News

Over the past week, the Kernavė archaeological site hosted an international hands-on research seminar titled "The Paleo-landscape of Kernavė: Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Research." The seminar was organised by the State Cultural Reserve of Kernavė and brought together specialists from various scientific disciplines.

The research involved archaeologists from the Reserve’s Research Department and the Faculty of History at Vilnius University, as well as a large group of researchers from Poland representing the following institutions: the Department of Geology and Geomorphology at the Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Łódź; the Institute of Archaeology at the Faculty of Philosophy and History, University of Łódź; the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences in Toruń; and the Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

The aim of the interdisciplinary research was to reveal the features and dynamics of the formation of the local paleo-landscape using non-invasive and minimally invasive methods. Special attention was given to the paleochannel of the Neris River and the small lake that once existed in the Pajauta Valley.

The study employed coring techniques and LiDAR scanning of the current terrain. Numerous soil samples were collected for further sedimentological, radiocarbon dating, and other analyses, to be conducted in both local and foreign laboratories.

Thanks to LiDAR technology, high-resolution images of the surface topography of the Kernavė Cultural Reserve and its surroundings were obtained during the seminar. These images helped identify previously unknown burial mounds and other archaeological structures hidden in dense forest cover and barely visible to the naked eye. The detailed LiDAR data also hold significant value for heritage protection, enabling continuous monitoring of the Kernavė archaeological site's landscape and the detection of potential changes over time.

The results of the field seminar will be presented to a broader academic audience in the autumn, both at Vilnius University and at the State Cultural Reserve of Kernavė.