Origins of archaeological heritage protection in Lithuania

XIX a. pabaigoje Vakarų Europoje susiformuoja pagrindiniai profesionaliosios paveldosaugos elementai: įteisinamas paveldo ekspertų institutas, materialiosios kultūros liekanoms priskiriama vidinė vertė ir įteisinami jų sąrašai, paveldas pasitelkiamas tapatumui formuoti. Straipsnyje siekiama atskleisti profesionaliosios paveldosaugos formavimosi procesus Lietuvai esant Rusijos imperijos sudėtyje. XIX a. pirmoje pusėje Lietuvoje ėmė rastis archeologijos mokslo užuomazgų ir paveldo apsaugos (plačiąja prasme) pastangų, kurios XIX a. viduryje Vilniaus senienų muziejaus ir Vilniaus laikinosios archeologijos komisijos veikloje įgavo kai kuriuos profesionaliosios paveldosaugos bruožus. Atskiri paveldo apsaugos sistemos elementai įsitvirtina XIX a. pabaigoje, kai archeologijos objektų apsaugai ir jų tyrimams imta taikyti visoje Rusijos imperijoje galiojusi sistema, tačiau, kitaip nei Vakarų Europoje, bendro paveldo apsaugą įgyvendinančio įstatymo nebuvo priimta. XIX a. pabaigoje–XX pradžioje etninės lietuvybės pagrindu gimstanti lietuvių tauta susitelkė į valstybės kūrimo darbus – tai taip pat nulėmė pavėluotą profesionaliosios paveldo apsaugos sistemos formavimąsi, palyginti su kitomis Europos šalimis.The processes of legislation and the development of systems for the preservation of ancient remains, including archaeological heritage, were under development in the countries of Western Europe during the 19th century. The requirements for cultural heritage protection (in the broad meaning), as well as the need to “convey” archaeological finds to the public in the museums, essentially influenced the formation of the methodology of archaeological science. The need to protect archaeological sources facilitated the active participation of archaeologists in the adoption of appropriate legislation. The origins of archaeological science and heritage protection in Lithuania can be traced to the beginning of the 19th c. By the middle of the century, elements of professional heritage protection were introduced: attempts were taken to organize professional societies (“organizations of experts”), to inventory archaeological heritage objects, to collect, document and investigate archaeological material as well as to publicly display it. On April 29 (according to the new calendar – May 11), 1855, the Vilnius Museum of Antiquities and the Vilnius Temporary Archaeological Commission were founded by the efforts of count Eustachy Tyszkiewicz. His visits to Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden, Denmark) and the fact that he maintained relations with relevant institutions in Europe enabled him to follow modern scientific and conservational approaches toward archaeological material. The activity of the Vilnius Museum of Antiquities and the Vilnius Temporary Archaeological Commission was an institutionalized manifestation of the archaeological science and heritage protection of that period, which conveyed the ideas of the historical and cultural traditions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). After the uprising of 1863–1864, the administration of the Russian Empire took the control over processes of heritage dissemination, as well as archaeological research and protection, aiming to use it for the propagation of imperial ideology Nevertheless, it did not have any substantial influence on the “pure” archaeological science. After the reorganization of the Vilnius Museum of Antiquities to the Museum of Antiquities under Vilnius Public Library, its head, Fyodor Pokrovsky, managed the museum’s archaeological collections by applying a scientific methodology and was the first to produce the archaeological maps of the three governorates (Vilnius, Grodno and Kaunas). The maps are considered as the first comprehensive inventory of archaeological heritage objects from the territories of the former GDL. The system of permissions for archaeological excavations, valid in the Russian Empire, was also introduced by the end of the 19th c. These facts can be considered as components of professional heritage protection; nevertheless, the attempts to pass the general law and to introduce the system of archaeological heritage protection in the Russian Empire were not successful. In 1904–1906, the processes of democratization opened new initiatives in the field of cultural heritage research, preservation and interpretation. The birth of a modern Lithuanian nation demanded relevant approaches toward its past. Efforts were put into the development of the modern Lithuanian national state thus delaying the adoption of the appropriate legislation for archaeological heritage protection