Vilniaus Pilies kalno tyrimai 2018–2019 m.

LT2018–2019 m. atliekant Vilniaus Pilies kalno ir jo šlaitų tvarkybos darbus kartu arba prieš tai vykdyti ir archeologiniai tyrimai kalno V ir R šlaituose, aikštelėje ir Aukštutinės pilies rūmų viduje. Bendrai buvo ištirtas iki 3865 m2 plotas. Tyrimų metu inventorinta daugiau kaip 3 tūkst. radinių, taip pat surinkta nemažai masinės medžiagos (molio tinkas, metalo lydymo atliekos), surasta per 300 monetų, surinkti 1455 gyvūnų kaulų ir dantų fragmentai. Atliekant makrobotaninius tyrimus, iš pateiktų grunto mėginių rastos 989 makroliekanos. Iki šiol įvairaus pobūdžio ir apimčių archeologiniai tyrimai vykdyti įvairiose Pilies kalno vietose. Ankstesnių tyrimų ataskaitose ir suvestinėse nurodoma, kad 1930 m. pradėti kalno paviršiaus tvarkybos darbai. [...]. [Iš teksto, p. 177-178]

ENSimultaneous with or prior to management work on Vilnius’ Castle Hill and its slopes in 2018–2019, an archaeological investigation was conducted on the W and E slopes of Gediminas Hill, on its enclosure, and inside the palace of the Upper Castle. A total of up to 3865 m2 was excavated. 19th–20th-century diluvial or fill layers, up to 2–3 m thick, which had been had been disturbed in places in the early 21st century, were discovered on the E and W slopes of Gediminas Hill. The burial of a 3–5 year-old child was discovered in utility trench 4. Isolated finds, the largest group of which consisted of military inventory, were found on both slopes. Over 200 coins, the majority of which date to the 20th–21st centuries and the earliest of which was identified as dating to the first half of the 15th century, a Vytautas denar, were collected. A field evaluation conducted in 2018 – early 2019 inside the Palace of the Grand Dukes recorded a 20th–21st-century layer of disturbed soil up to 3 m thick. Small fragments of an undisturbed 1st millennium bc – 14th century ad cultural layer had survived in places. Layers from the first half of the 2nd millennium were discovered in test pits 5 and 9. The bottom horizon in test pit 5 dated to 802–674 cal bc (1σ). One small sherd of partly thrown pottery was found at a depth of 1.2 m in test pit 3 and dated using charcoal from soil on its surface to the second half of the 1st – first half of the 2nd millennium (1σ). That a large part of the cultural layers had been destroyed and disturbed in the 20th century was recorded in the majority of the test pits and trenches excavated on the hill’s enclosure in 2019. The foundation of the W tower was unearthed in test pit 21.It is thought that the earlier square tower had been rebuilt into an octagonal tower during the reign of Vytautas or later and can date to the period from Gediminas to Jogaila’s reign, inclusively. A foundation fragment from the optical telegraph directorate building erected in the 1830s was found in the SW part of test pit 18. A surviving cultural layer dating to the first half – mid 2nd millennium was found under worthless layers in the N part of the enclosure. This layer was discovered in trenches 1–2 and 5–7, in test pit 15, and in utility trench 21. Layers with different colours and containing second half of the 13th–16th-century (the majority 13th – early 15th-century) finds were recorded in trench 7 down to the planned depth of about 60 cm. After reaching the planned depth, a layer of brown soil with small pieces of lime was recorded in places. No finds were discovered on its surface. The 14C date obtained was late 9th – second half of the 10th century (1 σ). A bloomery base (top of the bloomery at Habs 133.86 m) with a slag pit was discovered in the SW part. Based on the typology of Jonas Navasaitis, such furnaces were used during the 2nd–14th centuries. A disturbed 13th–17th-century layer was found in utility trench 21 and, at a depth of 0.9–1.3 m, a mixed 13th–14th-century layer, which contained charcoal dating to the Early Neolithic, i.e. 4456–4309 cal bc (1σ). Layers that had formed in the 1st millennium bc – first half of the 2nd millennium ad were discovered during the paving replacement work in the S part of the enclosure. Charcoal found at object 37 was 14C dated to the late 10th – early 11th century (1σ). A seed found in a first half of the 2nd-millennium mixed layer on the surface of object 36 was 14C dated to 773–517 cal bc (1σ).The earliest cultural layers, which were dated to the 1st millennium bc – 8th–9th century ad, were discovered at several excavated locations in the N part of the enclosure: in trenches 2, 6, and in test pit 14. Charred wood fragments unearthed at a depth of 1.7 m in trench 2 were dated to 663–765 cal ad (1σ). A Belfast laboratory obtained a date of 731–890 cal ad for additional seeds found in a soil sample (1σ). 264 m2 was surveyed at the site of existing water mains. A cultural layer was possibly recorded after examining soil cross-sections inside the Palace (utility trenches 1, 4–5, 7) and on the N side of the enclosure (utility trenches 11, 15–16, 18, 24–25). Roughly 2429 m2 was excavated down to a planned depth of 56–60 cm during the paving replacement work. Layers of clay and loam were unearthed down to the aforementioned depth in the S part of the enclosure and 20th-century layers of different structures were recorded to the S towards the W tower and in the N–NW parts of the enclosure. The investigation revealed sherds of household pottery, roof tile fragments, military inventory, metal household items, etc. Among the coins collected, 20th-century USSR coins predominated, the earliest discovered coin being a Jogaila denar. The stove fragment discovered on the W side of the S tower dates to the second half of the 14th – first half of the 16th century. [From the publication]