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Foreword
The collection and scientific archives of the Turaida MuseumReserve (TMR) store manifold historical
evidences obtained during investigations of the historical centre of Turaida. To make the museum
collections informatively richer and the results of research works available to society, following the
initiative of Anna Jurkāne, Director of TMR, the study of historical documents and scientific inventory of
artefacts obtained during archaeological investigation is being performed. This has resulted in publications
and catalogues of the collection, which augment understanding of the investigation and preservation of
the cultural heritage. Thus, in 2012, the catalogue
The Krimuldas Ragana Hoard
.
Silver Ornaments and
Coins of the Gauja Livs 10
th
–13
th
Centuries
was published, but 2014 saw the edition of the collection of
written historical sources,
Turaida in Historical Documents of the 13
th
–16
th
Centuries.
Essential material
historical evidences were obtained during the complex archaeological expedition in Turaida Castle in
1976–2000. As a dedication to Jānis Graudonis on his 100
th
anniversary, in 2013, the Catalogue of the
museum collection on stove tile ceramics of Turaida Castle in the 16
th
–18
th
centuries was issued, which
is now followed by the Catalogue
Building Ceramics of Turaida Castle in the 13
th
–17
th
Centuries.
In the studies and investigation of Turaida Castle’s building history and historical building materials a
large contribution has been made by the long-term leader of Turaida archaeological expedition, Professor
Jānis Graudonis (1913–2005). Alongside the archaeological investigation also the building inspection
of castle ruins was made. The castle’s architect-restorer Gunārs Jansons (1928–2013) performed brick
measuring and mapping in all buildings and in ruins, made tables of brick length and attempted to use
them for dating purposes, registered types of brick bond in various buildings of the castle and accurately
measured several samples of building ceramics in order to elaborate most precisely the project of
reconstructive restoration of Turaida Castle buildings. As a result, his summarising research was created
on the masonry material of Turaida Castle complex (typescript of 1989 is kept in TMR scientific archives),
as well as a monograph was published (2007). A decent work was performed in systematisation of bricks
and roof tiles of various types from TMR building ceramics collection, when installing exibitions in
Turaida Castle, especially the exhibition “Building history of Turaida Castle, 1214–1776”.
As the preparation of the catalogue of building ceramics of Turaida Castle was started in 2013,
the samples of building ceramics stored in the collection of TMR were re-inventoried, in 2014, by
Dainis Bernhards, leading specialist of TMR. Footprints/paw prints of various animals on bricks were
determined by the zoologist of the Latvian Nature Museum, Una Bērziņa. Art historian Ieva Ose chose
99 characteristic samples of building ceramics, described them and prepared the Introduction to the