Skarulių pilkapių vietos tyrimai 2009–2010 metais

LTSkarulių pilkapių vieta yra Jonavos mieste, Skaruliuose, apie 350 m į PR nuo plento Kaunas–Ukmergė–Zarasai (Taurostos gatvė) ir apie 500 m į PV nuo kelio Jonava–Mijaugonys (Ruklos gatvė) sankryžos su Skaruliu gatve, apie 490 m į ŠR nuo geležinkelio Kaišiadorys–Radviliškis, apie 260 m į PV nuo Skarulių bažnyčios. 1999 m. KPC ir KVAD pavedimu E. Ivanauskas vykdė neaiškių archeologijos objektų žvalgomuosius archeologinius tyrimus Jonavos, Kaišiadorių, Šakių, Mažeikių ir Akmenės rajonuose. Šių tyrimų metu buvo žvalgyta ir spėjamos Skarulių senovės gyvenvietės teritorija. Tyrimų tikslas buvo patikrinti kultūrinio sluoksnio išlikimą ir išplitimo ribas. Žvalgymų metu kasant šurfus ištirtas 40 m2. Nors kultūrinio sluoksnio nerasta, tačiau dviejuose šurfuose aptikti degintinių žmonių kapų likučiai su įkapėmis: antkaklės ir apyrankės fragmentai, žalvarinės įvijos dalis. Kapai datuoti IX–XIV a. 2001 m. E. Ivanauskas atliko spėjamos Skarulių pilkapių vietos žvalgomuosius tyrimus. Buvo iškastos dvi perkasos, kurių bendras plotas-50 m2. Tyrimų metu nustatytos buvusio pilkapyno teritorijos ribos, vertybę pasiūlyta įrašyti į NKVR. Po šių tyrimų Skarulių senovės gyvenvietė buvo išbraukta iš NKVR, o jame 2005 m. sausio 20 d. įrašyta Skarulių pilkapių vieta (UK 21498), kurios saugomos teritorijos plotas-4,38 ha. Šių tyrimų metu visos kastos perkasos orientuotos statmenai (ŠV–PR kryptimi) būsimai kelio trasai ir taip yra po 14 m ilgio, o jų plotis svyruoja nuo 6 iki 10 m. Visos perkasos jungiasi tarpusavyje. Kastuvu nukasti tik supiltiniai šiukšlių sluoksniai. Tyrimų metu susidurta su trijų skirtingų archeologinių objektų kultūriniais horizontais (iš apačios į viršų): akmens amžiaus gyvenvietės, geležies amžiaus pilkapyno ir XV–XX a. Skarulių miestelio. [...] [p. 103-104].

ENThe Skaruliai barrow site (city of Jonava) is in the SE part of the demolished town of Skaruliai. A dry area of sand-gravel on the left bank of the Neris, 390–470 m to the SE of the riverbed on a slightly terraced landscape was selected for creating the barrows. The territory of the archaeological object has been badly damaged through illegal digging and the dumping of construction waste. During the 2009–2010 excavation at the site of the future route of the Jonava SE by-pass, about 5543 m2 were excavated, exposing three different archaeological object cultural horizons (from bottom to top): a stone age settlement, an iron age barrow cemetery, and the 15th-20th century town of Skaruliai. More than 2000 flint finds produced from good quality grey flint were discovered during the excavation. The bulk of the flint inventory consisted of various-sized flakes, chips, and blades (about 93%). Bipolar prismatic, single platform, and irregular cores were discovered in the settlement. Small numbers of tools were discovered (scrapers, burins, special purpose artefacts, artefact fragments, axes/chisels, borers/awls) and hunting-fishing gear (tanged points, microliths). An analysis of the flint inventory allows the assertion to be made that only primary technology and the production of the artefacts themselves occurred at the excavated site. The location of several flint find concentrations connected with the remains of the sunken buildings here was identified. The flint finds date to the final palaeolithic-early mesolithic and are characteristic of the Swiderian or Ahrensburg cultures. But both mesolithic (microliths) and late neolithic or early bronze age (a polished flake, a triangular flake point) finds were encountered.In the excavated strip the barrow sites were not distinguishable in nature and were found during the excavation. Five barrow sites were identified. The barrows were arranged close to one another. Their bases were 5–12 m in diameter. The barrows were surrounded by ditches-pits, which were 30–100 cm deep. Cremated bones, which had ended up in the barrow ditches through erosion or in the fill of post-Medieval storage pits, were found in abundance. During the 2009–2010 excavation no surviving human burial was found. Signs of sunken burials that had survived better were discovered only in barrow 4, where two pits dug side by side were discovered below the base: the smaller pit contained a horse sacrifice (head bones, several neck vertebrae, and leg bones) with an iron bridle bit, and the larger (about 1 m deep) pit was empty. Only about one quarter of this barrow was excavated. Moved grave goods were mostly discovered in and around barrow 3, which had the smallest diameter. About ten bronze ornaments: coil biconical beads, flat bracelet fragments, and fused pieces of metal were discovered in the barrow’s ditches-pits and the fill of post-Medieval storage pits. Two cylindrical clay spindle whorls, both decorated with fine scoring, were also found here. Several more bronze grave good fragments were found at the other barrows and places dug up in post-Medieval period. In addition, tens of sherds of hand built ceramics with rough and smooth surfaces were found during the excavation.The remains of the excavated barrows date to the 7th–10th centuries and are ascribable to the W edge of the ethnocultural area of the East Lithuanian barrow culture. More than 6000 fragments of household pottery of various sizes, the bulk of which consisted of reduction fired, hand thrown vessel sherds, were found. It should be noted small quantities of fragments of partly thrown oxidation fired vessels were also found. Comparatively few decorated or glazed (green and brown predominating) vessel sherds were found. Various wide shallow lines and wavy designs impressed when the vessel was thrown or partly thrown are the most frequently encountered motifs. It should be mentioned that an entire broken pot was discovered in one of the storage pits. Hand thrown or partly thrown household pottery dates to the 12th mid 20th centuries. Examples of archaeologically valuable glass were rare. Few metal artefacts were also encountered: 18th–19th century coins, a lead Virbalis customs seal from the first half of the 20th century, and several tools from the first half of the 20th century. One building was identified, inside of which were discovered the remains of a round fixture built using brick fragments bound with clay. The fixture’s bottom was laid with bricks sloping towards the centre. The real purpose of this fixture is not clear, but during the latest stage (1930s–1940s), it was used as a stove. In addition, storage pits 1.5–3 m in diameter and up to 1–3 m deep were discovered in abundance throughout the excavated area. [...].