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Christian amber cross, reflecting a period of transformation from paganism to Christianity. |
One of the most striking periods of transformation in the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the transition from paganism to Christianity. The roots of this process go back to the first contact with Christians, while it was not until the late seventeenth century that the Christianization of the country's population was finally finished. However, the most significant processes took place in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, which coincided with the establishment and growth of Vilnius as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This medieval period is a very important and complex one, bringing with it various changes in people's daily lives, like a shift from the pagan practice of burning the dead to inhumation burial, in rituals, in architecture, in urban spaces, and even in areas of daily life, such as diet. |
The transformations brought about by the spread of Christianity are also evident in neighbouring countries. Although the change took place earlier, similar processes are observed. The experience of other countries, especially the immediate neighbours, is therefore of great value in studying the changes that have taken place in Lithuania, opening up broader research perspectives. Moreover, it would be helpful to draw on the experience gained by researchers in neighbouring countries to study this period, particularly Poland, where the transformation period has long been the focus of considerable attention.
Recognising the importance and interest of the topic and the prospects for research opportunities, Dr Rytis Jonaitis and Dr Irma Kaplūnaitė, researchers at the Lithuanian Institute of History, organised a conference „From Paganism to Christianity. Burial Rites During the Transition Period“ which took place from 11 to 12 October 2021. The event featured 25 papers by researchers (archaeologists, historians, anthropologists) from 7 countries. During the conference, the idea of publishing these papers in a single edited volume appeared. Although the Covid pandemic and political circumstances delayed the publication of the book, it was launched in 2024, with 13 articles written by scholars from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine and Germany.
On 14-15 November 2024, Dr I. Kaplūnaitė and Dr R. Jonaitis organised the second conference of the series, "From Paganism to Christianity. Life and Death during the Transition Period". The organisers of this conference, together with their international partners - the Faculty of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw and the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine - managed to organise a high-level scholarly event, where 26 papers were presented dealing with the transformation period from different perspectives. Recent research, methodology and perspectives were discussed by archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, bioarchaeologists and geologists from Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia and Germany. A second edited volume of papers based on this conference is planned to be published by 2026.
The links established with research institutions in neighbouring countries are not only verbal. In 2023, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Lithuanian Institute of History, the University of Warsaw and the Institute of Archaeology of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences. The agreement aims to deepen cooperation and join forces between researchers, in particular on the study of the features of the sedimentary deposits during the period of transformation.
Although a more active network of researchers from the transformation period was not formally launched until 2021, after the first conference, contacts with researchers were established earlier. This has allowed the gathering of a pool of competent researchers. Two scholarly conferences have already been organised, a collection of articles has been published and a second collection of articles is planned with the University of Warsaw.
This research network of the Lithuanian Institute of History and other Lithuanian and foreign research institutions has allowed to expand the research on the transition from Paganism to Christianity period in Lithuania, to draw the attention of researchers to the problems of this complex period, and to promote international cooperation and joint projects with foreign partners.
Contact persons: dr. Rytis Jonaitis (archjonaitis@gmail.com), dr. Irma Kaplūnaitė(irma.kaplunaite@gmail.com)
