Lietuvos archeologija

The chronology of the Lithuanian Iron Age has up until now been based exclusively on the typology of the finds, usually discovered at burial sites, but the effort to successfully employ typology in dating burial complexes is hindered by a great lack of reference points based on absolute dates. An attempt to fill this gap was made by the scientific project ‘Turning-points in the Iron Age East Lithuania (on the basis of AMS dating)’ during which 30 burials in East Lithuanian barrows were dated using the AMS 14C method. The obtained dates are being published in this article. In selecting the samples, an effort was made to cover all of the chronological horizons of the East Lithuanian barrow culture, as much barrow and burial construction diversity as possible, and as many artefact types as possible. 11 inhumations and 19 cremations were dated. Many of the radiocarbon dates seemed surprisingly old even in those instances where the typology dating is hardly questionable and is clearly connected with European typology schemes. This phenomenon should probably be explained by the freshwater reservoir effect. In order to verify these premises and to evaluate the possible significance of the effect’s impact and the possibility of eliminating this effect, additional investigations need to be conducted.

Tthe excavations conducted by the present author at Šventoji and Nida during 2006–2014, a survey of the earlier coastal Stone Age material, and new laboratory investigation results have allowed the beginning of agriculture on the Lithuanian coast and inland to be re examined. The obtained results show that Neolithisation did not last thousands of years in Lithuania and began not in the 5th or mid-6th millennium BC as had been thought before but was a comparatively rapid process that occurred as the result of the largescale migration of new inhabitants, the farmers and animal breeders of the Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures during 3200–2700 cal BC. The Lithuanian coast, owing to the richness of the lagoonal ecosystems was an exceptional location; at Nida and Šventoji distinctive Neolithisation trajectories with an important contributions by Globular Amphora culture immigrants and a mixed economy can be observed.

The Vishtynetskaya 1 site on the NW shore of Lake Vistytis (Lith. Vištytis) was first excavated by Vladimir Ivanovich Timofeev in 1981. The mixed cultural layer produced finds from the Bronze Age, Neolithic, and Mesolithic. A 2012 excavation on top of the dune yielded a representative Mesolithic inventory without any Neolithic contamination. The flint assemblage contains types characteristic of the Janisławice (Rus. Yanislavitse) and Neman (Lith. Nemunas) cultures including trapezes, triangles, and retouched inserts, but no Wieliszew type points typical of the Janisławice or tanged points typical of the Neman culture were found. This has lead to the supposition that contacts between the population of the Northern Janisławice culture and the late phase of the Neman culture occurred in this area and resulted in the formation of assemblages like those described in the following article.

The article presents the Trzciniec culture (Trzciniec cultural cycle), an Early and Middle Bronze Age archaeological phenomenon in Lithuania. It analyses various aspects of the concept and chronology of the culture and presents a history of the research in the culture’s territory. Priority is given to archaeological pottery, the main indicator for cultural identification. The article gives the main distinguishing features of the ceramic vessels, their types, their ornamentation, and their attribution to either the East-Trzciniec or West-Trzciniec culture. Finally the article analyses the Bronze Age cultural situation in the Eastern Baltic region and raises the question of whether the Trzciniec culture existed in Lithuania and in what form.

This article aims to discuss the possibilities and realities of using aDNA to assist in archaeological gender studies and to continue a dialogue concerning studying non-binary gender identities and non-heteronormative sexualities in past communities.

Šiame straipsnyje pristatomas M. K. Sarbievijaus veikalo Pagonių dievai (Dii gentium) vertimas (I–IV skyrių). Veikalas išsiskiria iš visų autoriaus kūrinių, reikšmingas tiek savo turiniu, tiek kultūriniu kontekstu. Išverstuose skyriuose randame daugelį žinomų mitų, aiškinamų alegoriškai, šventųjų vietų paaiškinimų ir romėnų dievų panteono suskirstymą. Nagrinėjamas išverstų dalių turinys, kūrinio intertekstualumas ir tiek istorinės, tiek kultūrinės aplinkybės. Darbe taip pat pateikiamas pirmasis keturių konkrečių skyrių vertimas į lietuvių kalbą su komentarais.

The article discusses the nature and significance of the settlement of the area bordered by Ašmenos, Mėsinių and Dysnos Streets in early Vilnius, and the links with the German Town. The period of research was chosen - from the first traces of human activity in this part of Vilnius to the 16th century, with particular emphasis on the earliest period - late 14th century - the first half of the 15th century, which is the least covered in Vilnius studies.