Reading the landscape with the dictionary of experience

Straipsnyje kraštovaizdis yra lyginamas su primarginta knyga, kurios skaitytojas rankose laiko iš archeologo atminties, užrašų ir nuotraukų sutelktą patirties žodyną. Pirmajame skyriuje apžvelgiamas Lietuvos kraštovaizdis, pabrėžiama vietovardžių ir vandenvardžių svarba, daug dėmesio skiriama vietiniams žmonėms, laikant juos neatsiejama kraštovaizdžio dalimi. Antrasis skyrius skirtas įvairiapusiams vietų tyrinėjimams, remiantis autoriaus patirtimi. Tiriamasis dalykas – kraštovaizdis ir vietos. Jų pažinimas remiasi akademine ir vietinių žmonių (atitinkamai rašytine ir sakytine) tradicija. Pirmą kartą ieškoma jų dermės, parodoma, kaip vietinė tradicija, artima paties autoriaus patirčiai, plečia kraštovaizdžio tyrinėtojo akiratį, siūlo naujas temas ir būdus joms pažinti. Prieinama prie išvados, kad tokia kraštovaizdžio tyrimų galimybė yra svarbi ir perspektyvi.Geological and archaeological investigations testify to the evolution of the Lithuanian landscape after the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 B.C.; written sources on the landscape date back to the end of the 14th century, and the oldest detailed maps are dated to the 17th century. For centuries, the book of the landscape was written by the local people. Details about their origin, social status, farms, businesses and traditions, tens of thousands of place names and hydronyms, are all an integral part of the landscape. The book of the Lithuanian landscape, which is characterized by continuous change in the relationship between forests and fields, the variation of the water level in rivers and lakes, in the hands of scholars is read in different ways. One is the dictionary of the archaeologist’s experience, with which we are introduced in this article and which is written following the academic tradition; the other focuses on what about the place is known by the local people. The possibility to combine the two traditions, often with different words and ways in speaking about the same place, is very attractive and important. Place is a certain area and of a certain volume above or below the ground surface. The place does not necessarily coincide with natural boundaries – it is important what area the name itself determines. In defining the limits of the place, from the landscape emerges the periphery and centre. However, the central parts don’t necessarily mean the mathematical centre, because their role and location are the sum of many different circumstances. Experience shows that the research of places is concurrent to memory training – map analysis, diary writing and site visits. Many places have their own time, which is important in trying to better know and understand them. The investigator’s task includes defining the scale, perspective and lighting. Proper site selection reveals its sithouette, shape, proportions, dimensions and special marks. Equally important is the place’s origin, nature and texture: local people are especially attentive to odour, taste and sound. Moreover, the place always has something else, which is difficult to objectively measure, and which commonly manifests as feelings and sensations