Karolis Minkevičius, Giedrė Piličiauskienė, Vytenis Podėnas, Viktorija Micelicaitė, Darius Kontrimas, J. Šapolaitė, Ž. Ežerinskis, A. Garbaras, Agnė Čivilytė, Heidi Luik, Linas Tamulynas
This paper presents the findings of a research project aimed at reconstructing the subsistence economy of the Late Bronze Age communities in eastern Lithuania. We focused on examining archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological assemblages from three hillforts alongside δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analysis of plant and animal remains. Our results suggest that local populations primarily relied on growing domestic plants and animals for their subsistence. By the Late Bronze Age, they had already adopted a diverse package of cultivated plants, with barley and millet being the main crops. Also, inhabitants relied on pig and goat/sheep as a primary source for their protein intake. Finally, δ13C and δ15N measurements suggest that farmers engaged in intensive agriculture with semi-permanent field systems and moderate application of manure.
{"title":"New insights into the subsistence economy of the Late Bronze Age (1100–400 cal BC) communities in the southeastern Baltic","authors":"Karolis Minkevičius, Giedrė Piličiauskienė, Vytenis Podėnas, Viktorija Micelicaitė, Darius Kontrimas, J. Šapolaitė, Ž. Ežerinskis, A. Garbaras, Agnė Čivilytė, Heidi Luik, Linas Tamulynas","doi":"10.15181/ab.v30i0.2564","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2564","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents the findings of a research project aimed at reconstructing the subsistence economy of the Late Bronze Age communities in eastern Lithuania. We focused on examining archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological assemblages from three hillforts alongside δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analysis of plant and animal remains. Our results suggest that local populations primarily relied on growing domestic plants and animals for their subsistence. By the Late Bronze Age, they had already adopted a diverse package of cultivated plants, with barley and millet being the main crops. Also, inhabitants relied on pig and goat/sheep as a primary source for their protein intake. Finally, δ13C and δ15N measurements suggest that farmers engaged in intensive agriculture with semi-permanent field systems and moderate application of manure.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139150406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper discusses one of the most characteristic hunter-gatherer osseous implements — the T-shaped antler axe. These are made from red deer (Cervus elaphus) antler beam by removing the trez tine and creating a perforation for a shaft in its place. This type of axe is quite widely known in the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic contexts of northern, western and central Europe. Until now, T-shaped antler axes have been only sporadically mentioned in research on Lithuanian prehistory. Ten T-axes are currently known from eight find locations, concentrated in western and southern Lithuania. These axes were mainly discovered as single finds during wetland drainage or peat extraction. Only two excavated sites contained T-axes in settlement refuse layers. This paper provides details of the find circumstances and technological features of all ten axes, as well as the results of AMS 14C dating. The dating suggests that this technology had already spread among hunter-gatherers in the territory of Lithuania as early as the second half of the 6th millennium, and continued at least until the transition to the 4th millennium cal BC.
