Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 20 (2013): Frontier Societies and Environmental Change in Northeast Europe, pp. 47–58
Abstract
Viljandi (Fellin), a small town in medieval Livonia, was founded in the second quarter of the 13th century, soon after the Estonian Crusades. The Estonians’ prehistoric hill-fort was replaced by a castle of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, the prehistoric settlement was abandoned, and the location for the new town was chosen on the site of a former field more suitable for fortification. In this paper, zooarchaeological material from three sites, the prehistoric settlement, the Order’s castle and the early medieval town, will be discussed. Despite the presumed changes in Estonian society associated with the Crusades, the analyses reveal no profound differences in meat consumption in the transitional period from prehistory to the middle Ages.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 20 (2013): Frontier Societies and Environmental Change in Northeast Europe, pp. 24–46
Abstract
The history of the medieval Baltic is dominated by the crusading movement of the 13th to 15th centuries. The crusades resulted in significant changes to the organisation, ownership and administration of the landscape, with a significant shift in patterns of land use. However, our understanding of the environmental impact of the crusades has been almost exclusively informed by written sources. This paper synthesises existing palynological evidence for medieval landscape transformation in the southeast and eastern Baltic, focusing on the ecological impact of the crusading movement, and considers some key questions, challenges and priorities for future research.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 19 (2013): Societies of the Past: Approaches to Landscape, Burial Customs and Grave Goods, pp. 177–194
Abstract
The article deals with burial customs in culturally varied regions in the eastern Baltic, comparing them with an interpretation of Late Prehistoric society. Social analyses, which up to recent times were predominantly based on written sources and evolutionary ways of thinking, suggest somewhat different social systems for the culturally diverse regions of the eastern Baltic. However, at first glance, this cannot be seen in the archaeological evidence, including burials. The discussion in this article subjects some particular features of burial customs to closer consideration: representativeness, collective versus individual attitudes, and gender aspects. The results suggest that societies were hierarchical both in the southern and northern parts of the eastern Baltic, but power was arranged in different ways.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 19 (2013): Societies of the Past: Approaches to Landscape, Burial Customs and Grave Goods, pp. 167–175
Abstract
Four rare brooches were found during archaeological investigations in Viešvilė cemetery III (in the Jurbarkas district). Three of them are close to the ‘equal-armed’ brooches, of which the shape recalls a ribbon. The fourth brooch was found in child’s grave 35. It belongs to the group of flat openwork brooches. The brooch was decorated with two stylised animal heads and a weaving pattern. Analogies were not found in Lithuanian archaeological material. In this article, the author discusses the possible origin and chronology of the brooches found in Viešvilė cemetery III.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 19 (2013): Societies of the Past: Approaches to Landscape, Burial Customs and Grave Goods, pp. 145–165
Abstract
The article discusses the rapidly changing geocultural situation from the fifth to the seventh century in east and southeast Lithuania. As chiefdoms with strong leaders were taking shape from the fifth to the seventh centuries, the demonstration of power by means of exceptional weapons and other cultural elements became a highly important factor.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 19 (2013): Societies of the Past: Approaches to Landscape, Burial Customs and Grave Goods, pp. 132–143
Abstract
The author recalls the famous princely Sudovian culture grave at Szwajcaria (today within the administrative limits of Suwałki). Apart from presenting the grave furnishings according to up-to-date typological standards, he tries to reinterpret particular finds, identifying the metal fittings of a saddle and the metal mountings of a possible leather bucket aimed at hiding a horse harness. Additionally, an engraved ornament spotted on the head of a shafted weapon Type Vennolum/Ilkjær 15 is presented.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 19 (2013): Societies of the Past: Approaches to Landscape, Burial Customs and Grave Goods, pp. 119–130
Abstract
The author presents some of his recent results and observations made within the framework of a research project devoted to a comparative typo-chronological analysis of Migration Period knives-daggers in the basin of the Baltic Sea, and to the study of socio-historical tendencies and events marked by the appearance of these artefacts. The intensification of field research in the region in recent years, as well as the rediscovery of parts of the former Prussia-Museum’s collection and regained access to the archives of prewar researchers, has allowed the author to back up the study with an unprecedentedly high number of knife-dagger finds and relevant burial complexes.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 19 (2013): Societies of the Past: Approaches to Landscape, Burial Customs and Grave Goods, pp. 104–117
Abstract
This article is dedicated to a chronology of typical stone graves. An attempt is made to date the beginning of these stone graves to a slightly earlier period than was done until now, namely up to the middle of the first century. This date is based on the dating of a few forms of artefacts.