BDAR

Projects

Projects in progress (completed projects) of the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology

Period 2022 to 2024

Archaeologia Baltica


From 7 February 2022 to 31 December 2024, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University is carrying out the dissemination project “Archaeologia Baltica”. The project is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme (2016–2024) (S-LIP-22-13). The project involves the participation of Doc Dr Audronė Bliujienė (head of the project) and Dr Miglė Urbonaitė-Ubė. “Archaeologia Baltica” is an international open-access journal published by the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology of Klaipėda University. The English-language journal is open to all areas of European archaeology, but special attention is paid to the prehistoric Baltic lands, and thus also to Lithuanian studies and archaeological problems of the region around the Baltic Sea. The project will fund the publication of three issues of the journal over three years.

 

2022

Scientific monograph “Paneriai Memorial in the Culture of Remembrance and Politics of Memory (1944–2020)”


From 7 February to 31 July 2022, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University carried out a project on the dissemination of the scientific monograph “Paneriai Memorial in the Culture of Remembrance and Politics of Memory (1944–2020)”. The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme (2016–2024) (S-LIP-22-14). The project was led by Dr Zigmas Vitkus who aimed at publishing a scientific monograph, which tells the “biography” of the memorial at Paneriai (Ponary), the largest mass murder site of the Lithuanian population during the Nazi occupation, before discussing the significance of this memorial and its image in the cultures of remembrance of Lithuania and other countries. This monograph looks at Paneriai as a place of expression of different political actors (state institutions, individuals and communities of memory) and as a space of remembrance shaped by these actors. The book shows the transformation of the site of the mass killings in Paneriai into a memorial of international significance and the historical, political, cultural and economic factors that shaped this process. The book is published in the Lithuanian language.

 

Period 2021 to 2024

National Minorities in the Lithuanian Armed Forces in 1918–1940: The Case of German Loyalty


From 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2024, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University is carrying out a research project “National Minorities in the Lithuanian Armed Forces in 1918–1940: The Case of German Loyalty”. The project is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme (2016–2024) (grant no. S-LIP-21-9). The project involves the participation of Doc. Dr Silva Pocytė (head of the project), Dr Vytautas Jokubauskas and Dr Hektoras Vitkus. The research team aims to analyse the German nationals’ military service in the Lithuanian army from the perspective of their loyalty between 1918 and 1940. The researchers will attempt to (a) explore the attitudes in the Lithuanian army towards the military service of the representatives of the German national minority, (b) analyse how Germany reacted on that issue, (c) examine the experiences of German service and the possible implications of these experiences that might have given rise to the causes of their (dis)loyalty to the state, (d) investigate the attitudes of German associations towards the Lithuanian army and to the military service of their co-nationals in Lithuania’s armed forces. The main results of the research will be summarised in research articles and a collective monograph.

 

Period 2020 to 2022

Archaeology of the Lithuanian Partisan War: Research Directions, Methods and Theoretical Definitions


From 15 June 2021 to 14 June 2023, Dr Gediminas Petrauskas, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology of Klaipėda University, is conducting a postdoctoral research project “Archaeology of the Lithuanian Partisan War: Research Directions, Methods, and Theoretical Definitions” (supervised by Dr Vykintas Vaitkevičius). The European Social Fund funds the fellowship according to measure no. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712 “Development of Scientific Competences of Scientists, other Researchers and Students through Practical Research Activities” (grant no. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-23-0007).
During his postdoctoral fellowship, the researcher will work on the concept of Lithuanian partisan war archaeology. The project aims to outline the concept, show battlefields and partisan campsites as a valuable source of research, provide the link between archaeological data and oral history by showing how archaeology can contribute to the study of the Lithuanian partisan war memory, and develop the theoretical framework for the future study of Lithuanian partisan war sites. The results of the fellowship will be presented in three peer-reviewed articles and conference papers.

 

Period 2020 to 2023

The Impact of Deaths in the Lithuanian Army on Soldiers and Society (1918–1940)


From 1 June 2020 to 31 May 2023, Dr Vytautas Jokubauskas, a senior research fellow at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University, is carrying out a research project “The Impact of Deaths in the Lithuanian Army on Soldiers and Society (1918–1940)”. The project is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme (2016–2024) (grant no. S-LIP-20-8). The project aims to analyse the impact of casualties and deaths in the Lithuanian Armed Forces both in peace and at war on soldiers’ motivation and public opinion. Drawing on Martin van Creveld’s insights, the research will be a Lithuanian case study, analysing both the differences in the impact of deaths on soldiers and civilians and the changes in the impact over the two decades (1918–1940). The main results of the research will be provided in a monograph and a peer-reviewed article.

 

Period 2020 to 2022

Lithuanian-Jewish Relations in the United States during the Cold War


From 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2022, Dr Justas Stončius, a research fellow at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University, was carrying out a postdoctoral research project “Lithuanian-Jewish Relations in the United States during the Cold War” (supervised by Professor habil. Dr Egidijus Aleksandravičius). The European Social Fund funded the fellowship according to measure no. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712 “Development of Scientific Competences of Scientists, other Researchers and Students through Practical Research Activities” (grant no. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-19-0085).
The project was expected to enhance Dr Stončius’ research competencies in Jewish studies by focusing on the developments in relations between the Lithuanians and the Jews of Lithuanian origin in the United States during the Cold War period. Drawn on a comprehensive analysis of the historiography, archival records, periodicals and memoirs, the research will be based on the US archival materials from the Lithuanian Research and Studies Center (Lithuanian World Archives, Chicago), The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.), and the American Lithuanian Cultural Archive (Putnam). The main results of the project will be provided in a monograph.

