August 10, 2015. Luckily or not, but modern metal detectors
are becoming more affordable every year, even for people with average incomes.
Hundred people prefer to spend weekend or even a full vacation digging somewhere
on the battlefield being armed with spade and appropriate computerized equipment.The use of such equipment for gain, undoubtedly,
is a criminal offense but nevertheless such kind of outdoor activity is
becoming more and more popular in Ukraine.
All findings are generally not plotted to the
map and enter the black market in the hope of selling them to foreign tourists. The state which budget is bursting at the seams,
unfortunately, can not properly protect all battlefields. The state also can
not organize an appropriate archaeological survey of these fields. Only due to
support of the Swedish Society of the Military History (SMB) the
first archaeological survey of the Poltava Battle field was made by Swedish-American group of archaeologists
headed by Bo Knarrström and Adrian Mandzy eight years ago.
Many finds on the
Poltava Battle field were made by the local villagers in their gardens. Many
discovered cannonballs, musket balls, firearms and cold steel were transferred
to the Poltava Battle Museum, where they can be seen by visitors.
But nevertheless some findings, even though they were
made by black archaeologists, can be very interesting for military history. Not long
ago a three pound cannon ball and a handful of musket bullets were found near
the village of Petrovka where Russian army crossed Vorskla river on June 20,
1709.
It is well known that there was no fighting with Swedish army there
because Russians soon left their first fortified camp being seeing that an
enemy is not going to advance. Within a few days a new fortified camp was completed
near the village of Yakovtsy. So may be these findings, even though they were made
by black archaeologists, can be very interesting for military history. I was
lucky to learn about these findings before they were sold out and take a
picture.
