraine is. It is not the creation of Russia, this is not a new country. It is a population and civilization settlement which is extremely old." The archeological finds make their way to the Tripolye culture museum, located in a neighboring village. Next to the museum are some reconstructed Tripolye homes. The first floor is made of wood, the second out of clay. The exposition begins with photographs documenting the first stages of the excavation. [Anna Varavva, NTD Correspondent]: "In this aerial photo, you can determine where the Tripolye settlement could be. These dark lines suggest that this is where one needs to dig." There are a variety of findings in the museum: from a stone with a trace of fossilized animals to a model of a Tripolye hut. For example, this house is five-and-a-half-thousand years old. [Vladislav Chabanyuk, Director, "Tripolye Culture" Reserve]: "These houses were used for rituals. We can see a lot of holes. Perhaps the gods had lived there, maybe some spirits." By around 2700 BC, Tripolye culture ceased to exist. To this day it remains one of the least studied cultures. And archaeologists still have a long way to go in solving the mysteries of the Trypillian civilization. NTD News, Cherkassi Region, Ukraine