Besides the materials on paper, the Scientific Archive of
the Institute of Archaeology
of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine stores a large number of
photo negatives on the film as well as on the glass plates. Among the negatives
on glass plates are those that were made before 1917. They document
archaeological excavations of Tripillya сulture, archeological sites of Slavic and Ancient Rus cultures, ancient
Kyiv, Chernihiv and other cities, as well as Scythian monuments, Ancient Olbia
and other excavations.
Having some pause, the archaeological excavations have
been resumed, so the Scientific Archive houses negatives on glass from 1924
till 1941. Besides continuation of the already known archeological sites’
excavations, there are amount of negatives on glass documenting the
investigations of large territory, which was later submerged by man-made sea after finishing the construction of Dnieper hydro-electric
power plant.
Since 1945 the archaeological investigations in the territory of Ukraine continued. Despite the fact that
the negatives on glass plates began to give way to the film negatives, they
have been partly used until 1961, apparently it was so because of a lack of
films or due the better quality of the glass negatives.
In addition, the Scientific Archive stores a significant number of un-attributed negatives
on glass plates, which have been removed to the Scientific Archive as a result
of division of “The Regional Institute of Prehistory and Early History” stores
in April 1944; that was functioning during the Second World War in occupied Kiev.
Among un-attributed glass negatives are reproductions of
some publications as well as photos of archeological excavation sites and finds. There are more than a hundred negatives representing
Ancient Egypt as well. Besides the negatives representing archeological
investigations, there are negatives concerning ethnography, architecture,
Christianity, local history etc.