Island settlement of Lake Bėlis: New insights into Late Bronze and Pre-Roman Iron Age living spaces in eastern Lithuania
Volume 31 (2024), pp. 63–82
Pub. online: 27 December 2024
Type: Article
Open Access
Open Access
Received
30 September 2024
30 September 2024
Revised
1 October 2024
1 October 2024
Accepted
30 October 2024
30 October 2024
Published
27 December 2024
27 December 2024
Abstract
In 2021, during underwater archaeological surveys in the lake district of eastern Lithuania, a
new settlement was discovered on an island in Lake Bėlis (Švenčionys district). According to 14C
AMS data, it dates to the 8th–4th centuries BC. The newly discovered Lake Bėlis island settlement
stands out due to its size — it is a very small area of land — and because of its well-preserved
structures and functional zones. A distinctive feature of this settlement is the wooden structures
— piles — found on the underwater slopes around the island, extending along its entire perimeter.
Additionally, the research was conducted in an archaeological layer situated in a wetland
environment rich in preserved organic material. This article discusses the research on the island
of Lake Bėlis, conducted from 2021 to 2023. In recent years, research in Lithuania has produced
a significant amount of original material (new sites or reanalysis of known data) from the Late
Bronze Age to the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The evidence analysed in this article suggests that in this
period, besides common settlement types — hillforts, unenclosed settlements and lake dwellings
— there were also settlements located on natural lake islands.