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.
The vallum in lacu (rampart by the lake) mentioned in 15th-century written sources as part of the Medieval landscape of Ostrowite (East Pomerania) has been researched by archaeologists and antiquaries since the 19th century. A wide range of noninvasive archaeological prospection methods were applied at Ostrowite in 2010-2015, including magnetic gradiometry, earth resistance, aerial photography, intensive field-walking, geochemical (phosphate) prospection, and the analysis of Airborne Laser Scanning. They were supplemented and verified by small-scale excavation work. This vast set of prospection methods was integrated into a Geographical Information System (GIS), and combined with an analysis of written sources, and allowed for the identification of a previously unknown ring-fort, which for the last 15 years has gone unnoticed by researchers conducting annual excavations in its vicinity. Its discovery and identification were only possible due to the integration of results from various methods, particularly non-invasive ones.
Journal:Archaeologia Baltica
Volume 16 (2011): Settlements and Towns, pp. 110–128
Abstract
The Orthodox community which settled in the Civitas Rutenica area in Vilnius started building their houses of worship (Orthodox churches) as early as the first half of the 14th century. At the beginning of the 15th century, there were 12 of them inside the quarter and two outside it. These churches, reflecting Orthodox culture and showing the usual features of their construction, predetermined the further development of this part of the city, and the development of whole areas of Vilnius. Locating them precisely enables us to better understand the urban development of Vilnius, and trends within this development.