Transformatio mundi: The Transition from the Late Migration Period to the Early Viking Age in the East Baltic

202 Pages·2006·41.94 MB·English

by  Mindaugas Bertašius (ed.)

Transformatio mündi
The Transition from the Late Migration Period
to the Early Viking Age in the East Baltic
Edited by Mindaugas Bertašius
Kaunas University of Technology
Department of Philosophy and Cultural Science
Published by Kaunas University of Technology
Research Papers of the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Science
Reviewed by
Prof Jerzy OKULICZ-KOZARYN
Institute of Archaeology, Warszaw University
Ph.D. Stephen ROWELL
Lithuanian Institute of History
Edited by Mindaugas BERTAŠIUS
Designed by Skaidra VAICEKAUSKIENĖ
Cover designed by Ieva VERIKAITĖ
© Department of Philosophy and Cultural Science, 2006
ISBN 9955-9827-1-3 © All individual authors, 2006
Contents
The East Baltic in Time and Space
Anna BITNER-WRÓBLEWSKA
The Key Problems of Late Migrations Period in the Balt Lands...........................7
Vladas ŽULKUS
The Lower Reaches of the Nemunas (Memel) and Prieglius (Pergel).
The Settlement Situation at the Lower Reaches in the 6th-11th Centuries.........17
Rasa BANYTÉ-ROWELL
Looking for the Watershed between the Middle- and Late Iron Ages
in Lithuanian Archaeology......................................................................25
Burial and Society
Karen Høilund NIELSEN
Abundant Gold and Bad Harvests. Changes in Southern Scandinavian
Society during the 5th to 7th Centuries.................................................... 41
Marika MÄGI
Changing Connections, Changing Society. Burial Rites on Iron Age Saaremaa........51
t
Mindaugas BERTAŠIUS
From Social Expression to Institutionalized Religion.
Making an Attempt of Central Lithuania................................................... 65
Vytautas KAZAKEVIČIUSļand Arvydas MALONAITIS
Sacrifices of Weapons in Baltic Burials...................................................... 73
Viking Age Economy in the Baltic Area
Arnis RADIŅŠ
Lower Daugava Area in the 1 st-11 th Century. Ethnic, Economic, Social and Political
Change - on the Question of Activity along Daugava Watervay.........................81
Mateusz BOGUCKI
Grobiņa - a Sign of an Early Future Port of Trade in the Balt Lands....................93
Wojciech WRÓBLEWSKI
Invaders, Merchants or Settlers? Archaeological Evidence of Scandinavian
Activity in South-eastern Zone of the Baltic Sea during the Viking Age............107
Hauke JÖNS
Slawisch-skandinavische Kontakte an der südwestlichen Ostseeküste
im Lichte neuer Forschungen................................................................117
Sebastian BRATHER
Early Dirham Finds in the South-east Baltic. Chronological Problems in the Light
of Finds from Janów Pomorski (Truso).................................................... 133
Birgitta HÅRDH
Money in Large Units in East and West.................................................... 143
Regional Problems
Andra SIMNIŠKYTĖ
Sociocultural Dynamics in Selonia Region (450-700 AD).
Transformation and Tradition...............................................................151
Tomasz NOWAKIEWICZ
Galindia in the Viking Age - New Shape of the Culture.................................161
Marcin ENGEL
Suwałki Region after the Prudziszki Phase. An Attempt to Define the Horizon
of Artifacts Dated to the 7th-8th AD....................................................... 173
Audronė BLIUJIENĖ
Role of the Curonians in the Eastern Baltic Area. The Transition Process from
the Late Migration Period into the Early Viking Age (Cultural Aspects)............183
Foreword
The cultural relations in the East Baltic still remain an interesting subject of interdisciplinary discourse. The seminar
held in Kaunas in 2004 was the first time when archaeologists from countries around the Baltic Sea have met to dis­
cuss the problems concerning special phenomenon of our common past. Archaeologists from various countries and
institutions took part in the workshop Transformatio mundi - the Transition from the Late Migration Period to the
Early Viking Age in the East Baltic.
It was an opportunity to engage archaeologists to discuss the problem the idea of which has evolved during a
friendly round-table discussion amongst some colleagues in Warszaw. The topic turned out to be the most suitable
for symposium.
The workshop took place at Kaunas University of Technology, Department of Philosophy and Cultural Science.
During the three days of symposium a lot of topics were disputed. Two days were dedicated to paper presentations
and discussions, and the third day was spent on an excursion to archaeological sites and on-site discussions.
The focus was made on the area of the Balts as well as the surrounding regions. The workshop discussed the
processes which have determined the transition from the Late Migration Period to the Early Viking Age period in the
East Baltic. Which events, elements of material culture, social structures, rituals, activities, changes of inhabited areas
emphasis the cultural boundary between two eras - whether they were different eras? The issues discussing archaeo­
logical and sociological approaches, theoretical perspectives were partly involved into the discourse. An interest have
been taken to the questions of transmission of cultural traditions, social organization, land use and economy. A total
of 22 participants from seven countries have taken part in this workshop. Nineteen papers have been presented.
The articles presented in this collection are grouped into subparts by some main issues. Such a division is rather
conventional, however, as the majority of papers consider several aspects of culture.
The experiences and information gained during the symposium will certainly help to form a firmer basis for future
archaeological and historical investigations.
1 would like to express my gratitude to Anna Bitner-Wróblewska for her assistance in preparing the programme
for this workshop, to Saulius Keturakis for the practical arrangements before and during the workshop. I am equally
grateful to my family - Zita, Ieva, Dovilė - who helped me in arranging various events during the workshop. And, of
course, I am thankful to our colleagues - the busy people, who used some of their time to contribute to this workshop
and to write papers presented here and for their comments and encouragement.
M.Bertašius

