Ukrainian Heritage Digitization and Dissemination Initiative

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Ukrainian Heritage Digitization and Dissemination Initiative

The “Ukrainian Heritage Digitization and Dissemination Initiative” is a joint international project by “Archaic” and CyArk, serving as a natural continuation of the “Preserving Ukrainian Legacy” initiative in 2024–2025. This project aims to protect and promote Ukraine’s cultural heritage through innovative digital technologies. Supported by the U.S. Embassy Fund Program, UHDDI provides training, 3D equipment, and methodological resources to three Ukrainian institutions: the Odesa Archaeological Museum, the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine, and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. By bringing together institutions with diverse profiles, the initiative fosters cross-sectoral collaboration for improving cultural heritage protection during war and peace. Through the involvement of various institutions, the project aspires to create new models for interaction among the Ukrainian cultural heritage protection specialists from different sectors.

Digitization of the KNU Collections

The next step involved digitizing artifacts from the collections of the Archaeological Museum of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. This museum is one of the largest university archaeological museums in Ukraine, housing over 30,000 items, including unique finds from the Mezhyrich Paleolithic site, Trypillia anthropomorphic figurines, ancient artifacts, early Slavic objects, and materials recovered from shipwrecks by the Center for Underwater Archaeology at KNU.

Digitizing these collections is essential not only for the preservation of artifacts but also for their further academic study. The team paid particular attention to the Mezhyrich site, dated to the mid-13th millennium BCE. This site is of global significance and has been studied for many years by the Department of Archaeology and Museology under the leadership of Prof. Pavlo Shydlovskyi. Future plans include creating a digital copy of the fourth dwelling of the site, which is preserved in situ in the village of Mezhyrich, Cherkasy Oblast.

The project involved the participation of the museum's leading specialist, Tetyana Loznytsia, and Department student Liubov Yeredenko. From the Archaїc side, the digitization efforts were supported by experts, closely associated with the University and the Department of Archaeology: Oleksandra Ivanova, a graduate of the department, and Tymofii Hordiienko, a current student.

Digitization of the Collections of the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine

Upon returning to Ukraine, our colleagues from the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine, Olga Manihda and Kateryna Ilchyshyna, along with specialists from “Archaїc” (Semen Prokopenko and Danilo Konovalov), focused their efforts on digitizing artifacts from the unique medieval Baltic burial site of the 10th–11th centuries known as Ostriv. This site, located in the Porossia region (Kyiv Oblast), is crucial for studying the multicultural population of Kievan Rus during that period.

The site includes 135 burials and is remarkable for its wealth of artifacts characteristic of the Prussian, Curonian, and Skalvian cultures, revealing the life and death of migrants from the north who lived in the Kyiv region more than a thousand years ago. Among the artifacts are neck torques, fibulae, bracelets with zoomorphic ends, temple rings, rings, and chains — all of which have been digitized and made available for further scholarly research.

In addition, the project team worked on digitizing a collection of medieval ceramic figurines from Kyiv and artifacts from the settlement of Feofania. All these valuable items are preserved in the research collections of the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine.

Training in Kraków

This year’s training, organized by CyArk and “Archaic,” took place for the second time with the support of the Jagiellonian University. Teams from Kyiv and Odessa were hosted in Collegium Maius, one of the university’s oldest buildings, in the hall of Michał Bobrzyński — governor of Galicia from 1908–1917 and mentor to Mykhailo Hrushevsky.

The program emphasized a hands-on approach. CyArk specialists Casey Haddick, Chris Millburn, and Rob Kesack not only introduced participants to photogrammetry, laser scanning, and 3D modeling software but also guided them through every step of the practical application. Each day, participants created 3D models of historical objects provided by the Jagiellonian University.

Participants worked with ceramic vessels, metal torcs, weapons, and flint tools, selecting artifacts similar to those they will handle in Ukraine. They also practiced digitizing architecture using photogrammetry and laser scanning, producing a detailed model of the courtyard and facade of Collegium Maius.

At the program’s conclusion, the Cultural Attaché of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine attended to see the participants’ progress. Teams presented their results, demonstrating mastery of the methods needed for the digital preservation of cultural heritage in Ukraine. Equipped with new tools, they have returned to their institutions to begin the next phase: digitizing heritage collections with the continued support of “Archaic.”

Online Training: Launch of a New Project

Our project began with brief online training sessions, marking the first step toward participant collaboration. During online sessions, we presented the project’s overall vision, working methods, and goals we aim to achieve.

The second training placed special emphasis on presentations by representatives from three USA museums, who shared their experiences with digital tools — September 11 Museum & Memorial, Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and Museum of Science, Boston. Their expertise helped us to outline the potential for further use of the tools provided by the project.