Historical aspects of representing the Slavic pagan heritage in digital archives

The relevance of the study is due to the need to reflect on the role of digital technologies in preserving and representing pagan heritage as a component of the cultural memory of Ukraine and Europe. The purpose of the study was to carry out a comprehensive reconstruction of the historical aspects of representing Slavic pagan heritage within the digital archival environment. The methodology combined an interdisciplinary analysis of archival, archaeological, ethnographic, and digital data, applying historical-cultural, semiotic, and information-technological approaches. The results showed that pagan heritage functions as a multi-layered system of material and symbolic objects represented in different types of sources – from chronicle texts to archaeological artefacts. Analysis of chronicle records revealed regional variability in descriptions of cult practices, which correlates with ethnographic evidence of local ritual practices. Comparing archaeological catalogues with folklore collections made it possible to trace the chronological continuity of certain ritual motifs. Digitisation proved to be a factor in increasing the accessibility of materials, but was accompanied by challenges of standardisation, contextualisation, and the authenticity of metadata. Analysis of technical solutions indicated that only comprehensive integration of standards can guarantee long-term preservation and scholarly verification of digital copies. The study determined that digital archives of pagan heritage can perform not only a preservation function but also a reconstructive-analytical role, creating new models of relationships between texts, artefacts, and symbols. The development of digital humanities has enabled the creation of multimodal databases in which ritual practices can be visualised in a spatio-temporal dimension. The conclusions emphasise that the digital representation of pagan heritage is not only a technological process but also a cultural reconstruction requiring a balance between scholarly accuracy, preservation ethics, and openness of access. The results are intended for researchers in digital humanities, archivists, museologists, cultural policy developers, and specialists in managing digital collections concerned with the preservation and representation of intangible cultural heritage