Archaeologia Baltica

It has always been technically and economically challenging to build constructions on a shoreline. For that reason, those constructions can be used and maintained for a long time, and today contain interesting archaeological information. Despite this, at the time of carrying out repairs, archaeologists are not usually consulted, and the history of a construction is seen as unimportant. However, with this case study of a log-barrier embankment from the early 20th-century Suomenlinna fortress, a new approach is available, challenging the way archaeologists collect data. The data collected from the site can be used together with the archaeological interpretation to aid in the plan for the reuse of the site.

The article deals with the research potential of inna along the coastline in Sweden and the Åland Islands. Very little research has been done on this kind of establishment in Sweden and Scandinavia. The inn on the island of Koffsan off Sweden and the inn on Rödhamn, Åland Islands, Finland, stand out as examples of what the sites and the archaeological material combined with written sources can tell us about the function of inns in society and about the food and beverages at these establishments. The author also discusses the possibilities to reinterpret some of the earlier results from the site on the Åland Islands.

This article concentrates on an analysis of an ancient lakeside landscape: how a big inland lake in Estonia (Lake Peipus in eastern Estonia) has affected the development of the settlement on its shores (the example of Kodavere parish). The lake is part of a landscape with different layers, some of them are mental, some are physical. The article tries to define the landscape and its layers, and to use the most suitable layer to describe a prehistoric lakeside landscape in Estonia.

The article deals with Viking Age and Late Iron Age (800–1200 AD) maritime cultural landscapes on Saaremaa, the biggest Estonian island. In the course of an extensive study there since 2003, a number of Late Prehistoric and Early Medieval harbour sites have been identified. The archaeological evidence from these places suggests different uses of the sites. In the article, three harbour sites have been chosen for closer analysis. These sites represent different kinds of harbours at a local or regional level, as can probably be found in many areas around the Baltic Sea.

The bog offerings of the Balts dating back to the period from the first century to the first half of the eighth century, and found in the Nemunas-Daugava interfluvia, are studied as part of the panhuman experience, and as a result of the influence of the Germanic culture of a period covering the Roman Iron Age and the Migration Period. In the lands of the Balts, however, offerings in water turned into a self-contained phenomenon known until historic times. This article discusses the links between bog offering sites and sacred waters. It discusses the position of bog offerings in the archaeological complex, the composition of offerings and changes in them, and the main intentions of the offerings, which can be characterised as offerings of war booty (to the god of war, as proof of a warrior’s honour), the transfer of valuables into the transcendental space (give to get back), and communication with the gods and with ancestors (requests and tokens of gratitude).

This article discusses issues related to pile-dwelling settlements in Lithuania. It offers a detailed study of the archaeological and osteological material found at the Žemaitiškė 2 pile-dwelling settlement, as well as palynological and radiocarbon research into the settlement’s cultural layer. The article discusses the wood anatomy of pile-dwellings, their dendrochronological dating, and the types of construction material. The studies show that the construction of pile-dwellings in Lithuania began in the Late Neolithic Age, whereas the tradition of living on pile platforms existed throughout the Bronze Age.

Between 2000 and 2010, the Asaviec 2 and Asaviec 7 settlements of Kryvina peatbog (Vitebsk region) were excavated. At Asaviec 2 the excavations concentrated on the northern part, where pure materials of Usvyatian culture were found, and also several fragments of a Globular Amphora culture vessel. The excavations of the new Asaviec 7 settlement (up till 2007) gave us pure materials of Northern Belarusian culture, too. Among them are bone, antler and flint items, made mainly according to local Neolithic traditions. There are two 14C dates for this settlement: 3770±90 ВР and 3870±40 ВР.

Ostrow Lednicki, an island situated in Lake Lednica between Gniezno and Poznań, is an important archaeological site from the period of the beginnings of the Polish state. In the tenth and 11th centuries, apart from Gniezno, Poznań and Giecz, the town, which has been preserved together with the remains of a stone palace, was one of the main towns of the state of Mieszko I and Bolesław I the Brave. The significance of Ostrow Lednicki in the Early Middle Ages is also emphasised by two bridges leading to the island, the Gniezno bridge from the east, and, the Poznań bridge from the west, which mark an important communication route in that period between Poznań and Gniezno. With the exception of towns, bridges like this were the largest engineering constructions of the epoch in the Slavic world. Systematic underwater studies of the remains of the bridges were undertaken in 1982, and have been carried out with intervals until today. In 2000 and 2001, the exploration of the west bridge was supported financially by the Foundation for Polish Science. It was concerned in particular with building a special apparatus for the conservation of movable monuments after excavating them during underwater studies in the area of the bridge’s location and found by means of metal detectors used in the close vicinity of the west bridge. These studies yielded a large number of artefacts, enriching our knowledge of the material culture of the Early Middle Ages. The military finds, consisting, so far, of over 150 axes and several dozen spearheads and javelins, are exceptionally important. This unique collection of military objects has no counterpart in European archaeology.

Half-carvels are vessels on which the lowest part of the hull is built with overlapping strakes of planking, referred to as clinker construction, and the uppermost parts of the hull are constructed with the planks laid side by side, in the carvel fashion. These mixed planking constructions first occurred in the 16th century (as far as we know), but became very common in later centuries. The aim of this article is to highlight the existence of different versions of clinker construction, and to discuss some reasons behind the selection of the technique.

The survey and research of underwater archaeological objects in Lithuania is already in its third decade; therefore, it would be inaccurate to say that the field is new. This article discusses objects that have been found and investigated in inland waters in Lithuania. It is devoted to a discussion of the beginnings of this branch of science, and the stages in its development; and also to a presentation of the main tendencies in underwater research and the results of completed surveys.