 

Period 2020 to 2022

From Ideas to an Action: Anti-Semitism in Soviet Lithuania, 1944–1990


From 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022, Dr Justas Stončius was carrying out a research project “From Ideas to an Action: Anti-Semitism in Soviet Lithuania, 1944–1990” at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University. The project aimed to analyse the development of anti-Semitism in the Lithuanian SSR, based on the analysis of archival documents, periodicals and memoirs. Funded by the Good Will Foundation, the Jakovas Bunka Charity and Sponsorship Fund, Klaipėda University, and Sergejus Kanovičius, the project will result in a monograph.

 

Period 2020 to 2021

Christianisation of the Otherworld Images in Lithuania during the High Middle Ages


From 1 June 2020 to 31 December 2021, Dr Marius Ščavinskas, a senior research fellow at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University, was carrying out a research project “Christianisation of the Otherworld Images in Lithuania during the High Middle Ages”. The Research Council of Lithuania funded the undertaking under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme (2016–2024) (grant no. S-LIP-20-11). The aim of the research was to analyse the influence that Christianity had on the Lithuanian depictions of the afterlife before the official conversion of Lithuania and during the process of its Christianisation (11th/13th–15th centuries). Based on the comparative analysis, use of analogies, and the verification of historical and partly archaeological and folklore materials, the research was to provide a better understanding of (a) how the attitude of medieval Lithuanian society towards the Otherworld changed under the influence of Christianity, (b) how “deep” the Christianisation in Lithuania in the 14th and 15th centuries was, and (c) how the process of Christianisation contributed to the formation of Christian Lithuanian identity. The results of the research will be provided in a monograph and a peer-reviewed article.

 

Period 2020 to 2021

The Use of the “Dark Heritage” in the Lithuanian Remembrance Culture: A Case Study of Macikai Camps


From 2 March 2020 to 31 August 2021, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was carrying out a research project on “The Use of the ‘Dark Heritage’ in the Lithuanian Remembrance Culture: A Case Study of Macikai Camps”. The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania and commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (grant no. P-REP-20-4). The research team included Dr Hektoras Vitkus (head of the project), Prof Dr Vygantas Vareikis, Dr Justas Stončius, and Dr Edvinas Ubis. Drawing from the analysis of the creation of “dark heritage” memorials and the use of “conflict memory” in a number of countries throughout Europe, the project aimed at developing a conceptual roadmap for the integration of the Macikai camps into the Lithuanian remembrance culture and providing solutions for their memorialization. The outcomes of the research are available in a research study in the Lithuanian language (“Macikai: A Place of Remembrance on the Edge of Europe”, 2021) and four peer-reviewed articles.

 

2020

Jews in the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division: History and Memory


Since 1 July to 31 December 2020, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University conducted the project entitled “Jews in the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division: History and Memory”. The project involved the participation of Dr Justas Stončius (head of the project) and Dr Zigmas Vitkus. Funded by Klaipėda City Municipality and the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the research aimed at studying the experience of military service in the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division of the Red Army among the Jews and the role the unit has been playing in the Lithuanian and Jewish cultures of remembrance both before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In cooperation with Dr Hektoras Vitkus, the authors presented the results of their research in a monograph “16-osios lietuviškosios šaulių divizijos kariai žydai: istorija ir atminimas” (“Jewish Soldiers in the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division: History and Recollections”).

 

Period 2019 to 2022

“Lived History” in Interwar Lithuania: Between Experience Narratives and Politics of Memory


From 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2022, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was implementing a research project “‘Lived History’ in Interwar Lithuania: Between Experience Narratives and Politics of Memory”. The project involved the participation of Dr Vasilijus Safronovas (head of the project), Dr Dangiras Mačiulis, and Dr Kęstutis Kilinskas. The research team examined the role of individual and collective social actors in constructing narratives about the pivotal “lived” historical events that Lithuanian society experienced in the period between the 1850s and 1920s. In addition to politicians and political parties, the actors include associations of different profiles that united people of a certain experience. The research team aimed to find out if and how the institutionally formed narratives about specific experiences corresponded to the narratives about the same experiences created by social actors. Funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (grant no. S-MIP-19-40), the three-years research resulted in a monograph and a series of research articles.

 

Period 2019 to 2022

Copper Alloys during the First Millennium AD: Investigation of Metallurgy and Technological Processes in the Context of Socio-Economic Development


From 3 June 2019 to 31 December 2022, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was implementing a research project “Copper Alloys during the 1st Millennium AD: Investigation of Metallurgy and Technological Processes in the Context of Socio-Economic Development”. The project involved the participation of Doc Dr Audronė Bliujienė (head of the project), Dr Gediminas Petrauskas, Dr Jurga Bagdzevičienė, Dr Sergej Suzdalev, Dr Irma Vybernaitė-Lubienė, Dr Ričardas Taraškevičius, Evaldas Babenskas and Simonas Senulis. The project aimed to perform an analysis of the 1st millennium AD copper alloy metallurgy and the technological progress from the perspective of the socio-economic development at the time. In the framework of the project, over 2,800 copper-alloy artefacts, selected based on their typology, chronology, and area of distribution, were analysed. The findings enable the classification of the artefacts into basic copper alloy groups (brass, bronze, leaded bronze, etc.) in accordance with the alloying elements as well as the evaluation of chronological changes in the copper alloy groups. The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (grant no. S-MIP-19-50). For more details on the project, please follow the link.