本文讨论的是最具特色的狩猎采集骨器之一--T 形鹿角斧。这种斧子是用红鹿（Cervus elaphus）的鹿角横梁制成的，方法是去掉鹿角上的尖刺，然后在尖刺的位置打孔，形成一个轴。这种斧头在北欧、西欧和中欧的中石器时代晚期和新石器时代早期遗址中非常常见。迄今为止，T 型鹿角斧在立陶宛史前研究中仅被零星提及。目前已知的十件 T 形斧来自八个发现地点，主要集中在立陶宛西部和南部。这些斧头主要是在湿地排水或泥炭开采过程中发现的。只有两个发掘地点的聚落垃圾层中发现了 T 型斧。本文详细介绍了所有十件斧头的发现情况和技术特征，以及 AMS 14C 测定结果。测年结果表明，早在公元前六千年后半期，这种技术就已经在立陶宛境内的狩猎采集者中传播开来，并至少持续到公元前四千年。
{"title":"T-shaped antler axes in Lithuania : previously unrevealed Middle Holocene hunter-gatherer technology","authors":"Tomas Rimkus, A. Butrimas, H. Lübke, John Meadows","doi":"10.15181/ab.v30i0.2563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2563","url":null,"abstract":"This paper discusses one of the most characteristic hunter-gatherer osseous implements — the T-shaped antler axe. These are made from red deer (Cervus elaphus) antler beam by removing the trez tine and creating a perforation for a shaft in its place. This type of axe is quite widely known in the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic contexts of northern, western and central Europe. Until now, T-shaped antler axes have been only sporadically mentioned in research on Lithuanian prehistory. Ten T-axes are currently known from eight find locations, concentrated in western and southern Lithuania. These axes were mainly discovered as single finds during wetland drainage or peat extraction. Only two excavated sites contained T-axes in settlement refuse layers. This paper provides details of the find circumstances and technological features of all ten axes, as well as the results of AMS 14C dating. The dating suggests that this technology had already spread among hunter-gatherers in the territory of Lithuania as early as the second half of the 6th millennium, and continued at least until the transition to the 4th millennium cal BC.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139151218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Audronė Bliujienė, Dalia Butrimaitė-Ostrauskienė, Gytis Grižas
{"title":"She is from the 21st century: in memoriam Rimutė Rimantienė (25.10.1920–4.07.2023)","authors":"Audronė Bliujienė, Dalia Butrimaitė-Ostrauskienė, Gytis Grižas","doi":"10.15181/ab.v30i0.2568","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2568","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139152483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Audronė Bliujienė, Dalia Kisielienė, Kęstutis Peseckas, J. Šapolaitė, Ž. Ežerinskis, Franz Schopper, Karolis Minkevičius
This article investigates tinned bronze ornaments found in two graves of the Lazdininkai-Kalnalaukis cemetery dated to the end of the 2nd century to the first quarter of the 3rd century AD from the perspective of archaeological materials, intercultural contacts, 14C AMS dating, and chemical-physical and biological research. These ornaments — a wheel-shaped pendant and a bead — were originally parts of fashionable necklaces. However, these ornaments went into the graves as spinning tools. The wheel-shaped pendant from grave 8(1992) contains the first ever found, or at least officially recorded, use in Lithuania of an aquatic plant for a spinning tool bobbin. The piece of possible linden tree wood was used to compose the spinning tool bobbin found in grave 68(2001). These spinning tools are the first to have appeared in Lithuanian archaeological material from as early as the end of the 2nd century to the first quarter of the 3rd century. In addition, both spinning tools are unique in the Lithuanian archaeological record so far in that the copper alloy spindle whorls were used to compose both working tools. The closest analogues for the wheel-shaped pendant are known from the Wielbark culture and this example should be considered as an import from that cultural area. Copper alloy beads and various local derivatives, however, are numerous in the range of the Baltic cultures area. The copper alloy wheel-shaped spindle whorls from the Migration period cemeteries are the spinning tools created for the specific purpose of spinning which were produced locally, even possibly in the same workshops.
