1. Historical background about the site/collections

Bilozerka village, Kherson district, Kherson region. The barrow is 3.6 meters high, 48 meters in diameter and is located northwest of Bilozerka village. The barrow is an archaeological site of local importance No. 533.

Barrows are the burials of ancient herders of different ages, who inhabited the steppes of Ukraine. The oldest barrows in Kherson region date back to the 4th millennium BC and are older than the Egyptian pyramids. During the Bronze Age, representatives of the Yamna (late 4th – mid-3rd millennium BC), Catacomb (second half of the 3rd millennium BC), Babyno (late 3rd – early 2nd millennium BC), Zrubna and Bilozerka (2nd millennium BC) cultures buried their deceased in the barrows. In the early Iron Age, the Cimmerians (9th – 8th centuries BC), Scythians (7th – 3rd centuries BC), Sarmatians (2nd century BC – 4th century AD), Huns (5th century), medieval nomads – Avars, Bulgars, Magyars, Pechenegs, Turks, Cumans (6th – 13th centuries) had a barrow burial rite. Burials of all these peoples, sometimes with valuable items, can be found in the barrows of Kherson region. In addition, endemic plants representing steppe flora, which has disappeared almost everywhere due to the anthropogenic factor, have been preserved on the unplowed barrows. The barrows are protected by law and are state property.

2. History of damage/destruction with determination of approximate timeline

Deep trenches were dug in the mound, which violate the stratigraphic integrity of the site and distort the information about the stages and methods of the construction of the mound. All inserted burials were destroyed or looted.