 

Period 2019 to 2021

Crossroads in History


From 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2021, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was involved as a partner institution in the implementation of the project “Crossroads in History” (the project was extended by an additional 5 months). Lead partner of the project was Kalmar District Museum (Kalmar läns museum, Sweden). The “Crossroads in History” brought together museums from Germany (Historic Museum of Wismar), Poland (National Museum in Gdańsk), Lithuania (Gargždai Land Museum) and Sweden which intended to jointly work with innovative Time Travel method (developed in Kalmar) addressing the same phenomenon of migration from the international perspective. The goal of the project was to promote regional identity through multinational Time Travel method used by participating museums. The methodology was introduced through dedicated training on kick-off workshop as well as methodological training (coordinated by Klaipėda University). After methodological capacity through cross boarder trainings, webinars, and individual work, a manual for a roleplay on migration was developed in every country (coordinated by European Solidarity Centre).
Participants in the project from Klaipėda University included research fellow Dr Raimonda Nabažaitė, doctoral student Milda Kontrimė, and Agnė Jocaitė.
The “Crossroads in History” was an Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014–2020 project financed by the European Regional Development Fund. For more information, please use the following link.

 

Period 2018 to 2020

Archaeology of Lithuania, Volumes 5 and 6


From 2 July 2018 to 31 December 2020, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was carrying out a research project “Lithuanian Archaeology, Volumes 5 and 6” (the end of the project was postponed for one year). The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme (2016–2024) (grant no. S-LIP-18-48). Headed by Doc. Dr Gintautas Zabiela, the project team consisted of Doc. Dr Audronė Bliujienė, Professor Dr Algirdas Girininkas, Dr Ernestas Vasiliauskas, and Professor habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus. The aim of the project was to produce two volumes of “Lithuanian Archaeology”, with the fifth volume presenting a study on the material culture of the state (Grand Duchy) period in Lithuania, and the sixth volume providing a summary of volumes 1 to 5 in the English language, added with new data generated from research carried out after the publication of the first five volumes. The project completes a six-volume edition of the “Lithuanian Archaeology”, which started at Klaipėda University in 2009.

 

Period 2017 to 2021

Man and Baltic Sea in the Meso-Neolithic: Relict Coasts and Settlements below and above Present Sea Level. ReCoasts & People


From 27 December 2017 to 31 December 2021, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was implementing a research project “Man and Baltic Sea in the Meso-Neolithic: Relict Coasts and Settlements below and above Present Sea Level. ReCoasts & People”. Headed by Prof habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus, a team of eight researchers was interested in the submerged prehistoric landscapes and human settlements in addition to Stone Age settlements on the current coastal zone of Lithuania. Their research included underwater and inland surveys, geological and palaeoenvironmental studies, geochemical and zooarchaeological analysis, as well as a DNA analysis of submerged trees. The research team consisted of the following members: Linas Daugnora, Nikita Dobrotin, Algirdas Girininkas, Jolita Petkuvienė, Tomas Rimkus, Miglė Stančikaitė, Irma Vybernaitė-Lubienė, and Vladas Žulkus. The project was financed entirely by the European Social Fund through the Research Council of Lithuania according to the activity “Improvement of researchers’ qualification by implementing world-class R&D projects” of measure no. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712 (grant application code: 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-01-0171, contract no. DOTSUT-251). For more information, please use the following link.

 

Period 2017 to 2020

Integration of Maritime Heritage into the Maritime Spatial Planning of the Baltic Sea (BalticRIM)


In 2017–2020, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was involved as a partner institution in the implementation of the project “Integration of Maritime Heritage into the Maritime Spatial Planning of the Baltic Sea (BalticRIM)”. The lead partner of the project which brought together actors from the most littoral states of the Baltic Sea Region including Russia was the State Archaeological Department of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Klaipėda University was represented in this network by Prof habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus.
BalticRIM aimed to bring together monument conservationists and spatial planners to save and protect the maritime cultural heritage (MCH) in a long-term view. The project facilitated an exchange of ideas among experts from both the heritage protection and maritime spatial planning (MSP) sector. The target groups – aside MCH and MSP experts and authorities – were tourism, divers, aquaculture, shipping and offshore wind farmers. They gained an increased capacity to plan or take care of MCH projects in a sustainable, spatially compatible manner.
The BalticRIM was an Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2014–2020 project no. R064 financed by the European Regional Development Fund. For more information about the project, please visit its website.

 

Period 2016 to 2019

Klaipėda Region in 1945–1960: the Formation of a New Society and its Reflections in Family Stories


From 1 September 2016 to 1 May 2019, two departments of Klaipėda University, the Centre for Study of Social Change and the BRIAI, were pursuing the project “Klaipėda Region in 1945–1960: The Formation of a New Society and its Reflections in Family Stories”. Funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (grant no. LIP-091/2016), the project involved the participation of Dr Sigita Kraniauskienė (head of the project), Doc Dr Silva Pocytė, Prof Dr Ruth Leiserowitz, and Irena Šutinienė. Their aim was to investigate the post-World War II society development in the Klaipėda region (former Territory of Memel) and to reconstruct the existing layers of memory about that period. Combining historical and sociological approaches, they used the biographical method, life/family stories (interviews with 96 people were conducted), and family photos in addition to archival and manuscript materials. The main results of the research include several articles and a monograph in the Lithuanian language, “Klaipėdos kraštas 1945–1960 m.: naujos visuomenės kūrimasis ir jo atspindžiai šeimų istorijose” (2019).

 

Period 2016 to 2018

The Strategy of Indirect Approach: the Case of Interwar Lithuania


From 1 September 2016 to 31 September 2018, Dr Vytautas Jokubauskas conducted the project “The Strategy of Indirect Approach: the Case of Interwar Lithuania” at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University. The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (grant no. LIP-096/2016). Based on the approaches of Henry Liddell Hart, Edward N. Luttwak, and Martin van Creveld, the project aimed at examining the threats to national security in interwar Lithuania. It sought to verify the hypothesis that Lithuania, while facing a wide range of threats to its nationhood, applied measures of the indirect approach seeking to defend its statehood and strategic interests, whereas territorial losses and the Soviet occupation resulted neither from military defeats nor a poor preparation by the armed forces for an armed resistance; indeed, it was an outcome of effective use of the strategy of indirect approach by the aggressors. The main results of the project were published in a monograph “Netiesioginis poveikis ir Lietuvos karinis saugumas 1919–1940 m.” and two research articles in the English language.