{"title":"Plants in the artefacts not used for their original purpose. A remarkable case from the Lazdininkai (Kalnalaukis) cemetery in western Lithuania","authors":"Audronė Bliujienė, Dalia Kisielienė, Kęstutis Peseckas, J. Šapolaitė, Ž. Ežerinskis, Franz Schopper, Karolis Minkevičius","doi":"10.15181/ab.v30i0.2566","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2566","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates tinned bronze ornaments found in two graves of the Lazdininkai-Kalnalaukis cemetery dated to the end of the 2nd century to the first quarter of the 3rd century AD from the perspective of archaeological materials, intercultural contacts, 14C AMS dating, and chemical-physical and biological research. These ornaments — a wheel-shaped pendant and a bead — were originally parts of fashionable necklaces. However, these ornaments went into the graves as spinning tools. The wheel-shaped pendant from grave 8(1992) contains the first ever found, or at least officially recorded, use in Lithuania of an aquatic plant for a spinning tool bobbin. The piece of possible linden tree wood was used to compose the spinning tool bobbin found in grave 68(2001). These spinning tools are the first to have appeared in Lithuanian archaeological material from as early as the end of the 2nd century to the first quarter of the 3rd century. In addition, both spinning tools are unique in the Lithuanian archaeological record so far in that the copper alloy spindle whorls were used to compose both working tools. The closest analogues for the wheel-shaped pendant are known from the Wielbark culture and this example should be considered as an import from that cultural area. Copper alloy beads and various local derivatives, however, are numerous in the range of the Baltic cultures area. The copper alloy wheel-shaped spindle whorls from the Migration period cemeteries are the spinning tools created for the specific purpose of spinning which were produced locally, even possibly in the same workshops.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139148271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this study, 71 human individuals were subjected to stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of bone collagen samples for the purpose of determining human dietary patterns in Lithuania during the Late Roman and Migration periods. More specifically, based on the isotopic data, the aim was to determine and evaluate any potential dietary differences between individuals on the basis of their sex, age, social status and place of residence during the periods in question. The results of this study suggest that there were isotopically clearly distinguishable dietary differences between individuals from different parts/regions of Lithuania. Also, statistically significant dietary differences (on the basis of δ15N values) between males and females were observed (although, when making the same sex-based isotopic comparisons at an individual site level, the same result was observed only among those from Marvelė cemetery). However, no statistically significant isotopic differences were detected between different social or age groups. Overall, these results give us one of the first glimpses into the types of dietary habits practiced by people in various parts of Lithuania during the Roman and Migration periods, which could also serve as a good starting point for future investigations into other dietary aspects in the territories and periods in question that still remain unknown.
{"title":"Human diet in Lithuania during the Late Roman and Migration periods ( ca. 200–700 AD) based on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data","authors":"Edvardas Simčenka, Laurynas Kurila, Justina Kozakaitė, Giedrė Piličiauskienė","doi":"10.15181/ab.v30i0.2565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2565","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, 71 human individuals were subjected to stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of bone collagen samples for the purpose of determining human dietary patterns in Lithuania during the Late Roman and Migration periods. More specifically, based on the isotopic data, the aim was to determine and evaluate any potential dietary differences between individuals on the basis of their sex, age, social status and place of residence during the periods in question. The results of this study suggest that there were isotopically clearly distinguishable dietary differences between individuals from different parts/regions of Lithuania. Also, statistically significant dietary differences (on the basis of δ15N values) between males and females were observed (although, when making the same sex-based isotopic comparisons at an individual site level, the same result was observed only among those from Marvelė cemetery). However, no statistically significant isotopic differences were detected between different social or age groups. Overall, these results give us one of the first glimpses into the types of dietary habits practiced by people in various parts of Lithuania during the Roman and Migration periods, which could also serve as a good starting point for future investigations into other dietary aspects in the territories and periods in question that still remain unknown.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139148347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arūnas Puškorius, Jurgita Kalėjienė, M. Steponavičiūtė, P. Blaževičius
During the archaeological excavations in the territory of the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Vilnius, the remains of leather footwear dating back to the late 13th century was discovered. These were only the cut-off lower parts of the footwear, a pair inserted one into the other and stored in a box together with other exceptional artefacts of that time. The footwear was made of expensive dyed goat leather. The luxurious leather items of footwear were reconstructed on the basis of various conducted artefact tests and studies. Based on the construction properties, it can be assumed that they were intended for indoor wear. Artefacts of analogous construction are only rarely discovered. Known examples were discovered during the excavations in Velikii Novgorod, Tver, Hrodna and several other locations to the east of the Baltic Sea. The artefacts from these territories date back to the late 11th to early 14th centuries.
