Stanislav Zadnikov
Fellow 2025/2026
History/Archeology
V.N.Karazin Kharkiv National University
Volkswagen Stiftung
szadnikov@karazin.ua
Bio
Stanislav Zadnikov is a Candidate of Historical Sciences (PhD) and Senior Researcher at the Museum of Nature of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Born in Kharkiv, he has dedicated his academic career to the study of the Early Iron Age of Eastern Europe, with a focus on Scythian culture, Greek imports, and the interaction between barbarian tribes and Greek colonies.
From 2003 to 2017, he worked as a Senior Researcher at the Museum of Archaeology of Karazin University before joining the Museum of Nature in 2017. He completed his postgraduate studies at the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (2004–2008) and defended his PhD thesis in 2014 on Greek ceramic imports at the Bilsk hillfort. Since 2005, he has led archaeological excavations at Bilsk hillfort and carried out fieldwork in the Siversky Donets basin.
His international research collaborations include participation in projects such as Iron as a Material (TOPOI Excellence Cluster, Berlin, 2016–2017), The Contribution of the Ancient Population of the Northern Black Sea Region to the Formation of the Gene Pool of Modern Europe (Tartu, 2015–2020), Glass Products of the Forest-Steppe Scythia (Turin, 2021–2025), and Genetic, Social and Cultural Diversity in Iron Age Settlements of the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe (2022–2025). In 2017, he was invited by the University of London to present his research on Bilsk hillfort.
Stanislav Zadnikov is the author of more than 150 publications, over half of which are devoted to the Bilsk settlement and Greek pottery.
Digitization of Ukraine's cultural heritage in wartime using the example of the first archaeological excavations of the Bilsk hillfort
The Museum of Archaeology of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University preserves about 300,000 artefacts, including a unique collection from the Bilsk hillfort (7th–4th c. BC)—the largest Early Iron Age fortified settlement in Europe and a key site for studying the Scythian culture. Over 70 years of excavations have revealed its role as a settlement with wide trade and cultural ties across Europe and Asia.
This project focuses on processing the collection from the first excavations of the Eastern Fortification (1959–1960), dating to the site’s political and economic peak. The urgency has grown after the Russian invasion: a missile strike on Kharkiv damaged museum storage, flooding artefacts. Emergency measures saved them, but systematic conservation is essential.
The project tasks include: conservation and restoration of ceramic, metal, and organic finds; creating a detailed catalogue; digitization and documentation through photography, 3D modeling, and archival scanning; and publishing results in open access. Over 600 artefacts of the Scythian period will be processed, with special emphasis on imported Greek ware, a hallmark of Forest-Steppe Scythia.
Expected outcomes are a monograph with full analysis and illustrated catalogue, an online database with 3D models and photos, and strengthened legal protection of the collection. The project will preserve an endangered cultural legacy, demonstrate modern technologies for heritage protection, and promote Ukraine’s archaeological heritage globally.