Period 2016 to 2018

Užpelkiai Cemetery in the Cultural Context of Lithuanian Coastal and Baltic Sea Regions


From 1 September 2016 to 31 December 2018, Doc. Dr Audronė Bliujienė (as project leader) and Ramunė Bračiulienė conducted the project “Užpelkiai Cemetery in the Cultural Context of Lithuanian Coastal and Baltic Sea Regions” at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University. The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme (2016–2024) (grant no. LIP-098/2016). The research added new information on the Baltic coastal micro-regions in the 1st millennium AD by analysing the Užpelkiai archaeological complex (Kretinga District, Western Lithuania) within the hierarchical structure of these micro-regions. Based on the research of archaeological, anthropological and zooarchaeological materials and carried out using modern archaeological, bioarchaeological and physical methods, the project deepened the understanding of cultural developments and contacts in the coastal area of (current) Lithuania. The results of the project were provided in a monograph “Užpelkių kapinynas Lietuvos pajūrio ir Baltijos jūros regiono kultūriniuose kontekstuose” (“Užpelkiai Cemetery in the Cultural Context of Lithuanian Coastal and Baltic Sea Regions”, 2018) and in peer-reviewed articles.

 

Period 2015 to 2018

Remembrance of the First World War: A Comparative Analysis of Lithuania and East Prussia (before 1939)


From 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2018, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was carrying out the project “Remembrance of the First World War: A Comparative Analysis of Lithuania and East Prussia (before 1939)” funded by the Research Council of Lithuania. The research team included Dr Vasilijus Safronovas (head of the project), Prof Dr Vygantas Vareikis, Dr Hektoras Vitkus and Dr Vytautas Jokubauskas and aimed at comparing both the prominence given to the First World War and its remembrance in Lithuanian and East Prussian societies that had similar war experiences (although on a different scale), however, each made them significant in a different manner. The research focused on the situation before the Second World War, i.e. on the period when the relevance of the First World War still wasn’t overshadowed by the Second. The main results of the research include several articles, a monograph in the Lithuanian language (“The Great War in Culture and in Society: Lithuania and East Prussia”, 2018) and a volume of collected papers in English (“The Great War in Lithuania and Lithuanians in the Great War: Experiences and Memories”, 2017). The volume includes a bibliography of publications about the Great War that were either published in or are relevant to Lithuania in the period 1914 to 1945.

Period 2014 to 2015

Dissemination of Lithuanian Studies in the Series ‘Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis’ (Vols. 28 to 31)


From 1 March 2014 to 31 December 2015, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was pursuing a research dissemination project “Dissemination of Lithuanian Studies in the Series ‘Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis’ (Vols. 28 to 31)” funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the 2009-2015 National Programme for Development of Lithuanian Studies. The project was headed by Dr Vasilijus Safronovas. The project aimed to ensure international dissemination of the Lithuanian studies carried out in the context of the Baltic region preparing and issuing four volumes of the series ‘Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis’. Four sets of articles dealt with the sociocultural changes that took place in Lithuania and Baltic region in early modern and contemporary periods.

 

Period 2013 to 2015

The Role of Paramilitary Organizations in the State Defence System: the Case of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union


From 1 March 2013 to 30 September 2015, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was implementing the project “The Role of Paramilitary Organizations in the State Defence System: the Case of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union” funded by the Research Council of Lithuania. The project involved the participation of Doc Dr Vygantas Vareikis (head of the project), Doc Dr Jonas Vaičenonis, Dr Hektoras Vitkus and Dr Vytautas Jokubauskas. The purpose of the project was to identify opportunities for employment of paramilitary organizations in the State defence system based on the case of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, and to analyse to what extent the riflemen, who were trained for guerrilla warfare in interwar Lithuania, took part in the Anti-Soviet armed resistance.

Period 2012 to 2015

Value Transformations in the Eastern Baltic Coastlands during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period


From 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2015, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was implementing the project “Value Transformations in the Eastern Baltic Coastlands during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period”. The project involved the participation of S.C. Rowell, PhD (Cantab) (head of the project),  Doc Dr Vacys Vaivada, Dr Marius Ščavinskas, Dr Jolanta Skurdauskienė, Darius Barasa, M.A.,  Egidijus Miltakis, M.A., Dainius Elertas, M.A. The purpose of the project is to study transformations of the societies in the new geopolitical formations which were underway in the region between the rivers Pregel (Lith. Prieglius) and Daugava in the period from the 11th through 18th centuries in the terms of a paradigmatic approach to Christianization and Confessionalization processes, to develop and consolidate a new research area at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University. The project was financed from the funds under the Operational Programme for Human Resources Development of the European Social Fund; the Research Council of Lithuania administered the funds within the framework of the implementation of the measure “Support to Research Activities of Scientists and Other Researchers (‘Global Grant’), Priority 3 “Strengthening Capacities of Researchers”.

 

Period 2012 to 2014

Identities of the Ancient Baltic Society Based on Archaeological Heritage Research in Lithuania (ARCHBALTAI)


Doc Dr Gintautas Zabiela, a senior research fellow at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University, participated in a research project “Identities of the Ancient Baltic Society Based on Archaeological Heritage Research in Lithuania” (head of the project Dr Algimantas Merkevičius) carried on in Vilnius University, in cooperation with the Lithuanian Institute of History and Klaipėda University. The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the National Research Programme “State and Nation: Heritage and Identity”. The project was carried out from 1 September 2012 to 31 December 2014.

