Memory and identity. The preserved heritage of the Western Balts in the Palanga amber museum

• Academia: straipsnio tekstas

ENThe purpose of this article is to reveal the timely and indisputably important work done by the staff of the Lithuanian Art Museum and the Palanga Amber Museum (opened in 1963). At present, the collection of the Palanga Amber Museum comprises more than 30,000 depository items demonstrating both the formation of amber and its role in history and culture. The Museum houses a valuable collection of archaeological materials, most of which were found at the sites of burial grounds of the Roman Influence Period and the Curonian Period (first — thirteenth centuries), unidentified and therefore subject to degradation by agricultural activity. Expeditions by Museum staff have yielded more than four thousand items. In this way, the priceless cultural heritage of the coastal tribes has been preserved. The article emphasises the fact that these activities not only contribute to the shaping of cultural memory, but also serve to perform one of the most important missions of the Museum.

• Etnologija / Ethnology
• Archeologija / Archaeology
• Istorija / History