3 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ukrainian Stonehenge

It has almost become a tradition to compare the structures surrounded by stones to the Stonehenge monument. This ancient cemetery, which dates back to the Bronze Age, is commemorated as the “Ukrainian Stonehenge”.

According to archaeologists, this “Ukrainian Stonehenge,” an ancient burial site, dates back to the Bronze Age and is more than 5,300-5,500 years old.

There are many kurgans dispersed throughout eastern and southern Ukraine, and archaeologists and historians are concerned that urban development may destroy these ancient burial mounds in many cases. As a result, they are hurrying to unearth as many as they can in order to rescue and protect precious treasures from bulldozers and increasing urbanization.

A mound of this type was discovered near the settlement of Novooleksandrivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Items and artifacts unearthed in this almost eight-meter mound attest to the flourishing of Indo-Aryan tribes, who created an intricate burial practice that was used by the whole community.

These tombs are notable not only for their quantity, density, and scale, but also for features like burial chambers, burial presents, and mummified remains.

The kurgan is 7.5 metres high and 5 metres wide, and was probably used as a common burial place for over a thousand years.
The kurgan is 7.5 metres high and 5 metres wide, and was probably used as a common burial place for over a thousand years.

Early semi-nomadic pastoral tribes from the Ukrainian steppes left few towns but many graves. They are recognized by the presence of a kurgan above the grave and the body being positioned on its back with bowed legs and coated in red ochre.

Weapons (stone war hammers and clubs), arrowheads, and rough clay pots with rope impressions were found in several burials. Some have wheels in the corners to represent funeral wagons.

Excavations in the Novooleksandrivka region began in early April 2021, and hundreds of multi-layered burials from the Bronze Age, Scythian period, and Middle Ages have been uncovered in the mound.

Photo- Oleksandr Kolomiytsev FB
Photo- Oleksandr Kolomiytsev FB

This kurgan, which may be dubbed the “Ukrainian Stonehenge,” first emerged around 5,000 years ago; it is 7.5 meters high and 5 meters broad and was most likely used as a common burial site for over a thousand years.

Archaeologists discovered skeletons buried in eleven alcoves, shattered jugs, and massive rocks surrounding the area a week after the excavations began. Experts and historians believe that chieftains and shamans were buried on this mound.

Ancient tribes erected massive stone slabs in a circle, which they carefully adjusted to reinforce the entire construction, according to archaeologists. In the winter, the tombstones were carved by hand and brought by water, horse cart, or even sled to the burial site. These stones are 500 years older than Egypt’s Giza Pyramids, according to experts.

“This cromlech (megalithic construction made of large stone blocks-Ed) has two functions. First, the boulders act as a retaining wall to hold back the soil, and second, they are sacred fences, separating the world of the dead from the world of the living,” explains Yaroslav Yaroshenko, a researcher of the Dnipro Archaeological Expedition. (Euromaidan Press)

During excavations, archaeologists discovered 64 stone boulders that they thought were of sacred significance.

In one of the old tombs going back to the Early Bronze Age, archaeologists discovered evidence of mummification.

Local officials intend to establish an open-air museum when the excavation is done and all artifacts have been properly documented. Cromlech will be located in the heart of the museum. The building business has pledged to cover all costs. In response, local people organized a working group and petitioned the Ministry of Culture to keep the excavated area on the list of memorial sites.

According to some estimates, 100,000 burial mounds dot Ukraine’s fields, many of which were substantially flattened in the twentieth century as part of a Soviet strategy to level the terrain for cultivation. Many are at risk today.

Related Articles

USF team discovers 2,000-year-old Roman house during excavation in Malta

8 August 2023

8 August 2023

A team of researchers and students unearthed a 2,000-year-old Roman house in Malta, complete with a waste disposal system and...

A 2,000-year-old Roman grave belonging to soldier Flaccus unearthed in Netherlands

9 December 2024

9 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old grave from the Roman settlement in Heerlen, Netherlands. The latest analysis has shown that it...

A painted Wooden Saddle Discovered in an Ancient Tomb in Mongolia Represents Earliest Evidence of Modern Horse Riding

13 December 2023

13 December 2023

Researchers unearthed a wooden saddle framed with iron stirrups in a tomb in Urd Ulaan Uneet, popularly known as the...

1,500-year-old feast mosaic found in Turkey

2 February 2022

2 February 2022

A 50-square-meter mosaic depicting an open-air feast dating back 1,500 years ago was unearthed during excavations in the ancient city...

Evidence of Early Forms of Pottery Production and 8,000-Year-Old Buildings Belonging to the Elite of the Time Discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan

9 January 2025

9 January 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Udine have uncovered two ancient human settlements in the Rovia sub-district of Dohuk province in...

New Study: Middle Paleolithic Human Diet was More Diverse than Previously Thought

30 November 2023

30 November 2023

In a newly published study, archaeologists from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen...

From Caves to Mounds: The Enigmatic Burial Practices of the Southern Jê in Brazil

25 February 2025

25 February 2025

A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology sheds light on the enigmatic burial practices of the Southern...

The human remains of 29 people buried as offerings in a pre-Inca temple were found at the Huaca Santa Rosa de Pucalá excavation site

23 October 2021

23 October 2021

The human remains of 29 people buried as sacrificial offerings have been discovered in a pre-Inca temple in northern Peru....

The place where John the Baptist was martyred

4 February 2022

4 February 2022

The infamous birthday banquet of Herod Antipas, which culminated in the beheading of St John the Baptist — a preacher...

7500-year-old cursed city of Iran

17 March 2023

17 March 2023

Sialk Hills, located in the southwestern part of Kashan city in Iran, was known among the locals as a ‘cursed...

Neolithic village discovered in northeastern France after 150 years of research

29 August 2023

29 August 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered traces of a permanent settlement in the vast Neolithic site of the Marais de Saint-Gond in northeastern...

The earliest human remains 11,000-year-old discovered in northern Britain

25 January 2023

25 January 2023

An international team of archaeologists at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has discovered 11,000-year-old human remains in the Heaning...

Earliest Multiplication Formulas Discovered in a 2,300-Year-Old Chinese Tomb

27 December 2023

27 December 2023

Archaeologists excavating a tomb in the Qinjiazui archaeological site of Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, China, have found the earliest multiplication...

Ancient tombs discovered at Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral

15 March 2022

15 March 2022

Archaeologists discovered several graves and a leaden sarcophagus possibly dating from the 14th century at Paris’ Notre Dame church, France’s...

Only Those on the Righteous Path May Enter Here”: New Mosaics Unearthed in Antalya’s Olympos

19 June 2025

19 June 2025

A newly discovered mosaic inscription at the entrance of a church and elaborately decorated floor mosaics have come to light...