Period 2012 to 2014

Związki kultur pamięci w dawnych Prusach Wschodnich po 1945 roku. Analiza porównawcza na przykładzie Olsztyna i Kłajpedy


Dr Vasilijus Safronovas, a senior research fellow at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University, was running a research project “Relationships between Cultures of Remembrances in the former East Prussia after 1945. Comparative Study of Olsztyn and Klaipėda” carried on in the University of Warmia and Masuria in Olsztyn, in cooperation with the Lithuanian Institute of History and Klaipėda University. He acted as a research coordinator of the team of historians within the project. The project was funded within the scheme of the Polish National Programme for the Development of Humanities. The goal of the project was to analyse the main trends in public relation to the past in the cities of Klaipėda and Olsztyn by applying the approach of cultures of remembrance and to produce a comparative analysis of remembrance cultures in the cities of former East Prussia.

 

Period 2012 to 2014

Research of Ethnic and Confessional Legacy in Klaipėda Region, including Creation of Geographic Information System


From 2012 to 2014, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was implementing the project “Research of Ethnic and Confessional Legacy in Klaipėda Region, including Creation of Geographic Information System”. Participation included Dr Arūnas Baublys (head of the project), Doc Dr Silva Pocytė, Prof Dr Rimantas Sliužinskas, Doc Dr Arūnė Liucija Arbušauskaitė, Darius Barasa, M.A., Dr Eglė Bukantytė, Dr Rita Nekrošienė, Dr Natalija Juščenko and Dr Arminas Štuopys. The project was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the National Research Programme “State and Nation: Heritage and Identity”.

Period 2012 to 2013

Archaeology of Lithuania (Lietuvos archeologija), Volumes 2–4 (ARCHEO)


From 12 July 2012 to 31 December 2013, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was pursuing the project “Archaeology of Lithuania, Volumes 2–4” (ARCHEO) funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the 2009–2015 National Programme for Development of Lithuanian Studies. Participation in the project included research professor Doc Dr Audronė Bliujienė (head of the project), Prof habil. Dr Algirdas Girininkas, Dr Romas Jarockis, and Prof habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus. The project aimed at writing a conceptually new archaeological synthesis of Lithuanian prehistory, investigating the development of society, economy and culture spanning the period from the Bronze Age through the mid-13th century. Within the framework of the project, three volumes (II, III, IV) of “Archaeology of Lithuania” were prepared. The first volume of the synthesis by Prof Girininkas saw the light in 2009. The entire work of “Archaeology of Lithuania” accomplished by the BRIAI of Klaipėda University will be made up of six volumes.

 

Period 2012 to 2013

The 17th–18th Century Lithuanian Iconographic and Cartographic Sources in Swedish Archives


From 1 July 2012 to 31 December 2013, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was pursuing the project “The 17th–18th Century Lithuanian Iconographic and Cartographic Sources in Swedish Archives” funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the 2009-2015 National Programme for Development of Lithuanian Studies. Participation in the project included research fellow Dr Ernestas Vasiliauskas (head of the project) and senior research fellow Doc Dr Gintautas Zabiela. The project aimed at collecting and summarizing available and unknown iconographic and cartographic data on Lithuania in the custody of the Military Archives of Sweden, Swedish Army Museum, the Royal Library of Sweden, and the Uppsala University Library founded in the 18th-19th centuries and issuing a catalogue with the foreword in the Lithuanian language, and abstracts in English and Swedish, including detailed annotations of published sources and bibliographic references. The project resulted in the publication of the catalogue “Sources of 17th – early 19th Century Lithuanian Iconography and Cartography in Sweden”.

Period 2011 to 2012

Natural and Cultural Researches of the Baltic Sea Underwater Landscape in Early Holocene (YOLDIA SEA)


In 2011–2012, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was pursuing a research project “Natural and Cultural Researches of the Baltic Sea Underwater Landscape in Early Holocene” as a Researcher team project funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (head of the project Prof habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus). The purpose of the project is to determine the shorelines of the former Yoldia Sea and the development of possible human settlements of that period in the Lithuanian basin nearby Juodkrantė, to systemize data of a survey of the Baltic Sea bottom of the Early Holocene period, to integrate the available archaeological and geological research data related to the earliest possible human activities on the coast of the Baltic Sea at the time of existence of the Yoldia Sea, to conduct a survey of the Baltic Sea bottom using side-scan sonar in order to clarify the locations of the shores of the former Yoldia Sea, their underwater landscape, to record objects found by means of sonar, to take specimens of flora and fauna for laboratory analyses.

 

Period 2010 to 2015

ArchaeoLandscapes Europe (ArcLand)


From 2010 to 2015, the BRIAI represented Klaipėda University as one of 57 partners involved in the international project “ArchaeoLandscapes Europe” funded under the EU “Culture Programme 2007–2013”. The project aims to create a self-sustaining network to support the use throughout Europe of aerial survey and ‘remote sensing’ to promote understanding, conservation and public enjoyment of the shared landscape and archaeological heritage of the countries of the European Union. Dr Romas Jarockis acted on behalf of BRIAI of Klaipėda University in this project. For more information, please use the following link.

Period 2010 to 2012

Publication of research serial journal “Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis”


In 2010–2012, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was carrying out a research dissemination project “Publication of research serial journal ‘Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis’” funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the 2009–2015 National Programme for Development of Lithuanian Studies. The head of the project was Dr Silva Pocytė. The purpose of the project was to publish the results of the latest research by Lithuanian and foreign scholars and historical sources related to the history and culture of Western Lithuania, former East Prussia, and the Baltic Sea Region. In the course of the implementation of the project, six volumes of “Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis” (Vols. XX–XXV) were published.

