Vertikaliai įsmeigti ginklai Lietuvos geležies amžiaus kapinynuose
Vertically Thrust Weapons in the Iron Age Cemetery

Summary/Abstract: This article is the first attempt to throw some light upon the custom of vertically thrusting weapons in or near burial sites (5th–12th centuries). At present, 37 reliable cases are known to the researchers. The majority of vertically thrust weapons were found in cremation burial sites in the region of eastern Lithuanian burial mound culture, in the region of the Curonian influence, and in central Lithuania. Most of the finds consist of spearheads and axes. Individual cases include prestigious swords and universal weapons as well as everyday work tools such as knives. The custom of vertically thrusting weapons is also known in other Baltic territories neighbouring with those under the Curonian influence and next to the Germanic tribes. At the moment Lithuanian archaeologists cannot give a sound explanation for the appearance and spread of this phenomenon in Lithuania. This phenomenon is an inherent part of human understanding and belief in afterlife.

• Details
• Contents