Geležies amžius Sėloje

LTTarp Lietuvos ir Latvijos esantis istorinis Sėlos kraštas ligi šiol yra vienas mažiausiai pažįstamų baltų gyventoje teritorijoje. Kas tie sėliai, kokia jų kultūra ir ar iš viso tokia buvo, - nuolat iškylantys ir iki galo neatsakyti klausimai, o "retai gyvenamo" krašto epitetai jau seniai tapo jo vizitine kortele. Šioje knygoje bandoma praskleisti Sėlos paslapčių užsklandą. Monografijoje pateikiami išanalizuoti, susiteminti ir apibendrinti archeologiniai duomenys, per kuriuos žvelgiama į geležies amžiaus procesus Sėlos regione. Teritorija, ūkis ir visuomenė nagrinėjami integraliai, lyginama diachroninė šių dėmenų raida ir analizuojami galimi priežastiniai ryšiai. Pastebima, kad krašto istorija ir kultūra klostėsi pulsuojančiu ritmu, išgyvendamos pasikartojančias plėtros, stabilumo ir atoslūgio fazes, tarsi laviruodamos tarp tradicijų ir naujų impulsų. Knyga susideda iš dviejų dalių. Pirmoji skirta geležies amžiaus procesams, istorijos ir kultūros raidos dėsningumams atskleisti. Antroje pateikiamas archeologijos sąvadas, kuriame aprašoma per 316 archeologinių objektų ir vietų, esančių dabartinės Lietuvos ir Latvijos teritorijoje.

ENThe historical land of Selonia, which was divided between Lithuania and Latvia, has to this day remained one of the least known in the territory inhabited by the Baits. In Latvia, since the period of the Livonian state, this land has generally been referred to as Augšzeme [Upland] (Lith. Augšzeme, Ger. Oberland) and some times Augskurzeme [Upper Courland] as it is the east ern upland part of the Duchy of Courland. Selonia did not acquire a status as a historical - ethnographic re gion in Lithuania, where it is simply part of Aukštaitija. The land, culture, and history of Selonia have ne ver been a separate object of scientific research. An in tegral perspective is missing as Lithuanian and Latvian investigators usually limit themselves to the cultural heritage of the part of Selonia lying in their own state, and disciplinary research rarely crosses the boundaries of its own field. Neither Lithuanian nor Latvian investi gators, even after a century of searching, have managed to define who the Selonians were, what their culture was like, and whether they even existed. Therefore this region has been avoided, the attempted justification being the excuse that the land was sparsely inhabited. This work does not undertake to provide unam biguous answers to all of the relevant questions. Some times it limits itself to formulating the problem with the hope that the appearance of new empirical data will allow it to be answered in the future. This mono graph delves into the regularity of the changes in the archaeological material from a long-term perspective. It integrally investigates the territory, economy, and society, compares the diachronic development of these components, and analyses causal connections. The books aim is, in a monographic manner, to describe the Iron Age processes that occurred in the Selonian region from the beginning of this era to the formation of the Livonian and Lithuanian states and the changes in the cultural forms that occurred there.Although the region was territorially divided roughly equally between Latvia and Lithuania, the amount of archaeological material and the number of investigations were not divided equally, the greater share falling to Latvia. The results of the research are, unfortunately, usually not published, leaving investiga tors in the other country poorly informed. Therefore in pursuing the unity of this divided historical region, a digest of the Selonian regions archaeology has been published in the second part of this book. Because Selonia has long been considered a sparsely inhab ited land, it was necessary to use not only informa tion about the current situation, but also to consider all of the data about the regions archaeological sites and what remains of what once existed. The body of sources consisted of published archival information as well as the collections of artefacts and ecofacts in Lith uanian and Latvian scientific and cultural institutions (in Lithuania - LII, LNM, RKM, VDKM, КЕМ, ВKM, SAM; in Latvia - LNVM, VI, JkM, VKPAI). I. INVESTIGATIONS OF THE SELONIAN REGION AS A REGIONAL STUDY. Problems of change and continuity have long in terested investigators of the past. All archaeological periodization is based on the principle of change. The more intensive the period is, the more cultural traces exist and the more precise is its chronology. But the liv ing conditions change, the rhythm of life beats, and the periods of bustling activities are replaced by ebb stages, which are also called 'crises', catastrophes', 'regressions', and 'dark ages', usually reflecting a change of the socio economic and cultural traditions. The Iron Age was marked by rapid changes in socio-cultural forms; therefore it is important to see the problems of this period from a perspective of short-term intervals. The dynamics of these processes should not be considered a synonym of evolution, linear progress.Unevenness, rises, drops, and gaps are also accented in the development of a phenomenon or process. This conception of the dynamics of changes approaches the concept of development cycles, the es sence of which is the idea that humanity and culture develop rhythmically by passing through birth, rise, decline, and decay stages. Cyclic fluctuations are char acteristic of many phenomena in the universe. Over 500 such phenomena have been distinguished in 36 natural, physical, and social science areas. In analys ing the archaeological material, attention is also paid to the fluctuation of the cultural forms, which are like 'life histories' or 'biographies' of phenomena with birth, development, and death phases. The appearance of new phenomena and diversity are characteristic of a cycle's birth stages. These are considered to be a symptom of social instability, when, after the inheritance mechanism that existed up until then breaks down, various 'social spectacle' forms and measures are employed: architecture, feasts, complex burial rituals, affluence, and imported exotic items. Ties are formed with distant lands, the economy devel ops rapidly, and the cultural landscape expands. Unlike the earlier phase, the stability phase is characterised by a calmer' cultural manifestation, a slower growth rate, continuity, and traditions. Cultural stability is ensured in part by the strong power structures where the elite no longer need to emphasise themselves, more wealth is allowed to circulate, and in part that the lower strata copy the earlier 'prestige' attributes in accordance with their resources. Eventually the negative consequences of the economic upsurge begin to be felt: the external ties are severed, unexhausted plots of arable land be come harder to find, fertile fields become heath, the threat of erosion arises, and the land's productivity de creases. [...].