 

Period 2009 to 2013

Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology and Landscapes of the Continental Shelf (SPLASHCOS)


In 2009–2013, Vladas Žulkus and Algirdas Girininkas, research professors at the BRIAI of Klaipėda University, participated in the Intergovernmental science and technology development project COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TD 0902: Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology and Landscapes of the Continental Shelf. Prof Žulkus was nominated to the COST Governance Committee.
To find out more, go to the SPLACHCOS website.
Period 2008 to 2011

SeaSide – Developing Excellent Cultural Destinations in the Southern Baltic area


From 1 July 2008 to June 2011, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University participated as a partner in the project “SeaSide – Developing Excellent Cultural Destinations in the Southern Baltic area” under INTERREG IVB “South Baltic Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2007–2013”. The management of the project was in charge of Prof habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus in 2008–2009 and of Dr Romas Jarockis as of 2009.

2006 and 2008

The Interplay of the European Cultures in Klaipėda Region: Research of Historical, Confessional and Ethnographic Legacy


In 2006 and 2008, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was carrying out a project “Interplay of the European Cultures in Klaipėda Region: Research of Historical, Confessional and Ethnographic Legacy”. The project was funded by the Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation. The initial research results were published in the 16th Volume of the journal „Annaberger Annalen“ (2008).

 

Period 2005 to 2007

From the Bordertown out into the World. Jews in Memel / Klaipėda


In 2005–2007, Dr Ruth Leiserowitz, a research fellow at the BRIAI, was carrying out the project “From the Bordertown out into the World. Jews in Memel/Klaipėda / Von der Grenzstadt hinaus in die Welt. Juden in Memel und Klaipėda“. The project aimed at collecting archival, iconographic materials, and verbal testimony from descendants of the Jews, who lived in Klaipėda, now scattered worldwide (in the US, Israel, Canada, Germany) on the livelihood of Jews in Klaipėda in the period from the early 19th century up to the Second World War. The collected data provided materials for the exhibition of photography and documents, which was hosted in a number of institutions in Klaipėda (Gallery of Pranas Domšaitis), Vilnius (the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum), and Kaunas (Kaunas County Public Library) from September 2005 to February 2007. In addition, the project involved a meeting with German author and director Ulla Lachauer in Vilnius.  Afterwards, the exhibitions were displayed at the Institute for German-Jewish History in Hamburg and the Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem. In 2013, the exhibition was displayed in the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Centre of the Queensborough Community College, New York. Promoters of the exhibition: Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology of Klaipėda University, Jews in East Prussia. History and Culture Society, Berlin (Juden in Ostpreussen. Verein zur Geschichte und Kultur e.V.), Klaipėda Jewish Community, the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, Goethe Institute in Vilnius, and Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Centre. The project and the first exhibitions were funded by Minister of State in the Federal Chancellery of Germany and Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, as well as the Litvak Foundation based in Vilnius.
Period 2005 to 2006

The Lost History of East Prussia: Wolf Children and Their Fate


In 2005–2006, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University was carrying out the project “The Lost History of East Prussia: Wolf Children and Their Fate” (Verlorene Geschichte Ostpreußens. Das Schicksal der Wolfskinder) under the supervision of Dr Ruth Leiserowitz. The project aimed at collecting archival and iconographic materials on orphaned East Prussian children, who, seeking to survive evaded to Lithuania after the war and there, sheltered by Lithuanian families, hid living under a false identity. The collected materials were exhibited in 2006 at the exhibitions held in Vilkyškiai (Pagėgiai Municipality), Agluonėnai (Klaipėda Municipality), at Residence Castle Stetten (Residenzen Schloß Stetten) in Künzelsau town (Baden-Württemberg State, Germany), in 2008 in the town of Bad Iburg (Lower Saxony, Germany). The exhibitions in Lithuanian were arranged by Dr Silva Pocytė and Dr Ruth Leiserowitz (BRIAI of Klaipėda University), and businessman Ričardas Savickas, member of the Council of Pagėgiai Municipality, in Germany by Wolf Children Historical Association (Wolfskinder Geschichtsverein e.V.) in Berlin.
Period 2005 to 2006

Establishing a Network of Russian Federation Kaliningrad District Study Centres


From 1 November 2005 to 31 October 2006, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University, in partnership with the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University, Wojciech Kętrzyński Centre for Scientific Research in Olsztyn (Poland) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, was carrying out the project “Establishing a Network of Russian Federation Kaliningrad District Study Centres” funded under PHARE 2003 “Cross Border Co-operation Programme in the Baltic Sea Region”. In the course of the project, researchers of the BRIAI of Klaipėda University developed the Feasibility Study on Cultural Cooperation with Kaliningrad Oblast (Dr Romas Jarockis, Daiva Masiliauskienė, M.A.), and contributed to the establishment of the Centre for Studies of Kaliningrad Region at Klaipėda University.
Period 2005 to 2006

Histories of the Family Photo Albums: Klaipėda Region, 1944–1960


In 2005–2006, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University pursued the project “Histories of the Family Photo Albums: Klaipėda Region, 1944-1960” (headed by Dr Ruth Leiserowitz). In the course of the project, a thematic database of photos reflecting the fates of the former inhabitants of the Klaipėda Region in the post-war period was created, which is available for historical, anthropological and other research.
Period 2004 to 2007

Natural and Cultural Heritage in the Southern Baltic Sea – Challenges and Perspectives for Regional Development


From 1 July 2004 to 2007, the BRIAI of Klaipėda University participated as a partner in the Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B project “Natural and Cultural Heritage in the Southern Baltic Sea – Challenges and Perspectives for Regional Development” in partnership with researchers from Germany, Poland, and Russia.
As of 1998

