Lietuvos archeologija

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 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.

The production and distribution of the so-called KAM axes has been the subject of much discussion in Bronze Age research. The origins and technological sources of KAM axe production remain still unknown. KAM axes are characterized by long necks, a decoration matrix consisting of a number of raised horizontal lines that are looped and crosscut by one or more vertical lines. However, there are several subtypes of KAM axes, the existence of which contradicts the hypothesis about uniform axe distribution across the vast region between Central Sweden and the Volga-Kama region. Indeed, the rich assemblage of clay casting molds found in the Late Bronze Age fortified settlements in the Eastern Baltic region reveals that KAM axes were available in different sizes and shapes even if they appear to be uniform at the first glance. This paper presents the results of reconstructing clay casting molds through 3D laser scanning and postprocessing to (1) release a much more accurate view of molds and decoration patterns of the axes; (2) provide a comparison of axe parameters from the Eastern Baltic, Scandinavia, and the Volga-Kama regions, (3) further inquire about local and foreign productions; and (4) ascertain the significance of the decoration matrix as a communication code in the Late Bronze Age exchange and trade.

The diversity of imported goods is characteristic of the Prussian burial sites from the H (late pagan) period. The Sambian Peninsula, based on the abundance of artifacts of Old Rus‘ type, can be compared in the Baltic Sea region with the territory of Eastern Latvia. These artifacts are most commonly found in the rich cremation graves of Sambian Prussian warrior-riders, among which are items imported also from the Western Europe, such as bronze vessels, silver coins, and sword blades. An unusual context is the discovery of slate spindle whorls in the Prussian territory, typically found in Sambian cremation graves along with weapons and equestrian equipment.

Bricks from three masonry objects of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) are compared. Two of them represent Vilnius, its early Cathedral and the Lower Castle, the third one – the defensive fortifications of the Lutsk Castle in Ukraine. The beginning of their construction is probably separated by the period of 65–135 years. Each object is characterized by five bricks. In each of them, the contents of 15 analytes – Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, Ga, K, Mg, Nb, P, Rb, Si, Sr, Th, Ti, and Zr are determined using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. The aim of their analysis is comparison of geochemical composition of clay mixtures used for production of masonry bricks in order to estimate the links and differences of production technologies. For this, various mathematical statistical methods were used including cluster analysis which enabled to find out not only typical bricks, but also outliers of masonry objects. The links between mineralogical and geochemical data and their informative potential are discussed in detail. The contents of Al, Ca, Mg and Si in Vilnius bricks and the values of their ratios (Si/Al, Ca/Al, (Ca,Mg)/Al) are compared with the corresponding values in 70 samples from 17 adjacent clay layers of deposits. It is hypothesized that in the period of the second half of the 13th century – 14th century, the bricklayers in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania developed their techniques by changing the clay mixture recipes. Starting with lower in calcium clays, they became proficient in using Ca (Mg, Sr) rich clays as well, which enabled the acceptability of most clays in the surroundings. Poorer Ca (Sr, Mg) clays were used for the Cathedral, and richer clays for the production of bricks for Vilnius and Lutsk castles. Lower in Ca and Sr contents clays were used for the Cathedral, and higher in these analytes clays for the production of bricks for Vilnius and Lutsk castles.

While most people consumed red protein from cattle, sheep, and pigs, the remaining protein came from game birds and poultry. It is well documented in historical data that poultry was a part of the elite‘s staple diet in medieval and post-medieval Lithuania. However, it is difficult to speak about the largest part of the medieval city—not the rulers, but the ruled ones, i.e., the peasants and their meat consumption and poultry supply chains. The focus of this article is solely on domesticated and wild birds used for food along with their subproducts. The term “poultry” covers such birds as ducks, turkeys, guineafowl, geese, peafowl, pigeons and scarlet macaws (Serjeantson 2009). Medieval cities kept chickens, ducks and geese for their eggs as well as their meat. Poultry was usually considered a food of higher status on the old continent. In this article, I will explore the scale of poultry consumption, the relationships between producers and consumers, and other aspects of poultry in medieval and postmedieval Lithuania, using both zooarchaeological and historical data. All the material is sourced from nine cities: Vilnius, Kaunas, Kernavė Town, Alytus, Palanga, Klaipėda, Jurbarkas, Trakai and Molėtai and was dated from the 13th to the 20th centuries.