THE HISTORY OF RESEARCH OF MESOLITHIC SITES ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINIAN SUB-CARPATHIAN REGION

At the institutional and anthropocentric levels, the main periods of the history of the study of

Mesolithic sites in Western Ukraine are distinguished: the interwar period, the years of Soviet rule and

the period of independence of Ukraine. The activities of various scientific institutions and scholars are

analyzed in the context of general research trends. It is noted that during the interwar period, the study

of Mesolithic sites was carried out by such researchers as Czesław Ambroziewicz, Nicolae Moroszan,

Ion Botez, Mykhailo Rudynskyi, Yurii Polianskyi, Yaroslav Pasternak. Their connection with scientific

institutions is noted. It is emphasized that in the interwar period, the study of Mesolithic sites had

rather sporadic than systematic character.

Changes related to the approach to the study of Mesolithic sites in the following period were

outlined. Research became larger in scale and more systematic. All this became possible due to the

establishing of a new scientific center – the Institute of Social Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of

the Ukrainian SSR (now the Ivan Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Studies of NAS of Ukraine).

Through the fruitful work of the Institute's researchers Oleksandr Chernysh, Leonid Matskevyi, Vitalii Konoplia and other scientists, the source base for studying Mesolithic issues has grown qualitatively and quantitatively. At this time, specialized expeditions are being formed, the long-term activity of which has given noticeable results. During large-scale archaeological survey, a huge number of new sites were discovered. Some of them were explored stationary. The most comprehensively studied sites were Molodove I, V, Oselivka I, Korman IV, Ataky VI, Starunia I, Vorotsiv II, Radelychi I, II. The high level of cooperation between various scientific institutions was also noted. New discoveries allowed scientists to develop the issues of cultural and historical processes that took place in the region during the Mesolithic period more thoroughly. These issues were studied by Oleksandr Chernysh, Mykhailo Klapchuk, and Leonid Matskevyi. It was noted that the high intensity of field research continued until the 2010s. Since then, the study of Mesolithic sites of Western Ukraine has become rather sporadic, but they remain an important source for further research of the history of the settlement of the region in prehistoric times.

Mesolithic, site, archaeological excavations, Stone Age, history of archaeological research, archaeology of the West of Ukraine.