Anna BITNER-WRÓBLEWSKA
The Key Problems of Late Migrations
Period in the Balt Lands
Before embarking into analysis proper it is necessary The question of chronology appears especially diffi­
to introduce the area under discussion. I would like cult when we would like to compare phenomena from
to present the problems of late Migrations Period in a such big area with different tradition of researches done
broad territory between lower Vistula river in the west by Polish, earlier German and Lithuanian and Latvian
up to the Daugava river basin in the east, settled by the archaeologists. On one hand there is a tradition of pe-
Balts (Fig. 1). It should be underlined that this area re­ riodisation/phasing the past (Tischler, Kemke 1902,
mains only partly synchronic with the term Ostbaltikum Godlowski 1970), on the other hand there is a tradition
used by Birger Nerman in his well-known, important of absolute dating, sometimes rather vague absolute-
book “Die Verbindungen zwischen Skandinavien und chronological terms as 5th-6th cc. or even 5th -8th cc.
dem Ostbaltikum published in Stockholm (Ner­ (LAA 1978, Latvijas 2001).
man 1929), where he explained: Mit dem Ostbaltikum This transition time, the subject of our workshop,
ist in dieser Abhandlung das Gebietes des jetzigen Est­ reveals another difficulty. Archaeologists dealing with
land und Lettland gemeint. He was interested both in the Roman Period often continue their chronological re­
Balts’ (bigger part of Lettland) and Baltic Finns territory searches into at least early Migrations Period, because
(generally northern part of Lettland and Estland). the phenomena of the Roman Iron Age in the Balt lands
It should be also underlined that area in question re­ find their continuity in the next phase. We observe it
mains only partly synchronic with modem term Baltic both in the fundamental works of Otto Tischler (1880,
countries* including all contemporary Baltic republics - Tischler, Kemke 1902), the father of modem chrono­
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia while only two of them logical systems in Central Europe, and in up-to-date
are inhabited by peoples speaking Baltic languages. In­ chronological systems done by Kazimierz Godlowski
habitants of Estonia belong to different language group, (1970) and Wojciech Nowakowski (1996). The same
namely Finno-Ugric ones. Below I will consequently meaning of chronology we find in works of Mykolas
use the terms “Balt lands”, “Balt materials” to avoid Michelbertas (1986) and other colleagues.
misunderstanding and point out the area of interests. Otto Tischler proposed already in 19th c. the phasing
The range of the Balt lands discussing here reflects from A to E while phases D and E covered the early
the situation in the Iron Age according to archaeologi­ and late Migrations Periods. Kazimierz Godlowski and
cal, historical and linguistic sources. This clearly dis­ Wojciech Nowakowski established their chronological
tinguishable area differed from its neighbours in that systems based on the correspondence analysis and hori­
time- the Baltic Finns in the north, the Germanic zontal stratigraphy of a number of large cemeteries situ­
peoples, successors of the Wielbark und Przeworsk Cul­ ated in the western part the Balt lands. The early bow
tures in the west and south-west and last, but not least fibulae (Bügelfibeln) and brooches with rungs (.Arm-
the Slavonic peoples in the east and later also south and brustsprossenfibeln) remain the latest horizon of their
west (Fig. 1). diagrams of closed assemblages.
The key problems of late Migrations Period in the Migrations Period chronology, both early and late
Balt lands concentrate on several simple questions - stages were elaborated in works of Jacek Kowalski
when? who? and what? (2000) and myself (Bitner-Wróblewska 2001). We both
continued the chronological researches from Roman
* Iron Age perspective.
There is no doubts that the question of chronology re­ But what we have got on “the other side of the mir­
mains a fundamental one in any archaeological studies ror” - “Alice or the rabbit”? The early middle ages
whether they concern particular cemetery or settlement, researches traditionally are not based on phasing, but
different categories of artefacts or society development. absolute dating from Slavic perspective and/or to a
Cf „Encyclopaedia Britannica”, Macropaedia, volume 14.
THE EAST BALTIC IN TIME AND SPACE
Fig. 1 The Balt lands in the Migrations Period and their neighbours. 1 - Dollkeim-Kovrovo Culture; 2 - Bogaczewo Culture/01-
sztyn Group; 3 - West Lithuanian Group; 4 - Lower Nemunas Group; 5 - Central Lithuanian Group; 6 - Samogitian (Žemajtija)
Flat Cemeteries Group; 7 - Semigallian Flat Cemeteries Group; 8 - East Latvian Flat Cemeteries Group; 9 - Sudovian Culture;
10 - East Lithuanian Barrow Culture; 11 - Elbląg Group. Olsztyn Group (no 2) and Elbląg Group (no 11) did not function in
early Migration Period (phase D).
I phase chronology
Ļ B 1NS ü
Otto Tischler C 3rd _ 4th c.
b 4“' - 5,h c.
E 5th - 6th c.
! F 6th — 8th c.
!
Adalbert
Bezzenberger
G 8th - 10,h c. Fig. 2. Chronological system of O. Tischler and
H end in 14,h c. A. Bezzenberger.