This article delves into the subject of urban development on the right bank of the Nevėžis River in Kėdainiai, with a focus on the formation of urban space. Established in the mid-17th century largely by the owners of Kėdainiai, the Kiszka noblemen and Radziwiłł dukes, the urban planning remained unchanged until the first half of the 20th century. The article presents archaeological data and historical sources revealing the main features of urban development on the right bank of the Nevėžis River, the formation of market squares, and the structuring of plots.
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.
The period from the 16th to the 17th century is known for changes in material culture, especially in dining traditions, as different tableware appeared, replacing the dominant pottery of the medieval period. New types of technologically and functionally advanced vessels and dishes including Dutch and Italian tin-glazed earthenware, German stoneware, and a variety of slipwares were changing dining traditions across Europe. All this can be observed from the archaeological material uncovered in what is today Vilnius old town. Tableware from both western European and Ottoman manufacturers was found during archaeological excavations in Vilnius. Compared to the Middle Ages, the total number of imported wares increased significantly. Medieval tableware was very rare in Vilnius and available exclusively to individuals of high social classes but during the early modern period the situation changed. Imported pottery of the 16th and 17th centuries showed that inhabitants of the town were influenced by western dining traditions and usage of imported tableware in their everyday rituals had grown significantly. Focusing on this change traced from Vilnius old town archaeological material, the paper will examine whether imports
were available to the representatives of specific social classes or were widely known to the town’s community. Imported tableware as a marker of urban lifestyles suggests that town dwellers, especially noble families, monks and nuns used a variety of imported tableware. This fact represents that dining practices anchored into early modern Vilnius society and changed traditional dining practices.
In the course of archaeological excavations in Klaipėda, fragments of almost ten thousand pipes have been found. Their chronology dates back to the 17th–19th centuries, and it is also known that most of these pipes came to the city, most likely by sea, from the Netherlands, Germany and other northwestern European countries, although local production is lacking. As only general research on Klaipėda pipes has been published so far, this article focuses on the specific period 1620–1680, when the first of this kind of product arrived in Klaipėda by sea. The article analyses the chronologically earliest clay pipes found during archaeological research in Klaipėda; based on the typology of the finds and known analogues, the author distinguishes the main types of pipes and identifies possible locations for pipe production.
Since the 15th century, present-day Tilto Street and the surrounding area in Vilnius have long been an integral part of the suburb of Łukiszki, which has experienced many changes over several centuries. It was the west road leading to the castles, the site of the camp of the late 14th-century Crusader army that attacked Vilnius, and was close to the site of the Radziwiłł Palace of the late 15th–16th century. This wet, swampy northeastern part of Łukiszki was not very hospitable for habitation, its significance coming from its natural situation and topography, i.e. its location near the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia Rivers, as well as its roads leading west. In addition, a hypothesis has been raised in the historiography that it may have been part of the Swintoroha Valley, a legendary centre of pagan worship. This entity, its likely location, and even its very existence raises many questions, which, in the absence of written sources, archaeological data can help to answer. Recent decades have seen an increase in archaeological research in this part of the city. Particularly useful has been the project in the vicinity of the former Radziwiłł Palace, in the northeast of the suburb, which yielded information that provided a very good reflection of the period when this area was an integral part of the Radziwiłł estate and supplemented and corrected the knowledge historical sources have provided about the development of Tilto Street and the surrounding area, which is especially important in recreating the area’s earliest history, on which written sources have shed little light.
Šių metų rugsėjo 22 d. į rudenėjančio Užvenčio kraštotyros muziejaus salę iš įvairių Lietuvos vietų į mokslinę konferenciją „Sename dvare, arba įstabus Šatrijos Raganos pasaulis“ rinkosi rašytojos palikimo tyrėjai ir jos kūrybos gerbėjai. Konferencija buvo skirta Marijos Pečkauskaitės-Šatrijos Raganos 145-osioms gimimo metinėms ir apysakos / romano „Sename dvare“ pirmojo leidimo 100-ajam jubiliejui paminėti. Šiandienos greitai kintančios realybės kontekste, kai žmonija išgyvena humanizmo krizę, o mąstytojai siūlo įvairius ateities žmogaus modelius, Šatrijos Raganos kūryboje plėtojama individo ir visuomenės susidūrimo, konflikto, santarvės temos, apskritai žmogaus ir pasaulio likimo problema, rodo, kad rašytoja buvo pasiūliusi ir suformulavusi ne vieną universalų, laiko permainas įveikusį teiginį. Iš tyrėjų konferencijos dalyviai išgirdo ne tik įdomių rašytojos kūrybos interpretacijų, bet ir suprato jos aktualumą, ir, kaip ne dažnai būna tiriant mūsų klasikus, buvo supažindinti su naujais faktais.
The article presents the phenomenon of the existential loneliness of elderly people. The concept of existential loneliness is analysed from philosophical, theological, psychological and sociological points of view. The existential loneliness of elderly people is treated as a social problem that begins with a decrease in social abilities and individual differences. Signs of existential loneliness and methods of recognition are presented.
The central principle and goal of Christian life is the lifelong pursuit of Christ-likeness in our thinking and our relationships with people and the world. People are called to grow, to celebrate, to seek true friendship with God in their present life situation. The essence of holiness, the fullness of the Christian life, is union with Christ, living his mysteries, which is possible in every situation of life. The period of widowhood is painful, but it is an invitation to purify oneself inwardly, to grow in love, and to serve one’s neighbours and all other members of the Church and of society. This is the origin of the spirituality of widowhood, a holiness based on faith. Widows can contribute to the holiness of the Church by living in God’s grace, by accepting and managing their situation psychologically, and by giving themselves up to God and to others. Widows often experience the loss of a spouse as an irreversible fact, a loss that matures them, so that, in the light of their faith, they are able to adapt to the changed reality and rebuild their lives.