Pilys Rytų Lietuvoje valstybės kūrimosi metu

LTPiliakalnių Lietuvoje taip gausu, kad mes juos laikome įprastais archeologijos paminklais, net nesusimąstydami, jog tai savotiškas kultūrinis-istorinis fenomenas. Nuo amžių žmonės gyveno neįtvirtintose gyvenvietėse, kurias tvirtindavo (dažniausiai tik kurią nors dalį) prasidėjus neramiems laikams, gresiant priešų puolimams. Vakarų Europoje pilių skaičiaus padidėjimas siejamas su tuo metu vykusiais feo- dalizacijos procesais bei juos lydėjusiomis tarpusavio kovomis dėl valdžios ir teritorijų. Lietuvos teritorija nebuvo kažin kokia išimtis bendroje europinėje pilių raidoje, nors čia būta ir savo specifikos. Pirmiausia tai labai vėlyvas (net lyginant su kaimynais) Lietuvos valstybės susidarymas. Panašu, kad dėl rašytinių šaltinių stokos šį procesą istorikai linkę vėlinti, tačiau tai nėra taip svarbu aptariant pasirinktą temą - pilių vietą ir raidą Lietuvos valstybės kūrimosi branduolyje - Rytų Lietuvoje. Rytų Lietuva pasirinkta neatsitiktinai. Tai Lietuvos feodalinės valstybės lopšys. Visi ikišioliniai istorikų darbai Rytų Lietuvą laiko seniausia valstybine teritorija, neabejotinai valdoma jau Mindaugo, kai tuo tarpu kitos dabartinės Lietuvos žemės į jos sudėtį buvo įtrauktos kiek vėliau. Šiuo aspektu ir pati pilių raida Rytų Lietuvoje bei už jos ribų valstybės kūrimosi metu turi skirtis. Rytų Lietuvoje pilys išaugo (ar turėjo išaugti) natūraliai ir būti savotiškais valstybingumo forpostais, gretimose žemėse svarbiausias jų vaidmuo buvo gynybinis [p. 459].

ENThe appearance of wooden castles is usually considered to be bound with the processes of feudalization and state formation. Eastern Lithuania is the cradle of Lithuania as a state, and resp. the research of the processes of castle development in this area is of great importance for the history of the whole country. The attacks of Kievan Russia in the 11th and 12th centuries undoubtedly made an impact on the development of the castles in Eastern Lithuania. At present in Eastern Lithuania (half a territory of which now is part of Byelorussia) there are ca. 180 late hill-forts; a number of them had wooden castles (Fig. 1). The sites of the castles are distinguished by peculiar defensive fortifications and flat hill tops, and their exploration reveals remains of burned-down structures and relics of weapons. Yet the investigation of wooden castles seems difficult if it is based only upon archaeological research, as the obtained results vary to some extent depending on research methods. Taking into account the factors of methodological nature it can be considered that in the period between the 11th and mid-15th centuries there were about 80 wooden castles in Eastern Lithuania; they may be divided into two groups - (1) the castles of the pre-state period and (2) those of the state-formation period. The castles of the pre-state period are less well-known. Their investigation revealed mostly ceramics, the exact dating of which is hardly possible. The excavations of the hill-forts of Mažulonys and Paverkniai in the territory of the present-day Lithuania produced more extensive data about to the castles of that period. Nearly all late hill-forts, investigated in the territory of Byelorussia, date back to the llth-12th centuries; Byelorussian archaeologists are prone to attribute them to eastern Slavs.Those wooden castles stood mostly in the border areas, inhabited by the Balts and the Slavs, and their appearance can be accounted for by the presence of military threat there. A similar situation is observed in Eastern Lithuania, where the area of the tumulus culture bordered on the territory of other Baltic tribes. The functions of the castles changed when Lithuania was developing as a state. They became political and economic centres rather than mere defensive fortifications. In the new political situation the network of the castles also underwent changes. The majority of wooden castles in the territory of Byelorussia lost their significance, and new centres, such as Alšėnai, Kernavė, Svyriai and Vilnius appeared. The attempts of archaeologists and historians to date the castles of Kernavė and Vilnius at a period before the 13th century have found no corroborating evidence so far. In the 13th century purely defensive wooden castles appeared only in the north of the area to protect the ethnic lands of Lithuania against the attacks of the Livonian Order. In conclusion it must be said that the development processes of the wooden castles in Eastern Lithuania have not yet been properly elucidated due to the lack of more comprehensive studies, related to the fortification sites of the llth-13th centuries.