Rozetiniai smeigtukai Žiemgaloje

LTSmeigtukai - vieni iš labiausiai pamėgtų baltų papuošalų. Jais puošėsi nuo II tūkstantm. pr. Kr. pabaigos iki pat XIII a. pabaigos. Tačiau tik nuo pirmųjų amžių po Kr. smeigtukų ypač pagausėja, jų formos tampa įvairesnės. Pirmaisiais amžiais po Kr. smeigtukus naudojo beveik visos baltų gentys, o nuo I tūkstantm. antrosios pusės jie buvo nešiojami tik žemaičių, žiemgalių, kur šių, latgalių bei sėlių gentyse. Taigi Žiemgala yra viena tų genčių, kurioje paprotys susegti drabužius smeigtukais išliko per visą geležies amžių. Drabužį jais segė ir puošė moterys, tik retkarčiais smeigtukai randami vyrų kapuos. [...] Šio straipsnio tikslas ir būtų paskelbti rastuosius smeigtukus, juos datuoti, išsiaiškinti paplitimo ribas, nustatyti kelius, kuriais j Žiemgalą atėjo nauji ornamentikos motyvai.

ENPins are supposed to be one of the most favoured decorations among the Baits. They were used for deco rative purposes from the end of the second millenium ВС till the end of the 13th century AD . Almost all Baltic tribes wore them during the first centuries AD , but from the second half of the first millenium they had been worn only in the Samogitian, Semigallian, Curonian, Lettigalian, and Selonian tribes. Semigallians was one of the tribes which preserved the custom to fasten clothes with pins throughout the whole Iron Age. Mostly women fastened and at the same time decorated their clothing with pins; in rare cases pins are found in men's graves. The prevailing tradition was to use a pair of pins, joined by long chains; sometimes pendants were attached to pin-eyes. Such pins with pendants and chains comprised a uniform set of adornment. A woman buried in Pavirvytė (the district of Akmenė) cemetery, grave No.138, had her clothes decorated by two pairs of pins; one pair was cross-shaped pins with flattened plates in the ends, the second one - espe cially rare type of pins with rosette-shaped ends (Fig. 1). The whole complex of this grave proves this woman to have had an exceptional position in Pavirvytė com munity (Fig. 2, 3). It is the pins with rosette-shaped ends that are of the greatest interest among the rich and rare grave goods. Their length is 19 cm, the diameter of the head - 5 cm. The head resembles a stylized open work ring with six tiny spokes in the middle and raised branches fastened to them. "V " form pendants are at tached to the loops of the pin-needles, chains - to their curved ends. Such pins have been unique in Lithuania's territory so far. A similar pair was found in the northern part of Semigallia (the cemetery of Mežotnė center) in a woman's grave No. 9; another one was discovered in Salgalės Liedalužių (the district of Jelgava) cemetery together with a composite necklace, arbalest-like step wise fibulae.The grave is dated to the 11 th century. The woman in Pavirvytės grave is also buried with a composite necklace. In addition, her clothes were deco rated by a plaited necklace with loop ends and a horse shoe-shaped fibula which were more preferable by the Curonians and worn in the 10th—11 th centuries. Cross-shaped pins with flattened plates in the ends were popular among both Semigallians and Curonians in the 9th-12th centuries. Thus the burial items allow us to date the grave to the 11 th century; consequently, pins with a rosette-shaped head could be worn in the 11th century. The study of Semigallian decorative ornamentation shows that the motifs of openwork or a rosette had never been popular in Semigallia. Therefore the ques tion from where the custom to make such pins came to the territory of Semigallia remains open. On the other hand, the motif of a rosette is not alien to the Baltic ornamentation; it could be traced back to the Old Iron period, and its speedy spreading was no ticeable in the Middle and Late Iron period. Curonians liked and widely used pins with triangular heads for pinning headdress. Some of the ornaments, found in the woman's grave No . 138, are more typical of Curonians than Semigallians. Thus we can conclude that at the end of the 11th century separate pieces of ornaments as well as some decoration elements or ideas came from Curonia to Semigallia. [From the publication]