Lietuvos didžiųjų kunigaikščių rūmų ir kitų Vilniaus Žemutinės pilies statinių mūrinės latrinos XVI-XVII a.

LTŠioje knygoje pristatoma XVI-XVII a. mūrinių latrinų, tyrinėtų Lietuvos didžiųjų kunigaikščių rūmuose ir kituose Vilniaus Žemutinės pilies statiniuose, archeologinių tyrimų medžiaga. Pirmą kartą pabandyta susisteminti ir apibendrinti itin gausius skirtingų mokslo sričių duomenis. Jų analizės pagrindu patikslintas latrinų statybos, funkcionavimo ir užpylimo laikas, aptarta jų konstrukcija, pristatyti latrinose aptikti radinių kompleksai. Latrinose rasti artefaktai iliustruoja daugiau nei šimtmetį trukusį rūmų klestėjimo periodą ir pristato skirtingų laikotarpių interjerus, eksterjerus bei kasdienę dvaro kultūrą. [Anotacija knygoje]

ENTen brick latrines were found and examined in the Vilnius Lower Castle territory. Seven relate to the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, while three are linked to other buildings in the castle. The 16th-17th-century latrines discovered in the Vilnius Lower Castle territory were of two types: latrines installed in the building wall with an underground waste reservoir, and annex-latrines with an underground waste reservoir. No latrines with open waste canals were found to exist in this territory. This shows that in the 16th-17th centuries, higher standards of hygiene and sanitation were adhered to in the main residence of the Lithuanian grand dukes. Judging by the archaeological research data, at least some of the latrines were also used as rubbish pits. The archaeological artefact sets found in the layers of debris in the latrines provide data about how the latrines were maintained at different periods. It is thoughtthat the latrines were cleaned at least once in fifty years. Some latrines were cleaned more often right up to the end of the first half of the 17th century, others were cleaned less often, while others still - not at all. All the latrines of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (except for the one in the south west side, which had not been used according to its purpose from the late 16th-early 17th centuries when it was converted into a stairwell) and the Radvila Palace latrine ceased being used as such after the 1640s-1650s, when the palace suffered extensive damage during the war against Moscow and was no longer suitable as a rulers' residence. They and the palace were demolished at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. Another latrine dated to the late 16th-first half of the 17th centuries was located near the Castle Gate. It was demolished at the start of the 19th century, before the New Castle Gate itself was brought down.Some of the palace latrines feature a distinctive cultural layer formed during the period in which they functioned, which contains a wealth of unique artefacts used in daily life in the palace: kitchen and table ceramics and glass vessel shards, remains of clothing worn by members of the court (velvet, wool and silk), food leftovers (oyster shells, fruit stones and pips, berry seeds) and so on. There were also artefacts related to hygiene (combs made from ivory and walrus tusk, bathing basins, chamber pots), personal health (medicinal vessels) and other related items. In terms of health and hygiene, there is data that inhabitants of the ruler's court had issues with intestinal parasites. Various ailments and their treatment was an unavoidable aspect of life in all periods and across all social layers. The small vessels with wide openings, identified as medicinal vessels, which were found in the palace latrines during archaeological research are an excellent illustration of this. Pharmaceutical vessels, known as albarello, were also discovered. Part of a distillation vessel, an alembic, found in one of the latrines can also be attributed to this field. The sets of archaeological artefacts found in the latrines provide a great deal of information about the palace interiors, exteriors and daily court culture at different periods, and illustrate the existence of broad cultural exchange with centres in Western Europe and in the Ottoman Empire. [From the publication]