Nikitenko I. Petrology of stone materials of the Middle Dnipro Region archaeological objects

The presented work is devoted to the study of stone raw materials of archaeological objects of the Middle Dnipro Region – the historical region of Ukraine, which spreads along the Dnipro River valley from Zaporizhzhia to the northern borders of the country. The purpose of the work was to determine the correlation between the petrographic features of stone raw materials of archaeological objects and the historical development of the use of rocks of the Middle Dnipro Region. Scientific results are obtained based on mineralogical and petrographic studies of raw materials of stone artefacts dating from the Palaeolithic to modern era. The obtained data allowed us to establish the peculiarities of the use of stone raw materials of the Middle Dnipro Region during all historical epochs, to identify the main centres of extraction of raw stone, as well as to determine the links between petrographic features of rocks and their main ways of use. The specialized use of amphibolites, dolerites, metaultrabasite, granitoids, sandstones, metaclastolites, quartzites, ferruginous quartzites is connected with the mineral composition and structural features. Parting played an important role in the mining. The obtained data give us a more comprehensive understanding of the history of the use of stone raw materials before the beginning of its industrial development. The obtained data give us a more comprehensive understanding of the history of use of the Middle Dnipro Region raw stone materials and the links between petrographic features of rocks and their application. Key words: petrology, petroarchaeology, raw stone, Middle Dnipro Region, stone artefacts, archaeological monuments, deposits of stone.