{"title":"13th century leather footwear from Vilnius Lower Castle","authors":"Arūnas Puškorius, Jurgita Kalėjienė, M. Steponavičiūtė, P. Blaževičius","doi":"10.15181/ab.v30i0.2567","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2567","url":null,"abstract":"During the archaeological excavations in the territory of the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Vilnius, the remains of leather footwear dating back to the late 13th century was discovered. These were only the cut-off lower parts of the footwear, a pair inserted one into the other and stored in a box together with other exceptional artefacts of that time. The footwear was made of expensive dyed goat leather. The luxurious leather items of footwear were reconstructed on the basis of various conducted artefact tests and studies. Based on the construction properties, it can be assumed that they were intended for indoor wear. Artefacts of analogous construction are only rarely discovered. Known examples were discovered during the excavations in Velikii Novgorod, Tver, Hrodna and several other locations to the east of the Baltic Sea. The artefacts from these territories date back to the late 11th to early 14th centuries.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139148870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Audronė Bliujienė, Šarūnas Jatautis, S. Suzdalev, Gediminas Petrauskas
This article discusses the results of a large-scale analysis of five cultural heritage alloy reference materials (CHARM) and their shavings using handheld (pXRF) and stationary energy dispersive (ED-XRF) spectrometers. The primary objective of these studies was to assess the capability of the pXRF and ED-XRF spectrometers as a non-invasive surface-measuring technique used for the analysis of the reference materials and the reliability of the data obtained. The second objective was to evaluate the capability of the pXRF and ED-XRF spectrometers used for the analysis of shavings of the same five reference materials and to assess the data obtained. These objectives required finding the best fitting analytical tools for the comparison, and the assessment of the reliability of the data, and, very importantly, finding reliable models for data analysis and results validity verification. Based on the analysis carried out on the cultural heritage alloy reference materials, it can be concluded that the results of XRF spectrometry obtained from both spectrometers are reliable and can be compared to each other by making reference to four basic conditions: that the provided analysis should be based on certified reference materials of known elemental composition; that analysis be performed according to appropriate measuring methodology (research protocol); that analysing tools (predictive analytics) be clearly defined; and, finally, that testing be done on archaeological artefacts. The reliability and inter-correlation of the results obtained were assessed to determine the possibility of successfully applying XRF spectrometry in the investigation of archaeological artefacts produced from copper alloys.
{"title":"Analysis of cultural heritage reference materials by portable and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence measuring methods: results reliability assessment","authors":"Audronė Bliujienė, Šarūnas Jatautis, S. Suzdalev, Gediminas Petrauskas","doi":"10.15181/ab.v30i0.2562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2562","url":null,"abstract":"This article discusses the results of a large-scale analysis of five cultural heritage alloy reference materials (CHARM) and their shavings using handheld (pXRF) and stationary energy dispersive (ED-XRF) spectrometers. The primary objective of these studies was to assess the capability of the pXRF and ED-XRF spectrometers as a non-invasive surface-measuring technique used for the analysis of the reference materials and the reliability of the data obtained. The second objective was to evaluate the capability of the pXRF and ED-XRF spectrometers used for the analysis of shavings of the same five reference materials and to assess the data obtained. These objectives required finding the best fitting analytical tools for the comparison, and the assessment of the reliability of the data, and, very importantly, finding reliable models for data analysis and results validity verification. Based on the analysis carried out on the cultural heritage alloy reference materials, it can be concluded that the results of XRF spectrometry obtained from both spectrometers are reliable and can be compared to each other by making reference to four basic conditions: that the provided analysis should be based on certified reference materials of known elemental composition; that analysis be performed according to appropriate measuring methodology (research protocol); that analysing tools (predictive analytics) be clearly defined; and, finally, that testing be done on archaeological artefacts. The reliability and inter-correlation of the results obtained were assessed to determine the possibility of successfully applying XRF spectrometry in the investigation of archaeological artefacts produced from copper alloys.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139150422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gytis Piličiauskas, Rokas Vengalis, Karolis Minkevičius, G. Skridlaitė, Giedrė Piličiauskienė
