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- Title
GeleŽies metalurgijos radimvietės ir jų paplitimas Lietuvos teritorijoje.
- Authors
Salatkienė, Birutė
- Abstract
Research and findings of Lithuanian archaeologists during several last decades have provided much new and valuable material for the studies of iron metallurgy business. All archaeological sites of Lithuania dated before the 13th century, where iron metallurgy finds were discovered, are related to the settlements of one or another type. None of them could be assigned to the category of different places of production. Iron metallurgy finds are found in mounds (sites), mounds with settlements, open settlements and burial monuments established in places of former settlements. At present more than 220 archaeological sites with iron metallurgy finds are known in Lithuania. In 180 of them only slag was discovered. In only 40 sites, besides slag, burnt and not burnt iron ore, ore excavation pits, ore burning hearths, ore sluice equipment were found. The comparison of the general number of mounds and settlements with the number of iron metallurgy sites leads to the conclusion that during the research period every community had its ironware, but iron was smelted only in about one out of four communities. After adding the number of burial monuments as reflections of formerly inhabited places, the disproportion increases several times. Iron smelting and smithery were not equal occupations. One or several forges were in most of the communities, while more iron smelters were in the areas where iron smelting traditions were older and stronger. Since the beginning of the mastering of iron smelting, it could have formed into an independent trade while iron and its workpieces could have been the object of inner trade. Smithery should also be regarded as an independent occupation which developed in parallel with iron smelting. Archaeological sites of iron metallurgy in the territory of Lithuania are distributed unevenly. The majority of archaeological sites are located in the southern, south-eastern and eastern parts of Lithuania, south of the Nemunas and Neris confluence ant east of the Šventoji. Much less frequent occurrence of iron metallurgy archaeological sites is characteristic of the north-western part of Lithuania, west of the Venta and north of the Minija. Very few sites of iron metallurgy are located in Samogitia and central as well as north-central Lithuania. Occurrence and density of iron metallurgy archaeological sites partially coincide with the occurrence of mounds, except for the territory of middle Samogitia. Such distribution of iron metallurgy sites may be partially explained by the unevenness of investigations of Lithuanian archaeological monuments, but it also shows a different degree of mastering iron extraction and processing as well as its usage in the inhabited territories of our country. Such distribution of iron smelting finds is similar to the occurrence of the Brushed pottery culture; therefore, the cultural range of the Brushed pottery culture may be regarded as the region where iron metallurgy spread first and was applied most intensely. Another iron smelting region of the same period, but of much less scope, emerged in the area of the Baltic coast. The distribution of iron metallurgy sites confirms the tendency noticed in their statistics that in eastern and southern Lithuania iron was smelted the most intensely; a little less intensely it was smelted in western Lithuania whereas in central and north-central regions this business was poorly developed.
- Subjects
LITHUANIA; BALTIC States; METALLURGICAL research; METALLURGY education; METALLURGY; ARCHAEOLOGICAL parks
- Publication
History: A Collection of Lithuanian Universities' Research Papers / Istorija: Lietuvos Aukštųjų Mokyklų Mokslo Darbai, 2008, Issue 70, p3
- ISSN
1392-0456
- Publication type
Article