Lietuvos archeologija

The article is devoted to the traditions and technological aspects of Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age burial pottery in the eastern Baltic. Three types of cemeteries were investigated – flat cemeteries, barrows and stone ship settings. In total, pottery from 13 cemeteries was analysed macroscopically, microscopically and in context. The results of the study show that funerary pottery had different meanings – urns, grave goods, and probably part of a general funerary rite not associated with specific graves. Urn burials followed the main trends of inhumation and cremation burials and were placed in either stone structures or pits. Grave goods – cups and medium-sized pots - were found in inhumations and cremations, mainly placed in the head area of the deceased. The techno-stylistics of the vessels indicate that although the clay paste recipes were similar to those used for household vessels, the funerary pottery did not follow the general trends in shape and surface treatment of household vessels. Analogies to some funerary pottery can be traced in the Sambian peninsula and Scandinavia.

Archaeology, like all sciences, seeks to uncover the unknown by building on existing knowledge and responding to the current situation. The article is dedicated to the description of the current situation of Lithuanian archaeological science. At present, the situation is stable, the system is established and functioning. Research activities are carried out by three institutions with their own publications. Since contemporary Lithuanian archaeology is an integral part of the world archaeological science, it is appropriate to analyse its current state in comparison with the global trends in the development of this science. Two aspects have been chosen for this comparison: the first six editions of the book “Archaeology: Theory, Methods and Practice” by C. Renfrew and P. Bahn and the review of the topics of the last 30th Conference of the European Association of Archaeologists in Rome. They have identified certain features of modern archaeological science. Trends in the development of Lithuanian archaeological science have been identified based on the analysis of articles in three major scientific publications in the period 2006–2023, carried out according to the same criteria. The comparison allowed to identify some peculiarities of the development of Lithuanian archaeological science, the analysis of which has been supplemented by more local issues. The main conclusion of the study is that Lithuanian archaeological science is no longer able to cope with the increasing number of sources.

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.

The Daugava River has been one of the most important traffic arteries in the Eastern Baltic region. The establishment of more than 30 hillforts alongside this river reflects the importance of this waterway. Most of these hillforts are understudied. Thus, the bigger picture regarding the hillforts’ inhabitation patterns, chronology, environment, and function(s) remain unknown. As such, the INHILLDAUGAR project seeks to systematically analyze the river’s landscape on a macro scale by combining palaeoenvironmental, archaeological, and linguistic studies. This article presents the genesis of the INHILLDAUGAR project and preliminary results from the 2022 and 2023 field campaigns.

We present a unified model for the movement of agricultural frontiers based on the construction of the parallax shift and its relation to normalizable science. The model is based on data from the Baltic Basin, where for thousands of years, complex and semi-complex hunter/gatherer/fishers and agriculturalists remained in an equilibrium state. When agriculturalization occurred, it occurred in a punctuated