Member-only story
5,000-Year-Old Figurines Discovered in Ukrainian Cave
Archaeologists have found five clay figurines that depicted women. Scientists say they belonged to the Cucuteni-Trypole culture and are about 5,000 years old. They were probably deposited as part of a mysterious ritual.
Researchers found five female figurines in Ukraine’s Verteba gypsum cave, which is located in the Ternopil region. Archaeologists determined that they are more than 5,000 years old and belonged to the Cucuteni-Trypole culture. A 2014 study found that the Talianki archaeological site (Cherkassy region) was the largest settlement of Neolithic Europe in the Copper Age.
The cave was discovered as early as the 19th century
The discovery was made in March 2023 by archaeologists from the Borshchov Regional Museum. The research took place despite the fact that the country has been struggling with the Russian invasion since February 24, 2022. The latest excavations were led by Mykhailo Sokhatskyi, a researcher of the Cucuteni-Trypole culture.
Archaeologists found a total of five clay figurines, which were hidden in a previously unknown opening in the cave wall. Verteba was discovered by accident in 1822. In the 19th century, the first traces of an ancient culture that took shape in what is now Ukraine were discovered.
