Archaeologia Baltica

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.

125 years ago, the mission of the Lithuanian literary, political, and scientific newspaper Varpas (The Bell) published under the Czarist occupation was to interpret the issues of the national life, to raise the nation’s spirit, and to awaken and strengthen the national self-consciousness. Among other issues, the publishers devoted great attention to a fundamental human need, i.e. the maintenance of identity and its relationship to faith (Catholicism). Religion and language were interpreted as closely related phenomena and as the nation’s values of utmost significance for the maintenance of the national identity. Religion, language, and customs were so closely related that the destruction of one could undermine the fundaments of the other elements. People who had learnt their native language from their mothers, and later had disowned it, could have also questioned another legacy of the mother, i.e. faith. As demonstrated in the paper, the henchmen of the czarist government tended to simultaneously destroy both Catholicism and Lithuanianness in different ways, especially during the reign of Mikhail Muravjov. The authors of Varpas considered the Orthodox church to be the main factor of Lithuanians’ assimilation which tried to attract Lithuanians in different ways; another important factor of influence was school which taught children different subjects, even religious studies, in a non-native language. In the implementation of that kind of Muravjov’s strategy, some clergy collaborated with the invaders

Factors which suppress or interfere with the deciphering of aerial photography whilst searching for traces of ancient habitations are called noises. The main kinds of noises currently identified in Lithuania are land improvement or land reclamation, woods, urbanisation and reservoirs. Altogether, they make a fair level of noise, thus the search for traces of habitations based solely on aerial photography in Lithuania is not possible.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, Lithuania’s neighbours were already Christians: Orthodox to the east, Catholics to the north and south. Members of these two branches of Christianity met in pagan Vilnius, which was already looking at choosing a new faith. By consolidating historical, archaeological, architectural and geological sources, this article explores the reasons for and the circumstances of Christian settlement in pagan Vilnius, analyses the living spaces of both communities, and aims to determine the importance of Christians and the changes to their role in developing Vilnius. Differences between the Orthodox and Catholic communities are emphasised, but points of connection between the two communities are also sought. The position of Christians in the town reflects the generic state of emerging Vilnius, is inseparably intertwined with shifts in its history, and also shows how Lithuania’s rulers wavered between the Latin and Greek rites.

The Civitas Rutenica area, inhabited by Orthodox believers, emerged in Vilnius in the late 13th century and early 14th century. The development of this part of the city can be traced all through the 14th century. The cemetery that was discovered in the central part of Civitas Rutenica reflects cultural and social changes in the Orthodox community. Christian burial rites were practised in this cemetery. Several graves contained luxurious grave goods, including jewellery, some of which was common to the Slavs, and some of which had local origins. As an integrated approach to burial traditions indicates, people of the Orthodox faith were buried in this cemetery. According to written sources, the elite from Rus’ arrived in Vilnius at that time. An analysis of anthropological material reveals some features of the social structure of the Orthodox community.