Šilalės krašto piliakalnių atlasas
ENThe region of Šilalė situated in the southern part of Samogitia can be proud of its numerous hill-forts. It has the largest number of hill-forts among all Samogitian regions - 32 and one of the most famous Samogitian and Lithuanian hill-forts Medvėgalis is among them. Unfortunately most of the Šilalė region hill-forts still miss acknowledgement and archaeological research. General trends of Samogitian hill-forts development imply that hill-forts of the Šilalė region should date back to the second half of the 1st millennium A.D. (Leviškiai, Bilionys). In the Is'millennium A.D. they were populated by Samogitian tribe, which name can be identified from the written sources, whereas material culture - from the burials researched. In this period, settlements started to develop at the foot of the hill-forts. Hand-made pottery shards are found there. In 2005-2006, a bit broader research was performed on the Medvėgalis and Vedriai foot settlements. It has revealed, that the settlements used to exist from the mid 1st millennium till the 13th-14th century. During this period most of the hill-forts of the region used to host strong wooden castles protecting the country from the attacks of the Teutonic Order. [...] Numerous hill-forts of the Šilalė region make an integral part of general cultural and natural heritage of the region and the country as a whole, so they must be protected and preserved. But first of all, these hill-forts need cognition. Considering that, under the efforts of Šilalė Countryman Association this book has been prepared. It describes all hill-forts of the region known for 2006 - 32 in total. Description of the hill-forts are illustrated with archival and contemporary photos and complemented with historic data on the castles, which used to be located on them, including source references.