In 2020, rescue excavations due to construction of a pipeline connecting Poland and Lithuania took place at the Bronze Age sites Tarbiškės 1 and Tarbiškės 2, eastern Lithuania, both dated to 1050–900 cal BC. They revealed a rather homogeneous archaeological assemblage which fills a gap in the development of the Bronze Age culture and economy in the southeastern Baltic. Tarbiškės Ware, from a typological as well as chronological point of view, stands in an intermediate position linking Trzciniec culture pottery with Žalioji and Early Striated Wares. Macrobotanical analysis of charred plant remains revealed that Bronze Age people at Tarbiškės cultivated Panicum miliaceum, Hordeum vulgare and Triticum sp. The Tarbiškės sites demonstrate that early farmers used to settle areas at higher elevations with sandy soils, further from large bodies of water. They used flint and other stone tools widely and lacked bronze. Tarbiškės is the first and only ancient settlement discovered in Lithuania with a workshop for on-site manufacturing of polished stone axes with drilled holes.
{"title":"Towards a better understanding of the economy and culture of the Late Bronze Age in the southeastern Baltic: Tarbiškės settlements","authors":"Gytis Piličiauskas, Rokas Vengalis, Karolis Minkevičius, G. Skridlaitė, Giedrė Piličiauskienė","doi":"10.15181/ab.v29i0.2476","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v29i0.2476","url":null,"abstract":"In 2020, rescue excavations due to construction of a pipeline connecting Poland and Lithuania took place at the Bronze Age sites Tarbiškės 1 and Tarbiškės 2, eastern Lithuania, both dated to 1050–900 cal BC. They revealed a rather homogeneous archaeological assemblage which fills a gap in the development of the Bronze Age culture and economy in the southeastern Baltic. Tarbiškės Ware, from a typological as well as chronological point of view, stands in an intermediate position linking Trzciniec culture pottery with Žalioji and Early Striated Wares. Macrobotanical analysis of charred plant remains revealed that Bronze Age people at Tarbiškės cultivated Panicum miliaceum, Hordeum vulgare and Triticum sp. The Tarbiškės sites demonstrate that early farmers used to settle areas at higher elevations with sandy soils, further from large bodies of water. They used flint and other stone tools widely and lacked bronze. Tarbiškės is the first and\u0000only ancient settlement discovered in Lithuania with a workshop for on-site manufacturing of polished stone axes with drilled holes.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45625059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Metal spoons from archaeological excavations in Lithuania are a rare find. Therefore, no research has been done on their shape, chronology or provenance. The aim of this article is to identify what types of metal spoons were owned by the residents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, whether the spoons were imported or produced locally, and whether the western European spoon trends had any influence on the material culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Only 19 spoons from the archaeology collection of the National Museum of Lithuania are attributed to the 14th–18th centuries. A morphological typology based on the spoons’ finials and handles was chosen in the current study. The first type is a spoon with a hexagonal ball finial from the second half of the 14th century. The other five types of spoons, from the second half of the 16th century and the 17th century, are characterised by a strawberry-shaped finial, an apostle figure, a twisted handle, a flat handle, and a hexagonal handle, respectively. The last type — a spoon with a rounded top — belongs to the end of the 17th century and the18th century. The spoon types and their chronology correspond to the types of spoons produced in northern, western and central Europe during the same period. This indicates that residents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania not only followed the trends of the European cutlery fashion but also reacted promptly to changes. Although there is insufficient data to say with certainty whether non-precious metal spoons were produced in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it can be shown at least that the goldsmiths there produced silver spoons which were popular in the region at the time.
