Chernenko O. Archaeological Collection of the Chernihiv State Museum (1896 - 1948)

The thesis gives a deep survey and a thorough study of the activities of the museum of Chernihiv in the field of archeology within 1896 - 1948, its acquisition, museum and scientific usage of archaeological collections of the Ch.S.M. The history of the museum begins in 1896 when the museum of the Chernihiv Gubernia Archives Commission was opened in Chernihiv. It became a center of archaeological study of the Chernihiv - Siversky region; many researchers and experts of local lore worked there (P.M. Dobrovolsky, V.A. Shugayevsky, O.E. Kornoukhov, S.A. Gatzuk). In 1923 the museum and the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities named after V.V. Tarnovsky were united. The funds of these institutions became part and parcel of the archaeological collection of the Ch.S.M. During the year of the existence of the museum the collection was considerably replenished. Its main source was the research carried out by museum scientific workers on the territory of the Chernihiv region. The funds of the museum had more than 36 thousand objects of monuments of different types and different times found on the territory of Ukraine. Because of catastrophic events of World War II and a careless handling of antiquities during the years of Soviet Power the passport system of the museum collection was ruined, a part of the materials were lost. Historiographical research and a proper knowledge of sources made possible to rehabilitate the collection and to include a great number of little-known or absolutely unknown archaeological materials into scientific usage.