Žiemgala ir jos gyventojai V-XII amžiuje

LTŽiemgalių kultūra-gyvenvietės, būdas, papročiai-tiek šiaurinėje, tiek ir pietinėje dalyse yra vienoda. Ieškoti kokių nors skirtumų tarp jų Lietuvos Respublikoje būtų netikslinga, nes tai viena gentis, dirbtinai perskirta į dvi dalis paskutiniajame raidos etape, jau prasidėjus visų baltų genčių konsolidavimuisi. Tarp pietinių ir šiaurinių žiemgalių kultūrinių skirtumų buvo ne daugiau, nei tarp vakarinių ir rytinių. Tokių skirtumų neišvengė nė viena gentis. Gentys, ypač valstybės kūrimosi išvakarėse, bendravo viena su kita, keitėsi patirtimi ir, aišku, perimdavo viena kitos papročius: vakariniame Žiemgalos pakraštyje jaučiama kuršių įtaka, rytiniame-aukštaičių, pietiniame-žemaičių, šiaurės rytiniame pakraštyje-latgalių. Visa tai dar labiau pabrėžia, kad giminiškos gentys gyvai viena su kita bendravo ir artėjo viena į kitą. [Iš straipsnio, p. 8]

ENSince the 4th millenium B, C. on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea there already lived the tribes of corn-growers and live stock rearers that much later, in the 1 st century B. C. were called Aisčiai by Tacitus. In archaeological and historical literature the name of the Balts stuck to them. Curonians, Scalvians, Selonians, Sudovians, Highlanders, Lithuanians, Samogitians and Semigallians lived in the territory of present Lithuania before the formation of the Lithuanian nation and its state. Those tribes were formed from bigger units in the 4th— 6th centuries A. D. The Semigallians separated from the cultural region ofburial mounds with stone decorations on them in the 5th—6th centuries A. D. They inhabited the territory of the Mūša—Lielupė basin. In the present territory of Lithuania there remained only the edge of the southern territory of the Semigallians. The culture ofthe Semigallians both in northern and southern parts was identical. There are no wider researched Semigallian settlements and mounds in Lithuania. There were 14 of them, however, the largest — Sidabre and Rakte - are destroyed. Basing ourselves on the material concerning the researched mounds in the northern part we can say that the Semigallians’ mounds differed from the Balts’ mounds neither by their equipment nor by their defensive system. The way of life and religion were the link uniting the tribes and not separating them. We can distinguish one tribe of the Balts from another only on the base of the burying customs because they were different among the most tribes though they also had many general features. Semigallians were live stock rearers and corn growers. This can be seen from their tools of cultivation, corn, bones of domestic animals and metal shaping tools.Almost 60 burial monuments remained in the Lithuanian part of Semigallia. Several are researched more widely, such as Linksmučiai, Šukioniai, Diržai (district of Pakruojis), Jauneikiai, Linkaičiai, Stungiai (district of Joniškis), Pamiškiai (district of Pasvalys), Pavirvytė (district of Akmenė), etc. Burial grounds were usually on higher hills with a rivulet flowing nearby. The Semigallians used to bury their dead in the same place for a long period and they did not cremate them. Men and women were laid in opposite directions and with many adornments. Shrouds in the grave are found spread out according to a certain, characteristic only of Semigallians, order. There were also found tools, weapons and metal adornments in the graves. The tools and weapons were made of iron, and the adornments-of brass though some of them were of silver. These without doubt belonged to rich and in a higher place of the tribal hierarchy standing people. It was not a custom to bury a rider with his horse. Linguists are of the opinion that the Semigallians had their own language that belonged to the linguistic group of eastern Balts. Some of them think that the Semigallian language was closer to the present Latvian language, the others think that it was closer to the Lithuanian language. It seems that we should approve of the thought that the Semigalian language had dialect differences so the northern Semigallians could pronounce certain sounds as the Latvians and the southern Semigallians-as the Lithuanians. [From the publication]