Treasure from the Mysholovka Village
The treasure from Mysholovka, found in 1896 near Kyiv, impresses with rare Chernihiv hryvnias and belt buckles from the East.
Belt pouch (1000 - 1200 СE) by UnknownNational Museum of the History of Ukraine
On June 7, 1896 (Old Style), a resident of the village of Mysholovka (now part of Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi District), the peasant Yef
The finds were transferred to the Archaeological Museum at St. Volodymyr University and are now housed in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.
The hoard consists of 11 monetary hryvnas and 21 belt fittings. According to descriptions, the vessel in which the hoard had been concealed—now lost—was made of red clay and had a broken neck and handles. It was most likely a Byzantine amphora.
Monetary hryvnia (1000 - 1200 CE) by UnknownNational Museum of the History of Ukraine
This hoard stands out among other Old Ruthenianhoards due to its unique features. Thus, it includes the so-called Chernihiv-type hryvnas, a rare monetary form.
Such hryvnas are rarely found and always appear separately from other monetary types—in hoards from Velyki Luki (1854), Horbove (1878), Mamekine (1885), Chubarove (1907), and Chernihiv (1999). Notably, hoards containing Chernihiv-type hryvnas never include jewelry.
The belt fittings were manufactured in Iran or Central Asia. The plaques depict human figures with halos, a lion, sphinxes, a bird, and a flower. Two plaques bear Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script: «prosperity», «power», and «success».
The hoard is dated to the late 11th – earl 12th century.
Mysholovka (1854) by Dominique Pierre de la FliseNational Museum of the History of Ukraine
The area still known as Mysholovka is located between Bahrynova Hill, the Holosiiv Forest, and Kytaiv—i.e., the Kytaiv archaeological complex.
The Kytaiv archaeological complex comprises a well-fortified hillfort, an unfortified settlement (posad), a separate settlement in the Vynohradnyi tract, and two burial mound sites. At its highest central point, the hillfort contained an inner citadel (dytynets), approximately 80 × 40 meters in size, situated 40 meters above the valley of the Kytaiv stream.
Dnipro (1882) by Volodymyr Donatovich OrlovskyNational Museum of the History of Ukraine
The hillfort of Kitaiv is thought to correspond to the town of Peresichyn, known from chronicle sources. The total area of the site is 75 hectares, and it dates to the 10th–12th centuries.
Today, Kytaiv is the only Old Ruthenian town in the Middle Dnipro region that has not been built over and has preserved its original urban layout.
Text: Maksym Levada
Technical implementation: Oleg Mitiukhin, Oksana Mitiukhina, Liudmila Klymuk
Translation: Maryna Dehtiarenko
Research and annotations: Olena Pidvysotska
3D designer: Oleksandr Naumenko
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