Antiquities and society: communicating heritage in the 19th century Lithuania

The aim of dissertation – on the basis of the analysis of the collections compiled in the 19th century Lithuania and their expression, to generalise the perspectives of the society on the cultural heritage and to reconstruct perceptions about it and associated meanings. The research analyses how and what specific images of its past and its identity the society was creating through the interpretation of the cultural heritage, what changes these mental constructs had undergone over time, and what meanings were attached to the items of the relevant cultural heritage. As a European phenomenon, collecting became popular from the second half of the 18th century. Lithuania was also part of this process, where the compilation of both private and public collections, the formation of the antiquities market started in the 19th century. In the collections of the 19th century, the objects of cultural heritage, taken individually, performed only the function of the sign or symbol. Taken as a whole, they cast light on the worldview of their compilers, and recounted their ideological narratives. Conscious participation of the society in the accumulation of objects of the past as part of their cultural identity and tradition encouraged one to familiarise oneself and to interpret this heritage, thereby expressing the feeling of commonality in the construction and cherishing of the collective memory while creating a common identity