Invitation to present papers at an international academic conference

Invitation to present papers at an international academic conference

 

National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, 4 Katedros Sq., Vilnius

 

The National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Lithuanian Institute of History and Vilnius University’s Faculty of History are organising an international academic conference so as to commemorate the anniversaries of three prominent figures important for Lithuanian archaeology and in the activities of these organisations.

 

One of them – Jonas Puzinas (1/10/1905–14/04/1978) – the pioneer in professional archaeology in Lithuania, is credited with synthesising Lithuania’s archaeological material in accordance with Western Europe’s archaeological achievements, and laying the foundations for the periodisation of Lithuania’s prehistory, its terminology and dating of material. He created the first archaeological exposition at the Vytautas the Great War Museum, and educated archaeologists at Vytautas Magnus University and Vilnius University.

 

Jonas Puzinas mentioned both Adolfas Tautavičius (09/09/1925–10/08/2006) and Vytautas Urbanavičius (03/07/1935–22/01/2024) among his students, despite not teaching them directly. They were among the most esteemed Lithuanian archaeologists from the second half of the 20th century, having participated in numerous survey exploratory expeditions and investigating cemeteries, sacred sites, castles, palaces and other material culture objects.

 

The mark these scientists have left in Lithuanian archaeology is enormous. They excavated and carefully documented many archaeological sites and objects, also, they have contributed in various ways to material and spiritual culture research, periodisation, research methodology, the registration of archaeological sites, the history of archaeology, bibliography dissemintation of data, and physical anthropology. Puzinas essentially initiated the matter of periodisation, it being further developed by Tautavičius and Urbanavičius, analysing the evolution of tribes that lived in Lithuania’s territory in the first millenium, drawing other archaeologists’ attention to the research of burial sites from the Middle Ages and early modern period and becoming the founders of the archaeolgy of Lithuania’s castles and palaces and modern period archaeolgy. They paved the way for new trajectories in research for a number of subsequent generations of archaeologsts.

 

This conference aims to discuss the accomplishments of Puzinas, Tautavičius and Urbanavičius, present the research they initiated, the methods they formulated, and to review the present-day continuity of their research, assessing the hypotheses they raised back in their time, only now based on new data and methods, raising relevant questions for discussion and searching for answers, while submitting recommendations relating to future prospects in this field. As Lithuanian archaeology moves forward, and new scientists become engaged in research and interdisciplinary links are developed, the academic legacy of Puzinas, Tautavičius and Urbanavičius remains significant, as the topics they analysed are also relevant to today’s research.

 

Speakers are invited to present papers on topics relating to the work of Puzinas, Tautavičius and Urbanavičius and the latest archaeological research from Lithuania and the East Baltic region.

Conference topics: the academic legacy of Puzinas, Tautavičius and Urbanavičius, the history of archaeology; Baltic tribes and their development; research of Iron Age to early modern period burial sites and settlements; burial traditions, spiritual culture, research of cult sites; community lifestyles, aspects of everyday life; trade and cultural links, hoards, development of the crafts; cultural communication; towns, castles and palaces; conflict archaeology; modern period archaeology; physical anthropology, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany.

 

Conference chronology: Iron Age – Late Modern period (1st millenium – beginning of the 3rd millenium AD).

 

Presentation length – 20 minutes. Conference conducted in Lithuanian and English.

Participation in the conference is free of charge.

 

Requirements for poster presentations: A0 format (1189 x 841 mm)

Structure:

Title

Author, academic degree, email, institution

Text (Lithuanian or English, up to 700 words)

Photographs and other illustrative material (up to six photographs)

 

Please submit presentation titles and abstracts including keywords (150–300 words) before May 31, 2025 by email to g.striska@valdovurumai.lt

 

Articles based on the conference papers are to be published in the peer-reviewed academic periodical released by the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Chronicon Palatii Magnorum Ducum Lithuaniae. The organisers will expect submitted manuscrips by December 1, 2025.

Dr Ramunė Šmigelskytė-Stukienė

Dr Rasa Gliebutė

Dr Irutė Kaminskaitė

Ėrika Striškienė

Gintautas Striška

Dr Laurynas Kurila

Dr Rasa Banytė-Rowell

Prof. habil. Dr Albinas Kuncevičius