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Keywords: Late Bronze Age

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Archaeobotanical evidence from the Bandužiai (Žardė) Late Bronze Age to Late Iron Age settlement in western Lithuania

Kotryna Alma Bojarskaitė

Ieva Masiulienė

Dalia Kisielienė

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v32i0.2755

Pub. online: 16 Dec 2025 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 32, Issue 1 (2025), pp. 66–98

Abstract

The Žardė–Laistai–Bandužiai archaeological complex is one of the largest and most unique prehistoric sites in western Lithuania, dating from the 1st millennium BC to the 13th–14th centuries. Within the complex, the ancient settlements of Bandužiai (Žardė) and Bandužiai I are distinguished by the abundance of features linked to production and economic activities. Years of research at the Bandužiai (Žardė) settlement have provided copious amounts of archaeological material, mostly related to metallurgical activities, but its fragmentary nature makes interpretation difficult and highlights the need for an interdisciplinary approach. This paper presents a more comprehensive overview of the Bandužiai (Žardė) settlement through archaeobotanical finds which have been systematically collected but only analysed to a limited extent. The material derives from multiple archaeological contexts, some of which were radiocarbon-dated using AMS. The dates revealed a direct chronology for some archaeological features, extending from the Late Bronze Age to the Late Iron Age, with the exception of the Roman period. The archaeobotanical analysis produced a large dataset of charred and waterlogged plant remains, enabling detailed insights into agricultural practices, settlement structure and environmental conditions over time, and providing rare insights into plant use in production-oriented areas. Results demonstrated that while the main cultivated species varied across different phases, environmental conditions remained relatively stable. Wild and cultivated plants indicated a frequent human presence from the Pre-Roman period, intensifying in later times. Evidence also suggests that the site might have been used differently at certain times, with a clearly defined industrial zone, a possible food preparation zone and even a short-lived domestic zone during the Viking period. These findings provide one of the most comprehensive archaeobotanical datasets from western Lithuania, contributing to wider discussions of agricultural development and human–environment interaction in the eastern Baltic.

A newly discovered hoard of Bronze Age artefacts from western Latvia

Inna Rozentāle

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v32i0.2754

Pub. online: 16 Dec 2025 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 32, Issue 1 (2025), pp. 47–65

Abstract

The article discusses a hoard of Late Bronze Age artefacts recently discovered near the River Venta in western Latvia. This is only the seventh Bronze Age hoard from Latvia. The find consists of eight to nine whole and fragmentary bronze artefacts. This publication describes the circumstances of discovery and presents an analysis of the artefacts, their chronology and metal composition, seeking to place the hoard within the general context of Late Bronze Age Europe. The objects constituting the Liedikas hoard have been conserved and are held at Kuldīga District Museum.

Island settlement of Lake Bėlis: New insights into Late Bronze and Pre-Roman Iron Age living spaces in eastern Lithuania

Rokas Kraniauskas Ingrida Čičiurkaitė Elena Pranckėnaitė

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v31i0.2665

Pub. online: 27 Dec 2024 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 31 (2024), pp. 63–82

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.

New evidence of contacts across the Baltic Sea : Analysis of Kukuliškiai Late Bronze Age pottery

Miglė Urbonaitė-Ubė

Torbjörn Brorsson

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v31i0.2663

Pub. online: 27 Dec 2024 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 31 (2024), pp. 29–43

Abstract

The Late Bronze Age (1100–500 cal BC) has been the focus of many recent studies in the Baltic

region. The contacts between societies in the Baltic Sea area are identified by bronze, amber, pottery

and other artefacts, but there is still little evidence of contact between the western and eastern

coasts. This article presents analysis of a pottery assemblage from the Kukuliškiai site (880–400

cal BC) (Lithuania) and its macroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass atomic emission

spectrometry (ICP-MA/ES) results. Macroscopic examination of the pottery revealed that the

assemblage consists of various vessel surface types: smooth (41%), rusticated (11%), Kukuliškiai-

Otterböte type (4.5%), striated (13%) and burnished (8%). The assemblage has more similarities

with pottery in Scandinavia and northern Poland than with the eastern Baltic Late Bronze

Age pottery.

The ICP-MA/ES analysis of a sample of sherds from Kukuliškiai has shown that the vessels were

most likely made from partly different clays collected in the vicinity of the settlement. This pottery

was locally made but the assemblage’s composition and the presence of the Kukuliškiai-Otterböte

pottery type (KOP) suggests intensive cultural exchange between the two sides of the Baltic Sea.

New insights into the subsistence economy of the Late Bronze Age (1100–400 cal BC) communities in the southeastern Baltic

Karolis Minkevičius

Giedrė Piličiauskienė

Vytenis Podėnas

All authors (11)

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v30i0.2564

Pub. online: 28 Dec 2023 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 30 (2023), pp. 58–79

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a research project aimed at reconstructing the subsistence

economy of the Late Bronze Age communities in eastern Lithuania. We focused on examining

archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological assemblages from three hillforts alongside δ13C and δ15N

stable isotope analysis of plant and animal remains. Our results suggest that local populations

primarily relied on growing domestic plants and animals for their subsistence. By the Late Bronze

Age, they had already adopted a diverse package of cultivated plants, with barley and millet being

the main crops. Also, inhabitants relied on pig and goat/sheep as a primary source for their

protein intake. Finally, δ13C and δ15N measurements suggest that farmers engaged in intensive

agriculture with semi-permanent field systems and moderate application of manure.

