The Beginning of July. Days of Live Archeology in Kernave
2009-08-21 09:53

The craftsmen of an experimentical archeology settle in a Castle hill and a valley of Pajauta. They came from Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Germany, Denmark and Holland. The craftsmen show and explain how the flinty, bone and irony tools were made, how the pots were moulded and thrown, and how the salt was vaporized. The guests of this festival can try theirselves to start a fire in an ancient manner, to taste the archaic meals or to shoot from a bow.

The craftsmen of the live archeology, wearing the reconstructed costumes of Narva and Pamariai culture from the Bronze Age, revive an environment of a man from the Stone Age in the village of the same period. There is a neolithic home appointed in 2009 in Kernave. Its dividing walls are twined and plastered with a clay grout, the berths are built, and the food is made in a fireplace. At the same place the clothes were weaved and twined, the dishes from the clay were moulded and decorated. It was showed, how the salt was vaporized, we could watch how the leather were tawed and how the horns were processed from the Iron-age, how ceramics were restored and etc.  Nobody can imagine the days of live archeology without a clangour of the sword and the sounds of archaic music. Lithuanian, Russian, Polish and Belorussian soldiership clubs will demonstrate their courage in the joust. The groups of Neo folklore will represent the musical programs.

Medieval town square attracts with its common uproar. You will meet here the nomadic musicians, the merchants, who came from abroad, the vagrants and the wanderers.

Medieval courts will be held, the executioners will act in the square. You will be able to participate in various archaic competitions and games. A. Luchtanas, a longevous archeologist and researcher of antique Kernave tells us about this town history, the everyday living of the citizens, he will also introduce a woman's costume from this period. Educational competitions are organized for the children.

The guests of this festival have a possibility to communicate with the archeologists from the State Cultural Reserve of Kernave, who do archeological researches at the approaches to the Castle hill.

"The Professional research work is being done in Kernave since 1979. In a period of 30 years it was already almost 2 percent of the reserve territory explored and 15 archeological monuments were found from various epochs. These monuments reveal an exclusive historical value of Kernave archeological territory, which is also an object of UNESCO World heritage program." - G. Velius, a head of the archeologists summarizes the results of the scientific researches.

The visitors, who are interested in the history of Kernave will be able to listen to the stories of the archeologists about the results of the research, which continued for thirty years and get some knowledge about the process of the archeological work.

Interview by V. Misevičius

Photograph credits - Ziemke