Kapčiamiesčio senovės gyvenvietės tyrimai

LTKapčiamiesčio senovės gyvenvietė (A92, Lazdijų r., Kapčiamiesčio sen.), vadinama Pinčiaragiu, yra 1,75 km į P nuo Kapčiamiesčio bažnyčios, 450 m į R nuo kelio Kapčiamiestis– Sapockinas, Pertako girininkijos Kapčiamiesčio miško 1 kv. R pakraštyje, Baltosios Ančios upės dešiniajame krante, jos kilpoje ir teritorijoje į PR nuo jos. Kadaise gyvenvietė buvo įkurta Baltosios Ančios ar pratekamų ežerų kaskados vieno iš ežerų pakrantėje, ties jos posūkiu. Vėliau besigraužiantys upės vandenys nudrenavo ežerus, o upės meandruojanti vaga palaipsniui ardė smėlėtus krantus ir taip platino savo vagą. Eroziniai procesai ypač suaktyvėjo XX a. iškirtus pakrančių miškus (ar juos nusiaubus gaisrui) bei pradėjus regu- liuoti upės vandens nuotėkį aukščiau ir žemiau upe esančiomis užtvankomis. Dėl to suaktyvėjusi vandens erozija per maždaug 100 metų gerokai nuardė Š ir R krantus ir suformavo įspūdingo dydžio ir grožio pusiasalį, kuriam netolimoje ateityje, upės vagai pragraužus pusiasalio sąsmauką, lemta virsti salpinių pievų sala. 2007 m. rugpjūčio–lapkričio mėn. vykdyti plataus masto Kapčiamiesčio senovės gy- venvietės archeologiniai tyrimai. jų metu siek- ta ištirti intensyviai žmogaus ir gamtos ardomą R pakraštį, kuriame 200 m. žvalgomųjų tyri- mų metu aptiktas kultūrinis horizontas su radiniais, liudijantis vis dar išlikusias akmens amžiaus gyvenvietės liekanas. Tyrimai vykdyti pagal KPD ir LAD kultūros vertybių archeologinių vertingųjų savybių pobūdžio atskleidimo programą. Šiais archeologiniais kasinėjimais buvo stengiamasi ištirti labiausiai sužalotas ir tvarkytinas kultūros vertybės teritorijos vietas. [...] [p. 34-35].

ENIn 2007 a wide-scale excavation was con- ducted at the Kapčiamiestis old settlement (South Lithuania, Lazdijai District). This investigation foresaw the excavation of the settlement’s E edge, which is being intensively destroyed by man and nature. The shifting sand dunes and river scarp located in the settlement’s territory are rapidly disappearing into the river due to people climbing the slopes and erosion caused by runoff and the river. In the settlement, an area slightly larger than 400 m2 was excavated along the edge of the scarp on the right bank of the Baltoji Ančia, i.e. in the E part of the settlement. The excavation was conducted in the area opposite the peninsula’s neck (a level area) and in the neck (a dune area). A strip about 0 m long and 4–9 m wide was excavated. In light of the locality’s geomorphological conditions, it is possible to divide the exca- vated area into two zones. The following stratigraphy was found in the first zone (the dune area), located on the peninsula’s neck. On top was sod and whitish – greyish aeolian sand (up to 1.7 m thick), below which lay a layer of dark grey partially wind-blown buried soil (5–1 cm thick), under which was unco- vered grey yellow–brown sand (15–35 cm thick). Under this lay whitish–greyish slightly aleuritic sand – sterile soil. The primary find spot should be connected with the layers of dark grey partially wind-blown buried soil and the grey yellow or brown sand, which were called the cultural horizon during the excavation. Isolated finds were also encoun- tered in the thickness of aeolian sand. The total thickness of the excavated horizon at this location was over 2.3 m.During the excavation it was established that the dunes began to form at this site in the 1930s – 1940s when the existing forest was de- stroyed by fire. Several post locations and 1 large, deep pit, only the NE part of which was excavated, were also identified in the sterile soil. In the second zone (the flat area), located to the N of the peninsula’s neck, the following stratigraphy was found. On top was a layer of sod and dark grey partially wind-blown top soil (10–31 cm thick), below which lay grey or grey yellow–brown sand (1 –3 cm thick), under which was uncovered whitish–greyish aleuritic sand – sterile soil. The primary find spot should be connected with the two upper layers, which were called the cultural horizon during the excavation. The total thick- ness of the excavated horizon was about 0.5–0.8 m. Two locations where the cultural horizon deepened and which may justifiably be connected with the locations of buildings that stood there (neither was fully excavated), were identified in the S and N part of this zone. During the excavation, a total of about 11 0 flint finds were discovered. The majority of them were found in the second zone (the flat area), i.e. in the area opposite the peninsula’s neck. The flint finds were manufactured from fairly good quality, local grey flint. Almost all of the flint inventory consisted of only flint debitage: flakes and chips of various sizes comprised about 85.7 % (1084) of it while blade and blade fragments just comprised about 14.3 % (72). Only 2 cores were found: one was almost whole and the other was a fragment. 1 knapped cobble was also found. Few artefacts were found: only 4 fragments of undetermined artefacts. Thus an analysis of the flint inventory allows one to state that there had been a flint knapping area at the investigated site.In summarising the excavation results it would be possible to say that the cultural horizon from the Stone Age settlement is chrono- logically ‘clean’. Thus a Stone Age settlement from a fairly unique and rarely encountered brief chronological period was excavated. On the basis of the typological-chronological cri- teria of the flint artefacts, it is possible to date them to the Late Upper Palaeolithic (late 9th millennium BC) and to ascribe them to the Swiderian culture. It should be noted that during the investi- gation, 50 flint artefacts, which had become rubbed smooth, were found in the bottom part of the settlement’s cultural horizon and the upper part of the sterile soil. These finds definitely come from a significantly earlier settlement stage and their chronology should be connected with periods earlier than the last Nemunas (Weichsel) glaciation. During the excavation a piece of amber was found in the bottom of the deepening of the S cultural layer in the second zone (the flat area). It is difficult at present to say whether this was an artefact or raw amber since the discovered piece of amber had disintegrated. On the basis of analogous finds, it is possible to state that this is an ordinary find at Upper Palaeolithic settlements in North Europe.