LETTERS FROM OLEKSANDR BODIANSKII

The personal collection of Viktor Petrov at the Scientific Archive of the Institute of Archaeology of the NASU contains 18 letters from the famous archaeologist and local historian Oleksandr Bodianskii (1916-1992).

Most of O.V. Bodianskii’s letters were sent to V.P. Petrov by registered mail so that they would not be lost on the way, and there is one letter sent by the Airmail. O.V. Bodianskii’s letters are large in volume, 2, 4 and 6 pages long, written in small, beautiful handwriting. In the letters, Olexander Vsevolodovych tells about the archaeological sites he discovered, the finds he made in them, the publications he wrote and sent to journals, and his scientific reports for the Scientific Archive of the Institute of Archaeology. He writes with regret that the Kakhovka Reservoir is eroding its banks, and that unexplored burials and settlements are dying there. In particular, he writes about how to reduce the erosion of the reservoir’s banks: it is necessary to lower the water level a little, and the gentle banks will not be eroded so much.

O. Bodianskii’s letters contain reflections on various topics, memories of the work with his archaeological colleagues. The author of these letters had his own worldview, fostered by the circumstances in which he grew up and lived, and this worldview is reflected in his letters. Letters from Oleksandr Vsevolodovych Bodianskii to Viktor Platonovych Petrov were written between May 1964 and January 1969.

Living in the village of Petropil in Khortytsia, Zaporizhzhia region, which is a very rich area of archaeological monuments, the historian was able to often explore the nearby area and the shores of the man-made Kakhovka Sea in warm weather, discovering new archaeological sites. He collected and saved a significant number of archaeological finds for science. At that time, earthworks were still being carried out there, and sometimes archeologist managed to snatch interesting finds from under the bulldozer’s blade, or to explore the burial spots after the bulldozer’s work was complete.

In addition to the rescued finds and the discovery of new archaeological sites, his publications and scientific reports have also been preserved for science.

Halyna Stanytsina