Vilūnai 5: A Stone Age and Early Metal period site in the western part of Kalviai Lake valley (southern Lithuania)
Volume 31 (2024), pp. 7–28
Pub. online: 27 December 2024
Type: Article
Open Access
Open Access
Received
9 September 2024
9 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 2020, extensive archaeological research was carried out in the western part of the Kalviai
Lake valley. New sites were identified, one of which was named Vilūnai 5. It is a sandy open-air
site located on a fluvioglacial hill. The archaeological investigations have shown that the site
was probably visited by people as early as the Final Palaeolithic, but the most intensive episodes
of occupation are seen in the Mesolithic, Subneolithic and Neolithic periods, as well as the
beginning of the Metal period. This paper aims to present the results of these excavations. It
provides data on the flint and non-flint lithic artefacts and ceramic finds. Although the site does
not contain preserved organics, and therefore much data concerning human activity is absent,
this paper aims to integrate the Vilūnai 5 site and its archaeological material into the overall
context of Stone Age sites around Kalviai Lake’s shores.