Priešistorės bruožai

LTTytuvėnai - gamta, architektūros ir meno paminklais išsiskirianti Žemaičių žemės vietove. Nuo čia kelionę po Žemaitiją siūlo pradėti garsus kraštotyrininkas Česlovas Kudaba. Rašytiniai šaltiniai miestelio pradžią fiksuoja tik XVI a., tačiau galima neabejoti, kad šioje vietoje buvo gyvenama daug ankščiau. Neatsitiktinai Lietuvos istorijos tyrinėtojas Teodoras Narbutas spėjo jau XIII a. čia buvus pilį. Šiandien mus žavi vaizdingos kalvų iškilumos su giliais duburiais ir ežerais arba pelkėmis, čia vadinamomis tyruliais, o pirmuosius gyventojus, be abejo, patraukė gyventi tinkamos ežerų pakrantės. Ilgainiui vandens lygis keitėsi, tinkamos gyventi vietos buvo apsemtos, užpelkėjo, virto durpynais. Šiandien kasant durpes kartais nusišypso laimė aptikti ankstyviausius žmonių veiklos pėdsakus. Akmens amžiaus žmonių veiklą liudija trys akmeniniai kirviai, rasti Tytuvėnų durpyne ir šiuo metu saugomi Lietuvos nacionaliniame muziejuje (Inv. Nr. EM 2124: 1, 2; 2264). Į šiaurę nuo Tytuvėnų esančioje Tytuvėnėlių vietovėje rasta titnaginių dirbinių: gremžtukų, gramdukų, skelčių bei keramikos su granito priemaišomis. Šie negausūs ir, deja, atsitiktiniai radiniai rodo žmonių veiklą vėlyvajame akmens amžiaus laikotarpyje, neolite. [Iš straipsnio, p. 9]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Tytuvėnai; Tytuvėnų istorija; Vietovių istorija; Tytuvenai; History of the Tytuvenai; History of the locality.

ENWrkten sources record the rise of town in XVI century, but there are no doubts that this place was inhabitable before that. Scenic hills with waterholes, lakęs and swamps, which are called „tyruliai", attract us today. Undoubtedly, first people were attracted by convenient shores of lakęs. In length of time, the level of vvater was changing and the liveable places were flooded, waterlogged and converted into peat bogs. Even today the traces of people's activity can be found during the diggings of peat. Three hatchets of stone proclaim about work of people from the Stone Age. The hatchets were found in the peat bog of Tytuvėnai. Some articles of flint as scrapers, side scrapers, blades and pottery with additive of granite were found in the locality called Tytuvėnėliai, which is in north of Tytuvėnai. These sparse findings evidence the activity of people in the late period of the Stone Age - the Neolithic age. The findings from the Copper Age are quite rare in Lithuania. In the locality of Tytuvėnai the evidences of this age were not found at all. People started to settle in this area during the Roman period. There were barrows with the crowns of stone in the fields of the surrounding villages of Kuršiai, Lapučiai, Pabariukai, Vaitkaičiai. People still can remember that bones and articles of brass were found but today archeologists fixate only broken mounds and tattered crowns of stone. After the exploration of barrows of Lapučiai it was estimated that in this place people already were buried in the 3rd- 4th centuries. Later barrows were neglected, probably, because of the Migration Period. Interments of the 5th-6th centuries were found only in barrow of Budraičiai.Although būriai monuments of the lst millennium were not found in the town of Tytuvėnai but the barrow of Tytuvėnai dates back to this period. The barrow is in the north bank of Bridvaišis and, undoubtedly, has connections with the early activity of human being in this area. It is symbolical, that the stream of Tytuva, which leaks out beside the barrow gavę the name to the town of Tytuvėnai. Legends say that a secret paved path leads from the barrow to the island and that a treasure is hidden in a vault of the barrow. Also there are stories about the castle of Tytveiška or Tytuvys, which was standing in the place of the lake. The castle had disappeared when one father imprecated his son. A mound, sacrificial offering place, cemeteries, barrows and individual findings from the Stone Age are evidences that people were settled in Tytuvėnai already in the Stone Age. Population was changing over time. Some people moved by their own choice, others were constrained to do that. Later new habitants were settling and they started to būry in new places. The continuous history of settlement of Tytuvėnai cannot be restored yet because of the lack of archaeological facts. Many things were destroyed by activity in later ages. Also it is possible, that some researchers are right saying that swampy surroundings of present Tytuvėnai had never been populous. [From the publication, p. 139-140]