| Abstract [eng] |
The demand for glassware in the northern part of Europe saw a marked growth only in the 16th century although the history of glassmaking goes back several millennia. The population of the Baltic region, including the city of Klaipėda (Memel in German), did not remain on the margins of the glass culture developments in the modern period. Glassware featuring plastic shapes, delicate silhouettes and transparent materials spread widely across the entire region and became an integral attribute of a daily life, sociocultural patterns, etiquette and even military art in a relatively short time. A great deal of archaeological investigations in different fields has been accomplished in Klaipėda, whilst daily life of Klaipėda in the modern period has attracted the least attention on the part of researchers thus far. We possess little knowledge on the old Klaipėda gastronomy and table culture, health practices, sociocultural life of urban population and cultural ties of the local population with other cities, countries and regions. The situation of Klaipėda as a port city accounts for a circulation of a greater variety of commodities in the city itself and also for a diversity in the patterns of use of such commodities, therefore perspectives of the city case analyses through the prism of the studies of glass artefacts provide a deeper glance into the problem, i.e. in addition to general knowledge on Klaipėda glass artefacts, an issue of the use of glassware in different walks of life of the city population in the modern period is dealt with representing an integral part of the expectations postulated in the contemporary science of archaeology. What kind of impact on sociocultural life of Klaipėda population in the modern period was made by other countries and regions: in what ways material-social and spiritual-cultural life of the urbanites was influenced, how and by what means diverse urban population groups created their identity and their sense of distinctiveness, – these are the questions that this work attempts to provide answers for, at least in part. A single case study, as a reference point, can bring a significant contribution to the analysis of sociocultural history of other cities and towns of the same period in the territory of present - day Lithuania or former Prussia. It is easy to notice that the amount of archaeological data is increasing annually, and research of protected artefacts is expanding, nonetheless, imbalances in the development of the chains of data collection, its systematisation and interpretation remain an acute issue in the archaeological research both in Klaipėda and in Lithuania as a whole. In keeping with a concept that a consistent research of discreet groups of artefacts is a key element in the studies of urban life of earlier periods, a special focus is given to the heretofore understudied glassware items of Klaipėda, of which little information is available today. This fact has provided an incentive to effectively address the accumulated problems on both methodological and theoretical levels. Glassware, unlike pottery ware, has been used in the Lithuanian archaeological practice to a lesser degree for the purpose of characterisation of archaeological layers and structures, and for the interpretation and evaluation of changes in urban development, historical facts and processes. Thus far, glassware finds in Lithuania have not been systemised, classified or dated in chronological order, neither harmonisation of glass terminology and data documentation system has been attained, hence the question regarding museum assets is actualised, with a special focus on why and what glass artefacts should be preserved and which ones should be regarded not as significant in terms of scientific research. The glassware research provides an opportunity to compare manufacturing technological advancements, the glass culture transformations, and the expansion of import geography in Klaipėda over a period exceeding 300 years. Furthermore, it is not for nothing that circulation of the glassware in the modern period is linked to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, involving the research of consumption patterns through the medium of glassware, which opens up prospects for tackling social issues brought about by alcohol consumption, the causes and possible solutions thereof the modern world is still seeking for. As a matter of fact, this research may present a value for a general public that holds an opinion that a form of individual expression, involving things or certain products, is a feature of a modern consumer only. It must be noted that glass artefacts and perspectives of their analysis have not been properly considered neither by archaeologists of Lithuania nor archaeologists of other south-eastern Baltic region countries, which has prevented an objective assessment of general trends in the development of glass culture across the entire Baltic region. The object of this research is the development of manufacturing, or craft production, techniques, otherwise known as manual glassblowing, of glassware and culture of its use in Klaipėda in the modern period. |
