Laima Vaitkunskienė (born 13 September 1936)[1] is a Lithuanian medieval archaeologist, who specialises in the study of burial practices. She has led extensive and numerous excavations, and led on the study of amber in the region.
Laima Vaitkunskienė | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 13, 1936 |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Occupation | Archaeologist |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Vilnius University |
| Thesis | (1967) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Medieval archaeology |
| Institutions | Lithuanian Institute for Historical Research |
Biography
editBorn in Rokiškis, Vaitkunskienė graduated in 1956 with a degree in history and philology from Vilnius University. After graduation she worked for the Šiauliai Aušra Museum, before beginning work at the Institute of History in 1957.[1]
From 1958–59, she led excavations at the Juodoniai Hillfort and settlement, in partnership with the Rokiškis Regional Museum.[2] She also led excavations at several burial sites, including: Bandužiai, Jurgaičiai, Kaštaunaliai, Pagrybis, Žąsinas and Žviliai cemeteries.[3] She was awarded a PhD in 1967.[1] Her work at Pagrybis investigated a cemetery dating to the 5th to 6th centuries CE, where she interpreted the site as showing an increased militarisation during the period they were in use.[4] The excavations at Žąsinas were undertaken between 1976 and 1979, and resulted in the exploration of Samogitian burial practice from the 10th to 12th centuries.[5] Her excavations at Žviliai were published in 1999 and described barrow use and burial goods deposited there.[6]
Vaitkunskienė also studied comb-shaped pendants from the region, made from amber, and connected their production to the Lithuanian mythology.[7] Her study of amber also led her to the conclusion that its use was restricted not just by its rarity, but by social and spiritual prohibitions.[8]
Selected works
edit- Vaitkunskienė, Laima. Sidabras senovės Lietuvoje. Mokslas, 1981.
- Vaitkunskienė, Laima. "Senovės Šilališkių šventiniai drabužiai." Šilalės kraštas/sudarytojas Edvardas Vidmantas. Lietuvos kraštotyros draugija, 1994. 26-38.
- Vaitkunskienė, Laima. "Archeologiniai šaltiniai apie mirusiųjų minėjimo apeigas (XIV–XVI a.)." (2016).
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "habil. dr. Laima Vaitkunskienė – Lietuvos archeologijos draugija". lad.lt. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "Fotonegatyvas. Juodonių piliakalnio žvalgomieji tyrimai". www.europeana.eu (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "Laima Vaitkunskienė". www.vle.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ Mägi, Marika (2018-05-15). In Austrvegr: The Role of the Eastern Baltic in Viking Age Communication across the Baltic Sea. BRILL. p. 73. ISBN 978-90-04-36381-6.
- ^ Kazakevičius, Vytautas. "Riders from Žąsinas cemetery (the classification of spurs from the Viking period and early Middle Ages on the basis of material from Žąsinas cemetery)." Archaeologia Baltica 6 (2006): 166-173.
- ^ Banytė-Rowell, Rasa, Anna Bitner-Wróblewska, and Christine Reich. "Did they exist? The question of elites in Western Lithuania in the Roman and early migration periods, and their interriogional contacts." Archaeologia Baltica 18 (2012): 192-220.
- ^ Bliujienė, Audronė (2011-11-11). Northern Gold: Amber in Lithuania (c. 100 to c. 1200). BRILL. p. 28. ISBN 978-90-04-21735-5.
- ^ Beck, Curt W.; Loze, Ilze; Todd, Joan Markley; institūts, Latvijas universitāte Latvijas vēstures (2003). Amber in Archaeology: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Amber in Archaeology, Talsi, 2001. Institute of the History of Latvia Publishers. p. 48. ISBN 978-9984-601-77-9.