'Ukrainian Pompeii': Medieval Khersones revisited in a lecture/slide presentation (10/24/99)

'Ukrainian Pompeii': Medieval Khersones revisited in a lecture/slide presentation

by Marta Baczynsky

NEW YORK - The Ukrainian Museum is offering a series of lectures under the general heading "Recent Archaeological Discoveries: Treasures of Ukraine's Ancient Past." The current lecture in the series features Dr. Olenka Pevny, art historian with the associate director's Office for Special Exhibitions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, who will speak and show slides on a timely topic with reference to Ukrainian archaeology: the excavations at Khersones on the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

"Medieval Khersones: Archaeological Excavations" is the title of the lecture, which will be held on Friday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the English language and repeated in the Ukrainian language, on Sunday, October 31, at 2 p.m. The lecture will be held at the museum, 203 Second Avenue, (between 12th and 13th streets) New York. Admission is by donation; refreshments will be served following the lecture.

Dr. Pevny received a Ph.D. in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Her research is focused on Medieval Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, where she has carried out extensive on-site work. In 1997 Dr. Pevny, as research assistant for "The Glory of Byzantium" exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, managed the participation of Eastern European countries in the exhibition and authored the essay "Kievan Rus'," as well as 25 entries in the exhibition catalogue.

Beginning in January 2000 Dr. Pevny will be a visiting assistant professor of art history at Columbia University and in the following year, a Mellon post-doctoral fellow in the Humanities at Emory University in Atlanta.

The ancient past of the present-day territory of Ukraine has always been of great interest to archaeologists and historians alike throughout the world. This vast expanse of land, situated on the crossroads of the old world between Eastern and Western Europe, saw the birth and demise of many cultures that left significant traces of their existence, testifying to their greatness or folly.

Ukraine's independence has opened the doors for Ukrainian American scholars to return to the land of their forefathers and participate in the discovery and study of these various cultures that in the far distant past played a vital role in the evolution of their heritage.

Dr. Pevny first took part in archaeological excavations on the site of medieval Khersones within the National Preserve of Khersones Tavriiskyi, in 1997, then again in 1998. Situated outside the modern city of Sevastopol, the preserve is a major archaeological site of world significance, covering a territory of approximately 1,500 acres.

Dr. Pevny explained that the preserve is dedicated to the preservation, maintenance, excavation and study of the remains of the ancient Greek colony of Khersones, which was founded in the 5th century B.C. It quickly developed into the major city of Crimea and managed to maintain this role through two millennia, defending itself from such steppe people as the Taurians, the Scythians, the Sarmatians, the Goths, the Huns and the Polovtsi. It continued its existence while incorporated into the Pontic Kingdom, the Roman Empire and then Byzantium. The city was destroyed by the Golden Horde invasion in the late 14th century.

Although there are numerous ancient and medieval sites along the Black Sea coast, Dr. Pevny noted, few are of comparable historical or archaeological importance. The archaeological remains of Khersones present a complete picture of the development and life of a Greek town from the Classical through the Medieval period. She pointed out that an article in the November 25, 1997, issue of The New York Times called Khersones the "Ukrainian Pompeii."

In her lecture Dr. Pevny will speak about the medieval remains of Khersones, detailing some of the finds that have been unearthed at various sites since excavations began in 1820 under the patronage of the Russian tsars. She will also discuss some of the current work being done there by archaeologists of various nationalities other than Ukrainians, such as Poles, Russians, Austrians and Americans, as well as share her own experiences.

For further information, please contact The Ukrainian Museum at: telephone, (212) 228-0110; fax, (212) 228-1947; e-mail, [email protected].; or visit its website at www.brama.com/ukrainian_museum.

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