Maritime Archaeological Research of the Baltic Sea Coasts


The project has been in progress since 1998 in cooperation with the Rostock Maritime Museum (Germany), Stockholm Södertörns högsola, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (Sweden). The purpose of the project is to conduct an archaeological survey of the sea bottom, search for archival and historical information on sunken old ships, registration and creation of an inventory of underwater archaeological objects. Prof habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus has been head of the project. 
Period 1996 to 2000

Images of Neighbouring Nations in the Lithuanian Society


In 1996–2000, Doc Dr hab. Alvydas Nikžentaitis, a research professor at the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History, pursued the research project “Images of Neighbouring Nations in the Lithuanian Society”. It aimed to reveal images of the Polish and Germans in Lithuanian society from the medieval period to the modern times and compare them with the image of Lithuanians in the societies of Poland and Germany. The project was partially implemented during the internship in 1999 at the Philipp University of Marburg (Germany) funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The project deliverables include several articles on the cult of Vytautas, the image of Germans, Germany, and the Teutonic Order in the Lithuanian Society, as well as on the image of Lithuania in Germany, which were published in Lithuanian and Germany, also, a monograph in the Polish language “The Image of Witold and Jagiełło in the Societies of Lithuania and Poland” saw the light in Poznań in 2000 (its Lithuanian translation published in 2002).
Period 1996 to 1997

Sozialkultureller Wandel in Preußisch-Litauen vor und nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg


In 1996–1997, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History, in cooperation with German Historical Institute in Warsaw (Dr Robert Traba), developed and implemented the project “Socio-Cultural Transformations in Prussian Lithuania before and after the First World War”. Participation in the project included Doc Dr Nijolė Strakauskaitė, Silva Pocytė, M.A., Vygantas Vareikis, M.A., and Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis. The project deliverables include an international conference held in Warsaw in September 1997 and collected articles published in Osnabrück (Germany).
Period 1995 to 2008

Underwater and Archaeological Research in Plateliai Lake


In the period 1995 to 2008, archaeologists (Dr Vladas Žulkus, Klaidas Perminas, M.A.) of the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History (later BRIAI) in cooperation with the Underwater Archaeology Laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Dr hab. Andrzej Kola, Wojciech Szulta, M.A. [1964–2008], Krzystof Radka, M.A.), pursued the project aimed at systematic research of the underwater cultural heritage items located at the bottom of Lake Plateliai. The project progressed through arranging annual underwater archaeological research expeditions to Lake Plateliai and conducting archaeological excavations on the shores. The research results were published in articles by Vladas Žulkus and other researchers. The expeditions were sponsored by Klaipėda University, the National Park of Samogitia, and partially funded under the project “Culture Clash or Compromise”.
Period 1995 to 2001

Culture Clash or Compromise? (CCC): The Importance of Regional Survival Strategies in the Europeanization of the Baltic Rim


In 1996–2001, Vladas Žulkus and Alvydas Nikžentaitis, researchers at the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History, participated in the project “Culture Clash or Compromise?” (CCC) subtitled “The Importance of Regional Survival Strategies in the Europeanization of the Baltic Rim” initiated by the Gotland Centre for Baltic Studies in Visby (Sweden). In addition to the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History and the Gotland Centre for Baltic Studies in Visby, the project involved historians, archaeologists and geographers from Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland and Germany. The aim of the project was to delineate the impact of the Western Christian culture in the Baltic Region, the routes and effects of Europeanization. The project was headed by Professor Nils Blomkvist. The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation supported the initiative. During the project, a number of symposia were held in Visby, and an international conference was arranged in Nida in 1999, the results were published in a series of collected articles “Culture Clash or Compromise?”.
Period 1995 to 1999

Economic, Social and Political Situation in Kaliningrad Oblast after 1990


In 1995–1996, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History pursued a project aimed at the inception of the research of economic, social and political situation in Kaliningrad Oblast after the year 1990. The project was supervised by Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis. Project assistant Paulius Jankauskas compiled materials on Kaliningrad Region in the press, besides, within the framework of the project, three research articles were written in 1999 and published in volume VIII of the series “Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis.”
Period 1995 to 1996

Deutsch-litauischen Beziehungen 1918–1940

In 1995–1996, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History (Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis, Dr Nijolė Strakauskaitė, Vygantas Vareikis, M.A., Silva Pocytė, M.A.) pursued the project “German-Lithuanian Relations in 1918-1940” in partnership with Göttinger Arbeitskreise e.V. (Prof Boris Meissner), a former historical research organization which operated in Gothenburg, and the Baltic Sea Academy (Ostsee-Akademie) in Lübeck-Travemünde (Dr Dietmar Albrecht). The aim of the project was to analyse the relationships between the Germans and the Lithuanians in the interwar Period with a focus on the issue of Klaipėda Region as a key issue in these relations. Within the framework of the project, a symposium of German and Lithuanian historians “The German Ethnic Group in Lithuania and Klaipėda Region in the Interwar Period and German-Lithuanian Relationship Issues” was arranged in September 1996, followed in 1998 by publication in Hamburg of collected articles based on presentations given in the symposium.
Period 1995 to 1996

History of the Town of Palanga


In 1995–1996, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History carried out the research project “History of the Town of Palanga” (headed by Dr Vladas Žulkus). In addition to the scholars of Klaipėda University (Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis, Dr Vladas Žulkus, Vygantas Vareikis, M.A.), the project involved associates of the Lithuanian Institute of History and the History Museum of Lithuania Minor. The project produced a collective monograph “The History of Palanga” published in 1999 presenting the latest research data.
Period 1993 to 2008