{"title":"Metal spoons of the 14th-18th centuries from the archaeology collection of the National Museum of Lithuania: Typology, chronology and provenance","authors":"Skaistė Ardavičiūtė-Ramanauskienė","doi":"10.15181/ab.v29i0.2470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v29i0.2470","url":null,"abstract":"Metal spoons from archaeological excavations in Lithuania are a rare find. Therefore, no research has been done on their shape, chronology or provenance. The aim of this article is to identify what types of metal spoons were owned by the residents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, whether the spoons were imported or produced locally, and whether the western European spoon trends had any influence on the material culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Only 19 spoons from the archaeology collection of the National Museum of Lithuania are attributed to the 14th–18th centuries. A morphological typology based on the spoons’ finials and handles was chosen in the current study. The first type is a spoon with a hexagonal ball finial from the second half of the 14th century. The other five types of spoons, from the second half of the 16th century and the 17th century, are characterised by a strawberry-shaped finial, an apostle figure, a twisted handle, a flat handle, and a hexagonal handle, respectively. The last type — a spoon with a rounded top — belongs to the end of the 17th century and the18th century. The spoon types and their chronology correspond to the types of spoons produced in northern, western and central Europe during the same period. This indicates that residents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania not only followed the trends of the European cutlery fashion but also reacted promptly to changes. Although there is insufficient data to say with certainty whether non-precious metal spoons were produced in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it can be shown at least that the goldsmiths there produced silver\u0000spoons which were popular in the region at the time.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47505703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In 2018, during reconstruction works at the central square of the town of Kupiškis and the subsequent archaeological investigation, 153 coins dating to the 17th to 20th centuries were found. Usually only coins of the lowest denomination and value are found during such investigations, but most of the coins found at the central square in Kupiškis were attributable to the medium denomination coin type. It has been established that the majority of the 17th-century coins (125 pieces) belonged to a coin assemblage or hoard which was scattered before the reconstruction of the square. Based on the historical and numismatic data, it has been assumed that this set of coins was hidden around 1709 to 1710, when the country was devastated by the plague, and that it would likely have belonged to a keeper of a shop that used to stand at the market square. The composition of the said collection of coins was typical of the monetary circulation of that period, with some unique features as well. Compared to other finds, the assemblage contained a larger number of lower medium denomination coins and considerably fewer higher denomination coins. This suggests that the owner of the money was engaged in retail trade. The assemblage is also characterised by a larger number and diversity of Swedish coins. This unique feature can be explained by the fact that in the 17th and 18th centuries the region of Kupiškis was famous for flax cultivation and trade.
{"title":"An assemblage of the 17th to 18th century coins found during archaeological investigation of the Kupiškis central square","authors":"Eduardas Remecas, A. Simniškytė","doi":"10.15181/ab.v29i0.2472","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v29i0.2472","url":null,"abstract":"In 2018, during reconstruction works at the central square of the town of Kupiškis and the subsequent archaeological investigation, 153 coins dating to the 17th to 20th centuries were found. Usually only coins of the lowest denomination and value are found during such investigations, but most of the coins found at the central square in Kupiškis were attributable to the medium denomination coin type. It has been established that the majority of the 17th-century coins (125 pieces) belonged to a coin assemblage or hoard which was scattered before the reconstruction of the square. Based on the historical and numismatic data, it has been assumed that this set of coins was hidden around 1709 to 1710, when the country was devastated by the plague, and that it would likely have belonged to a keeper of a shop that used to stand at the market square. The composition of the said collection of coins was typical of the monetary circulation of that period, with some unique features as well. Compared to other finds, the assemblage contained a larger number of lower medium denomination coins and considerably fewer higher denomination coins. This suggests that the owner of the money was engaged in retail trade. The assemblage is also characterised by a larger number and diversity of Swedish coins. This unique feature can be explained by the fact that in the 17th and 18th centuries the region of Kupiškis was famous for flax cultivation and trade.","PeriodicalId":29741,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologia Baltica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41704072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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