Towards a better understanding of the economy and culture of the Late Bronze Age in the southeastern Baltic: Tarbiškės settlements

Gytis Piličiauskas

Rokas Vengalis

Karolis Minkevičius

All authors (5)

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v29i0.2476

Pub. online: 27 Dec 2022 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 29 (2022), pp. 149–168

Abstract

In 2020, rescue excavations due to construction of a pipeline connecting Poland and Lithuania took place at the Bronze Age sites Tarbiškės 1 and Tarbiškės 2, eastern Lithuania, both dated to 1050–900 cal BC. They revealed a rather homogeneous archaeological assemblage which fills a gap in the development of the Bronze Age culture and economy in the southeastern Baltic. Tarbiškės Ware, from a typological as well as chronological point of view, stands in an intermediate position linking Trzciniec culture pottery with Žalioji and Early Striated Wares. Macrobotanical analysis of charred plant remains revealed that Bronze Age people at Tarbiškės cultivated Panicum miliaceum, Hordeum vulgare and Triticum sp. The Tarbiškės sites demonstrate that early farmers used to settle areas at higher elevations with sandy soils, further from large bodies of water. They used flint and other stone tools widely and lacked bronze. Tarbiškės is the first and

only ancient settlement discovered in Lithuania with a workshop for on-site manufacturing of polished stone axes with drilled holes.

Between mighty hillforts: a multi-method study of Laukskola Bronze Age settlement pottery

Vanda Visocka Alise Gunnarssone Mārcis Kalniņš All authors (4)

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v28i0.2283

Pub. online: 29 Dec 2021 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 28 (2021), pp. 81–100

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a multi-method study of the Laukskola Late Bronze Age open

field settlement pottery assemblage. The aim of the study was to describe the technical and stylistic

aspects of Laukskola pottery, and their relationship with the nearby hillfort material. The production

tendencies and their role in the function of the pottery were also analysed. Macroscopic

analysis combined with ceramic petrography, reflective transformation imaging, and wavelength

dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy were conducted in the analysis of the pottery. Nearby

clay resources were surveyed and further analysed for provenance interpretations. The results of

the study show that Laukskola pottery was locally produced by using highly plastic sandy moraine

clay, tempered with granitic rock and quartzite. Stylistically, the pottery combined local and nonlocal

elements. The function corresponds with the visual parameters and choices for production.

Krievu Kalns Hill-Fort: New Data on the Late Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age in Western Latvia

Andrejs Vasks Vanda Visocka Linas Daugnora All authors (5)

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v26i0.2024

Pub. online: 5 Dec 2019 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 26 (2019), pp. 80–107

Abstract

The article examines the results of the 2012 and 2013 archaeological excavations of Skrundas Krievu kalns hill-fort, situated in western Latvia. Krievu kalns was listed as a site in the 1920s, but it was not regarded as a hill-fort. During a site inspection, striated pottery was discovered, and this indicated that it might be numbered as a Late Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age habitation. Excavations revealed the site to be a hill-fort that was fortified in the 11th to the ninth century BC with a palisade made of vertical timbers. In the eighth to the fifth century BC, the defences were moved outwards, thus enlarging the living area. There was possibly even later a third fence. Krievu kalns may be classed as a Late Bronze Age hill-fort with striated pottery, reflecting the characteristic Bronze Age cultural traditions of western Latvia.

Hill-Forts from the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age in Pomerania: An Overlooked Problem

Kamil Niedziółka

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v24i0.1565

Pub. online: 15 Sep 2017 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 24 (2017), pp. 43–58

Abstract

Although hill-forts from the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age associated with Lusatian culture appear in vast areas of modern Poland, they are absent in Pomerania beside the Lower Oder region. This scarcity is surprising, especially taking into account the relatively numerous appearances of hill-forts in Greater Poland, the region directly neighbouring Pomerania to the south. On the other hand, investigations conducted in the 1960s and 1970s to verify Pomeranian hill-forts described as originating from the Early Medieval and Medieval periods resulted in the detection of at least a dozen sites with material from the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age.

The aim of this paper is to present the problem of the supposed presence of Lusatian culture hill-forts in the central part of Polish Pomerania. It is highly probable that this kind of settlement played an important role in interregional contacts between eastern and western parts of Pomerania, together with Greater Poland and probably also Nordic Bronze Age zones. In a wider perspective, their role in the course and working of the Amber Road at the end of the Bronze Age should also be taken into account and investigated. It seems that new tools available for archaeologists, like Lidar data, modern geophysics and aerial photography, may provide new openings and new perspectives on research into this case study.

Zooarchaeological Material from the Padure (Beltes) Hill-Fort in Latvia: Butchering Techniques and the Composition of Species

Linas Daugnora Andrejs Vasks Salomėja Sovaitė All authors (4)

https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v20i0.811

Pub. online: 30 Dec 2013 Type: Article

Open Access

Journal: Archaeologia Baltica Volume 20 (2013): Frontier Societies and Environmental Change in Northeast Europe, pp. 117–133

Abstract

In the excavated Padure (Beltes) hill-fort in Latvia, cultural layers from the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age (Stage 1), and the middle Iron Age and the Late Iron Age (Stage 2), were detected, which, besides the archaeological material typical of that period, provided abundant zooarchaeological material. This article presents the investigation data from the zooarchaeological material of both stages: the data relate to the butchering techniques used, and the identification of the composition of the faunal species. The investigation was carried out in the bioarchaeological laboratory of the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology at Klaipėda University. As is proven by the investigation, the ratio of domestic animals to hunted wildlife in the two periods compared is not identical. In the second period of habitation of the hill-fort, the number of cattle and sheep/goats decreased, while the number of swine and especially of horses increased. The article also deals with characteristics of butchering techniques of domestic animals and wildlife in both periods of the habitation of the hill-fort, and changes identified in the meat processing. In the second period, the level of processing resulted in greater amounts of meat suitable for food, due to the technical properties of the raw material and the nutritional and commodity value.

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