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Baltu un Baltijas somu senlietas Turaidas muzejrezervāta krājumā
Jānis Ciglis
51
50
Castle can be dated to the 10
th
century. In Birka, Sweden, similar rings are dated to the 9
th
–10
th
centuries. Thus, the beginning of population at Turaida Hillfort can be dated already to the late
10
th
century.
Currently, in the lower Gauja, including Idumeja, 16 barrow burial fields are known with
a total of about 800 barrows, of which about 600 have been preserved until today. However, this
does not show the true picture. For example, at Pūteļi burial field in Turaida there were about 100
ancient barrows. Presently, of Pūteļi Liv barrow burial field, 5–6 damaged barrows, overgrown
with trees, have remained in the middle of a cultivated field. About 30–50 m southward from
the barrows there is a gravel-pit, currently not in use, that has possibly destroyed the dwelling site
in that place. Perhaps the rest of the burial field territory investigated in 1896 has been constantly
agriculturally cultivated, and thus no traces have been preserved from the former barrows. Con-
sidering the Liv burial traditions – to lay the dead on the surface and heap up a sand mound – it is
most possible that no undamaged burials have been preserved as a result of sustained agricultural
activity. In the cultivated field separate artefacts could be found from the barrows investigated in
1896 or from those unearthed at the end of the 19
th
century by the collector E. Holberg.
The burial field at Saksukalns of Sigulda also had more than 100 barrows. About one-
fourth of this burial field has been preserved. The fact that barrows have stretched along the
bank of the gully as far as the Gauja Valley is proved by a couple of preserved barrows behind the
fence of Laurenči homestead, at the joint of the gully and the Gauja Valley. Information about
barrows destroyed already in ancient times is most often provided by single finds. For example,
the collection of Friedrich Cruse in Berlin stores artefacts of the Late Iron Age from Englhardt
and Bīriņi estates where no data about Liv burial fields has been found until the present day.
Only the testimonies of the local inhabitants remain about other barrow burial fields. According
to stories, there had been barrows at Grindulis of Lēdurga, but they all have been ploughed over a
long time ago. Thus, the burial places for most of the Liv villages mentioned in the written sources
of the first half of the 13
th
century, the localisation of which has been made by Ligita Beitiņa, have
been ploughed down centuries ago and for the time being remain unknown to us. No traces of
the villages themselves have been archeologically registered.
Considering the Liv custom to establish the graveyard nearby their dwelling site, there
should be a number of burial fields near the “Great Road”. As the sites of ancient villages have
been cultivated for lengthy time periods, potsherds, which are usually an indicator when look-
ing for ancient villages and settlements, crumble and have disappeared tracelessly. However, not
everything is hopelessly lost. The ancient village sites are often marked only by slightly darker
soil and split boulders from former hearths. In this way, five years ago, the site of a couple of
hectares’ large Liv village was found near Liepenes burial field in Krimulda. Walking all over the
fields in spring and autumn, after ploughing, according to these signs, quite a number of new
Gauja Liv village sites could be found. Along with the already known hillforts and burial fields,
it would provide a much more truthful picture concerning the former population density. This
would offer an opportunity to supplement with new data the detailed analysis of the Gauja Liv
monuments made by E. Tõnisson, J. Graudonis, and A. Engīzere.
Ligita Beitiņa
Baltu un Baltijas somu senlietas Turaidas
muzejrezervāta krājumā.
3. gadu tūkstotis pr. Kr. – 13. gadsimta pirmā puse
Vienu no Turaidas muzejrezervāta (līdz 1988. gadam – Siguldas novadpētniecības
muzejs) plašākajām kolekcijām veido arheoloģiskās senlietas. To komplektēšana zīmīgi
aizsākusies ar senākās apdzīvotības lieciniekiem – diviem Inčukalna apkaimē savrupatras-
tiem akmens darba cirvjiem (SM 26; SM 27), kas iegūti 1949. gadā. Arheoloģijas kolek-
cija veidojusies no senlietām, kas iegūtas Siguldas novadpētniecības muzeja un Turaidas
muzejrezervāta organizētajos arheoloģiskajos izrakumos un kā savrupatradumi Turaidas,
Krimuldas, Inciema, Siguldas, Inčukalna un Allažu apkaimē. Kolekcijā ietilpst arī Doles
Raušu ciema kalēja depozīts, kas ekspozīcijas vajadzībām 1991. gadā tika pārņemts Turaidas
muzejrezervāta krājumā no Latvijas vēstures institūta. Kopumā kataloģizētās senlietas iegūtas
15 arheoloģiskajos pieminekļos:
1) Turaidas pilskalnā un mūra pilī (1953, Ā. Stubavs; 1967–1968, R. Malvess; 1974 un
1976–2000, J. Graudonis),
2) Krimuldas Jaunās kapsētas senkapos (1968, D. Klepere, M. Kreišmane),
3) Liepeņu senkapos II (1968, D. Klepere, M. Kreišmane),
4) Saksukalna senkapos (1969, M. Vilsone, M. Kreišmane),
5) Turaidas Baznīckalna viduslaiku kapsētā (1969–1971, D. Klepere, M. Kreišmane),
6) Melkertu senkapos (batariņos) (1970, J. Graudonis),
7) Doles Raušu ciema un apmetnes vietā (1970, E. Šnore, J. Daiga),
8) Murjāņu senkapu Sējas Vīlētājos (1974, J. Graudonis),
9) Liepeņu senkapos I (batariņos) (1984, J. Graudonis),
10) Kubeseles pilskalnā (1991, A. Vasks, J. Ciglis),
11) Priežu senkapos (1992, J. Ciglis),
12) Kārļa kalnā (1993, J. Ciglis; 1994–2001, E. Jemeļjanovs),
13) Sateseles pilskalnā (2005–2006, G. Zemītis),
14) Siguldas Krusta kalnā (2007–2009, E. Jemeļjanovs),
15) Turaidas Jāņkalnā (2013–2014, E. Jemeļjanovs).
Katalogs sniedz iespēju iepazīties ar Turaidas muzejrezervāta arheoloģijas kolekcijas vis-
senāko daļu. Tās ir senlietas, kuras kopš vēlā neolīta (ap 2900. gadu pr. Kr.) līdz 13. gadsimta