Two Trypillian settlements in the Ternopil region have been added to the UNESCO list
Two Trypillian settlements, located in the Verteba Cave and near the village of Hlybochok in the Ternopil region, have been added to UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. This decision paves the way for further consideration of these sites for inclusion on the main World Heritage List.
Mykhailo Sokhatskyi, an archaeologist and director of the Borshchiv Local History Museum, told this to a Ukrinform correspondent.
"The Verteba Cave is a unique monument of the Trypillian culture, as nowhere else has such a case been found where members of ancient farming communities actively used an underground cavity for 750–800 years and left significant remains of material culture there. The second site included on the UNESCO tentative list is a Trypillian settlement near the village of Hlybochok in the Chortkiv district, which I discovered in the early 1990s. By studying it, we learned a great deal about the first Trypillian settlers—how they lived, how they built their homes, how they cultivated the land, and about their spiritual culture. Both settlements are over 5,000 years old," said Sokhatsky.
According to him, inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List represents recognition of the ancient historical culture that existed on our lands within a global context, a special status of protection, and also draws public attention to the sites.
The process of adding sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List involves both document review and on-site inspections of the Trypillian settlements themselves.
"The expert group will work directly on the sites, assess their condition, and provide various recommendations, requirements, and clarifications. After all, a site is placed under protection in order to preserve it for future generations as a unique cultural and historical phenomenon. After surveying the archaeological sites, all necessary documents are collected, and following discussion, a final decision is made. Then a protection number is assigned, and the site is added to the general list," added Sokhatsky.
The Trypillian culture has been included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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