| Abstract [eng] |
Jan Jaskanis in his works always presented a broad and analytic view of the archaeological material of Balts and their neighbours. This short article aims to introduce a type of brooch which was created on the crossroad between eastern Baltic areas. This unique brooch was found in North Lithuania – in Gibaičiai cemetery. It is located to the north-east of the city of Šiauliai in Meškuičiai seniūnija (formerly valsčius), Šiauliai rajonas. This cemetery was excavated in 1932 by the Šiauliai Local History Society (Šiaulių Kraštotyros Draugija). The team was led by Balys Tarvydas (1897-1980). The finds from Gibaičiai cemetery are preserved in Šiauliai „Aušra“ Museum. The excavation field records do not survive and the only surviving information of the results of these investigations comes from a short article by B. Tarvydas/Tarvidas (1933) and a pre-war card catalogue of finds. Unfortunately, there are no data on the composition of grave-sets unearthed in 1932 either in the article of B. Tarvydas, or in the card catalogue. Therefore, it is unclear whether the brooch with triangular foot and openwork wheel motif in discussion was a loose find or originated from a particular grave . Following the numbering of catalogue of field records, it is possible to suppose that the brooch with a wheel motif was found in the area where a female grave containing a neckring with incisions imitating coiled wire terminals, a brooch which is a mixture of Almgren types 210 and 211, two bronze pins of B. Beckmann type I with triangular openwork pendants-chain distributors joined by two chains, four bracelets (of semi-circular cross-section of Michelbertas Group VII and of triangular cross-section, a bent knife and probably an awl, was uncovered. The latter female grave may be dated to phase C1. Most probably the brooch with a wheel motif was found in the area of Gibaičiai Cemetery which was used at the beginning of Late Roman Period. H. Moora (1938) discussed the Gibaičiai brooch as being of the symmetrical type (so called “Schleifenfibeln”). This type reflects the interactions with northern areas of eastern Baltic region. The latter type was represented by brooches from Slavēka Cemetery and Īles Gailīši Barrow Grave N in Latvia, from Muoriškiai Barrow 5 Grave 2 in North Lithuania and from Pakuonis in Central Lithuania (the latter is slightly different and has a hinge-like construction). Moora compared the brooch with a wheel motif from Gibaičiai with a brooch with hinge-like construction and triangular foot from Nurmsi Tarand cemetery in Estonia. The Nurmsi brooch also has a wheel motif in its central part. A. Vassar remarked that stylistically the Gibaičiai brooch with a wheel motif may be slightly more recent than the Nurmsi brooch. It seems that Northern Lithuania was one of the regions via which cultural interactions in different directions were kept and locally melted. The Gibaičiai brooch with a double spiral which is similar to Almgren type 211 represents the style which was typical of the Dollkeim-Kovrovo, Bogaczewo, Sudovian and West Lithuanian cultures of the Balts. The latter brooch indicates the connections of inhabitants of Northern Lithuania towards the S-SW. The brooch with a wheel motif from Gibaičiai represents the trends which were common for Central and Northern Lithuania, Southern Latvia, and an area of Tarand cemeteries in Northern Latvia and Estonia. It indicates that the inhabitants of Northern Lithuania constituted a unique cultural unit with the areas of Southern Latvia and it was somehow at least slightly different from the neighbouring region of Žemaitijan Barrows. Northern Lithuania was a place of crossing of continental routes towards lands of Baltic Finns. |
