Born near
Poltava, in Mayachka village, into the family of a priest, Levytsky graduated from the Poltava Divinity School and Seminary in 1869. In 1869-1870 he worked as a private teacher in the village Vepryk (near
Hadiach). As the best student, Levytsky was referred to be studied at a theological academy but unexpectedly enrolled into the Law faculty of
Kiev University. Later he transferred to the History and Philology faculty, from which he graduated in 1874. Led by
Volodymyr Antonovych, in 1874 Levytsky defended his dissertation "Overview of the internal history of Little Russia in the second half of 17th century". In 1874-1921 Levytsky was a secretary of the
Provisional Commission in reviewing of old acts while teaching Russian language (1874–1909) in the Fourth Kiev Gymnasium and geography (1876–1877) in a music school. In 1879-87 he was a chief deputy of the Kiev Central Archive. He was one of the founders of the
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine where he worked as a secretary from 1918 to 1920 and head of the Department of Social and Economical Sciences. ==Awards==