BRONZE AGE STONE AXES FROM EASTERN UKRAINE (FUNDED IN LARGE PART BY SCHOOL AND FOLK MUSEUMS FUNDS)

Abstract

This research aims to define the importance of school and folk museums in Ukrainian archaeological heritage preservation, as well as archaeological research popularization and introducing into scientific discourse the data on Bronze Age stone axes from Eastern Ukraine. These axes are preserved within school and folk museums. This issue is actualized due to the processes of decentralization and subordination changes for educational and culture institutions. The majority of archaeological materials (including the stone axes) have already been represented within publications of various levels, but there are still some Bronze Age materials which still need to be introduced into scientific discourse. Introducing these materials would allow scholars to possibly broaden classification system. However, a problem still exists; the greater parts of these exhibits were not found during excavations by archaeological expeditions, but rather, they were acquired as individual, random finds.

Keywords: stone axes, stone axes classification, school museum, folk museum