The Curonians and their Neighbours / The Baltic Peoples in the Baltic Sea Area


In 1993, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History developed the long-term project “The Curonians and their Neighbours” which was renamed into “The Baltic Peoples in the Baltic Sea Area” in 2006. The project was supervised by habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus. The project aimed to investigate the ancient Curonian society, and its tangible and intangible culture spanning the period from the 1st through the 15th centuries. Within the framework of the project, two international conferences were held, in Nida in 1994 and in Palanga in 1997. Their materials were published, in addition to the monograph “Curonians in the Baltic Sea Area” by Žulkus in 2004. As of the end of 2005, the results of the project were supplemented by contributions from Dr Audronė Bliujienė and habil. Dr Algirdas Girininkas. Three persons involved in the project were granted Lithuanian Science Award in the Field of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2009 for the cycle of fundamental and applied scientific research work “The Baltic Peoples in the Baltic Sea Area (1994–2008)”.
Period 1993 to 1997

Founding the Thomas Mann Cultural Centre in Nida


In 1993–1997, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History (Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis), in cooperation with the Nordostdeutsches Kulturwerk Institute in Lüneburg (Dr Eckhard Matthes) and the Baltic Academy in Lübeck-Travemünde, elaborated and implemented the project for the creation of Thomas Mann Cultural Centre. Its purpose was to carry out a partial restoration of the summerhouse of the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann in Nida designed by architect Herbert Reissmann and establish there a non-profit organization Thomas Mann Cultural Centre. This centre was registered by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in the autumn of 1995. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Klaipėda University and Municipality of Nida acted as founders. The Centre, officially inaugurated on 27 April 1996, launched long-term programs oriented primarily towards the young people of the Baltic States. The project was funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History pursued this project until 1997 when the staff of the Cultural Centre was completed and its activities program formulated. The activities of the Centre are supervised by the Curatorium (Board of Trustees), which in 1994–2000 was chaired by habil. Dr  Alvydas Nikžentaitis.
Go to Thomas Mann Cultural Centre website.
Period 1992 to 2003

Creation of Digital Research Archive of Klaipėda Region and Žemaitija


In 1992–2003, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History developed the project for the creation of a digital research archive, which proved to be a long-term activity of BRIAI as of 2003. The project aims at collecting archival materials in duplicate format pertaining to the city and region of Klaipėda, and Žemaitija (Samogitia). The project consisted of two parts – first, the collection of information on archival materials about the Klaipėda Region in archives of Lithuania, Poland and Germany; second, the digitization of archival materials. In the beginning, the digital archive was developed by collecting documents pertinent to the history of the city of Klaipėda and the relationships between Germans and Lithuanians. In 1998 copying of the original documents surviving in the churches of Žemaitija commenced. The archive stored in compact discs is intended for studies and research work. Dr Vacys Vaivada managed the project whose principal partner was the Nordostdeutsches Kulturwerk Institute in Lüneburg (Dr Eckhard Matthes, Dr Joachim Tauber).
Period 1992 to 2002

History of the City of Klaipėda


In 1992–2002, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History developed the long-term project “History of the City of Klaipėda”, which aimed to prepare and publish a multivolume history of the city of Klaipėda written by German and Lithuanian historians. The project was conducted in cooperation with the Nordostdeutsches Kulturwerk Institute in Lüneburg, the History Museum of Lithuania Minor and individual Lithuanian and German historians. Due to financial and organizational problems, only part of the objectives of the project were implemented – the monograph “Medieval Klaipėda” by habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus was prepared and published in 2002, owing to efforts of Dr Joachim Tauber and Dr Vygantas Vareikis, multi-authored collected works “Changing with Time. The City of Klaipėda in the 20th Century” was compiled and published in the German language in Lüneburg (Germany) in 2002, and an informative book “Klaipėda. Popular History” was prepared and published in cooperation with the History Museum of Lithuania Minor in 2002.
Period 1992 to 2002

Investigation of the Site of the Klaipėda Castle


In 1992–2002, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History developed a project aimed at archaeological and historical investigations of the site of the Klaipėda castle. The project had an applied character of monument preservation. In the course of implementation of the project, Dr Vladas Žulkus and architect Saulius Manomaitis prepared the study “Historiographical Analysis of the Klaipėda Castle”, commissioned by the Division of Heritage Management of Klaipėda City Municipality, in 1995; the research results were published in the articles of Vladas Žulkus and other archaeologists, which were printed in Lithuania and Germany. The main works under the project included archaeological excavations carried out on the site of the Klaipėda castle in 1993–2000 and in 2002 (under the supervision of habil. Dr Vladas Žulkus), and financed by the Department of Cultural Heritage, the History Museum of Lithuania Minor, and Administration of Klaipėda City Municipality. The project was continued in the form of archaeological research of the castle site funded by private customers, which BRIAI carried out in 2007–2010 and 2012 (under the supervision of Dr Gintautas Zabiela).
Period 1992 to 1997

Features of the History of Žemaitija


In 1992–1997, the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History conducted a research project “Features of the History of Žemaitija”, which ultimate objective was to prepare and publish a collective monograph summarizing the features of Žemaitijan (Samogitian) history from the earliest times to 1918. The project was headed by Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis. The monograph saw the light in 1997 as a result of a collaboration of the historians of the Centre for History (Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis, Dr Vladas Žulkus, Dr Vacys Vaivada), the Lithuanian Institute of History (Dr Egidijus Aleksandravičius), and the Vilnius Academy of Arts (Dr Adomas Butrimas).
Period 1992 to 1996

From Daumantas to Gediminas. The Features of Pre-Christian Lithuanian Society


In 1992–1996, Dr Alvydas Nikžentaitis, a research fellow at the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History, pursued the project “From Daumantas to Gediminas. The Features of Pre-Christian Lithuanian Society.” It aimed to explore the structure of the pre-Christian Lithuanian society, interrelations among separate sections of the society, and the evolution of these relations and the society as a whole spanning the period from the 13th century to the first half of the 15th century. The project outcome was a monograph published in 1996 on the basis of which the Habilitation thesis was defended at Vilnius University in 1999.