Alexander Nikolayevich Pol (russian: Александр Николаевич Поль; 20 August 1832 – 26 July 1890) was a Russian

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

, geologist,

ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

and businessman of

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

descent. He is most well-known for discovering Kryvbas, a major iron ore region of Eastern Europe.

Biography

Alexander Pol was born into a

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

Baltic Germans Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly decline ...

Donik, O.
Alexander Pol
'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. in Maloaleksandrovka,

Verkhnedneprovsky Uyezd Verkhnedneprovsky Uyezd () was one of the subdivisions of the Yekaterinoslav Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the western part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Verkhnodniprovsk (Verkhnedneprovsk). Demographic ...

Yekaterinoslav Governorate The Yekaterinoslav Governorate (russian: Екатеринославская губерния, Yekaterinoslavskaya guberniya; uk, Катеринославська губернія, translit=Katerynoslavska huberniia) or Government of Yekaterinos ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

(present-day

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

). On his mother's line he was a far relative of Polubotok and Poletika families. Pol attended local schools before studying at the

Imperial University of Dorpat The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

, where he graduated. He studied geology and archeology. Pol studied the iron ore of

Krivoy Rog Kryvyi Rih ( uk, Криви́й Ріг , lit. "Curved Bend" or "Crooked Horn"), also known as Krivoy Rog (Russian: Кривой Рог) is the largest city in central Ukraine, the 7th most populous city in Ukraine and the 2nd largest by area. Kr ...

(present-day Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine) for 15 years and proved its industrial importance. He is credited with discovering the Kryvbas, a major iron ore region, and is most well-known for this. While studying ore deposits, he also made archeological findings and related them to his interest in ethnography. Pol contributed to the industrialization of the town and its area. In 1881 industrial development began, stimulating the rapid economic growth of Krivoy Rog and, more broadly, of the

of what was then the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pol, Alexander 1832 births 1890 deaths People from Yekaterinoslav Governorate Baltic German people from the Russian Empire Ukrainian people of German descent Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class 19th-century archaeologists 19th-century geologists History of Kryvyi Rih University of Tartu alumni