Among several archaeological cultures that claim to be the oldest, the civilization that was born on Ukrainian soil stands out. Excavations near the village of Tripolye, which is located near Kiev, still represent one continuous mystery for researchers. Scientists are trying to figure out what the roots of the Trypillian culture are, and where it disappeared so suddenly.
At the end of the 19th century, archaeologist V. Khvoika made a sensational discovery during excavations near the village of Tripolye. The scientist saw objects of culture rooted in the sixth millennium BC. The finds of agricultural utensils and the remains of dwellings made it possible to conclude that a developed civilization existed long before the legendary Sumerians.
Half a century later, researchers supplemented their ideas about the culture, which was called Trypillian. On the territory of Ukraine, huge cities were found, the traces of which are hidden underground. According to some estimates, the population of the ancient settlements exceeded 15,000 people, which was very significant by the standards of those times. Attention is drawn to the nature of the development: all the settlements found were created according to a single plan. The arrangement of the houses was ring-shaped, the buildings stood close to each other. This location was ideal for the defense of the city. In the center of such a settlement, built of concentric rings, there was a temple.
One of the mysteries of the Trypillian settlements was that, having existed for several decades, the cities were destroyed by fire. The causes of the fires have not yet been clarified. Among the possible versions were very exotic, involving the intervention of aliens armed with powerful lasers. Other researchers see in the burning of cities a kind of ritual, the roots of which, however, are not entirely clear. An interesting fact is that the population of the burnt city in a very short time left the ashes and moved to another place, where the settlement was rebuilt.
After a series of such movements attested by archaeologists, which lasted for about one and a half thousand years, the Trypillian culture simply disappeared. Archaeologists cannot trace its further development. The disappearance of traces of a highly developed culture raises many hypotheses. One of them is related to climate change. Dry times came, which no longer allowed the development of agriculture with the same scope, so the Trypillians gradually ceased to exist.
According to another original hypothesis, the last representatives of the Trypillian culture switched to an underground lifestyle. In several places in Ukraine, traces of human habitation in caves were found, including burials, pottery, agricultural implements. The current researchers of the Trypillian culture continue excavations in the Ternopil region, hoping, literally and figuratively, to get to the bottom of the reasons that led to the disappearance of the ancient and mysterious people.
