“The research at the Kukuliškiai Mound and its results are of great significance for Klaipėda University, the coastal region, and the whole of Lithuania. What KU researchers and students have been able to discover over the years is unique and valuable. This year’s discovery of worked amber means that the techniques used to work amber – when they appeared and how they developed – are becoming clearer. The results of the research are significant both in scientific and educational terms,” tells Prof. Dr. Artūras Razbadauskas, the Rector of KU, about the value of the research results.
For the sixth season of research, Dr. Miglė Urbonaitė-Ubė, the archaeologist at the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology of KU, together with archaeology students, undertakes to search for and uncover more and more of the secrets of the Kukuliškiai Mound.
“KU archaeologists are the only ones in Lithuania to study maritime cultural heritage: settlements, towns, and other objects located in the coastal zone. The coastal way of life has been distinctive since the very beginning of human settlement in Lithuania, and it was often the first region to adopt innovations, make contacts, and develop connections across the Baltic region. Such connections can be traced back to the life of the Kukuliškiai community in the Late Bronze Age (800-400 B.C.),” says Dr. M. Urbonaitė-Ubė.
Research in previous years has revealed many facts about the Bronze Age Kukuliškiai community: what they ate, what animals they raised and hunted, and what crafts they practiced. This year’s research is turning a new page revealing what the settlement looked like, how it was fortified, and, the evidence of amber working at the site has been finally discovered. This year’s research has revealed that the inhabitants of Kukuliškiai not only collected amber, but also worked it.
Whereas previous field surveys counted hundreds of fragments of raw amber, this year hundreds of fragments of processed amber can be counted. This is a clear indication of the special value of amber to the community and its possible links to the great Amber Road. Dr. M. Urbonaitė-Ubė, the head of research, jokes that this is a real amber castle, the fragments of which are now hand-picked and put together into an amber mosaic.
Other interesting things include a worked fossil coral dating back tens of thousands of years, and pottery shards with preserved scales.
KU students, who carried out the research at the Kukuliškiai Mound, do not hide their good emotions and say that the exceptional finds have given them even more motivation to keep going and to continue unravelling the mysteries of the Bronze Age population.
“We spent two weeks digging. The first two days were quite difficult: you dig and you don’t even know what you are going to find. Later, when we saw the first finds, it became easier and very interesting. The most memorable moment was when we found the first worked amber, ceramics, and other finds”, Ugnė Antanavičiūtė, who is soon to get the Archeology degree, shares her impressions.
According to archaeologist Dr. M. Urbonaitė-Ubė, the research at the Kukuliškiai Mound is very important in the context of Lithuania, as it is continuous scientific research. There are only a few of them per year in Lithuania. Continuity ensures deeper knowledge and dissemination, attracts the attention of the local community, and makes the heritage familiar and one of your own kind. From a scientific point of view, it allows for the coherent development of scientific interdisciplinary research and its presentation to the international community.
“This craft, amber fishing, was inscribed in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List this year. It was research at the Kukuliškiai Mound that revealed that as early as the Bronze Age, people were already collecting, fishing amber from the sea, taking it to their homes, and using it to make articles, to trade or barter. This shows an incredible continuity over the centuries,” the importance of the results of the research is described by the archaeologist.
Darius Nicius, Director of the Administration of Lithuania Minor Protected Areas, says that after summarizing the results of the studies in the Kukuliškiai Mound, a decision will be taken on the changes to the status of this area.
“Today, the Kukuliškiai Mound is legally located in the territory of the national forest, where economic activities can only be carried out in accordance with the Forest Law and other documents. I believe that in the near future, after the results of the research are summarized, a decision will be taken on the adjustment of the area itself and on the status of the area. In simple terms, whether it will be removed from the national forest area for it to become a mound area. In this case, it would become possible to manage the area and make it even more attractive for visitors”, says D. Nicius.
