“It was the Swedes who poured the pile of bullets. “After turning your head, people didn’t recognize the place, saw beautiful alleys, heard whistling, and fought with trees,” the submissions warn.
One of the rarest archaeological monuments in the whole country is hidden in the mystical Pilale forest: not a mound, but a ring-shaped defensive fortification made of stones a thousand years ago – a place of sacrifice. The thread of origin of this object leads to Scandinavia.
Viking sloop
The village of Auksūdis, located in the Kretinga district, near the historical town of Darbėnai and the ethnic Curonian territory of Mēguva, has recently been the subject of most attention due to the planned construction of a gigantic chemical factory between these settlements. In the background of political debates, the fact that an incredibly interesting, unique monument of cultural heritage lies completely nearby was pushed to the margins.
Surrounded from the east and west by the slush of the Dubupis and Lankupis streams is the Pilalė forest, which for many centuries hid a defensive fortification uncharacteristic of the territory of the white tribes.
“It is special in that it is very rare in the whole of Lithuania. We know of only three that are more or less preserved: Auksūdy, Ersla and Sudmantai. Another one was in Kretinga district, Vaineikiai, but it was destroyed during land reclamation. These monuments are distinguished by the fact that they are not typical mounds, located on river terraces, on promontories, on high ground. These are ring-shaped fortifications with a diameter of about 50 meters built from stones in completely level, even low, swampy areas,” archaeologist and mound expert Dr. Gintautas Zabiela.
All four objects are in ethnic Curonian lands, near the Baltic Sea, and this circumstance is significant.
“During the Viking Age, VIII-XI centuries. the Scandinavians both attacked the Curses and traded with them, temporarily settling somewhere. However, the essential factor that allows us to make assumptions about the Scandinavian origin of the Auksūdis kūliai pilale are the analogues in Scandinavia itself. The closest in terms of dimensions and structure is the defensive fortification of Eketorp in southeastern Sweden, on the island of Eland,” said Dr. G. Zabiela.
On the mentioned island, in a completely flat, wet place, in the 4th c. a ring-shaped fortification with a diameter of about 57 m was built of stones, which had high walls and entrances. For unknown reasons, this object around the 6th century. it was abandoned for even 400 years, and people returned again during the Viking times, around the 10th-11th centuries.
Swedes in 1974 conducted a large-scale archaeological survey of Eckethorpe (more than 2,400 finds were discovered) and reconstructed the object, which became a museum of history and archeology highly visited by tourists, an educational space under the open sky.
When asked if the Curonians, who maintained intensive cultural and economic ties with the Scandinavian Vikings, could have looked at the circular fortification model and built it on their land, Auksūdy, archaeologist G. Zabiela rejected this version.
“It is not the style of the Curonians: they were built in the highlands, but in Scandinavia and Estonia there are many such structures called “ringfort” (“hillfort” – mound, “ringfort” – circular fortification – auth. past.). It is considered that a ring-shaped fortification on a level ground allowed for better defense. In Scandinavia, there were also buildings in the courtyard of the fortification,” the archaeologist revealed in detail.
Pilale of the First Auksūdis, then called Auksūdis, of a similar structure was built in 1973-1974. discovered and researched by the famous local explorer of Kretinga, archaeologist Ignas Jablonskis (1911–1991). In his report, he wrote that several possibly Bronze Age “spindle dams” were found next to the mound. “If it were so, the residents of Auksuodis Kūliai pilale would have had a beautiful and very fishy lake even then,” he pondered.
According to G. Zabiela, the assumption that the prehistory of the enigmatic Auksūdis fortification goes back to the 1st millennium BC cannot be ruled out. However, there is a lack of data to support this theory, and here is the Scandinavian version – possibly the closest to the truth.
“Kulii pilale, according to the old people, has been a circular, low place covered with fir trees, surrounded by a stone roll, since ancient times. Over time, on various occasions, people have severely damaged the stone roller. At present, only small fragments remain of the stone roller of the pile, which has been less touched. From them it can be seen that in prehistoric times this stone roller was a field stone fence about 1 m wide and about 1.5 m high.
The stone roller, the former stone fence, was oval in shape and had slightly alternating ends on the west side. The internal dimensions of the courtyard surrounded by a stone fence are: from east to west about 58 m and from north to south about 52 m”, – 1974. I. Jablonskis wrote in the report.
You can compare: Eketorp in Sweden – 57 m in diameter IV century. and 80 m – from the 6th century; Sudmantai cistern in Klaipėda district, near the Yaki ring – outer diameter about 78 m, inner diameter – about 56 m; The defensive fortification of Ersla in the Skuados district is about 40 m in diameter.
The fortification of Yakut-Sudmantai in 2012. and in 2015 The scientists who studied with georadar and magnetometer found that the original rampart of the fortification was made of two rows of stones, but no traces of buildings were found in the yard.
in 2018 the joint scientific article published by the Germans Sebastian Messal, Martin Posselt and G. Zabiela draws the following conclusion: Auksūdis, Ersla and Sudmantai cisterns are of Scandinavian origin.
“It can be said that the Jak-Sudmant fortification was built by people who came from eastern Scandinavia, perhaps Eland, or they influenced their construction. <...> Although the actual purpose of the monument has not yet been revealed, as only faint traces of the fortification of the settlement were found in the courtyard, the fortification itself could have been used as a hiding place. It is likely that the fortification was not fully completed,” the researchers wrote.
Sacred place
The Swedes themselves write about Eketorp as follows: it is theoretically considered that people used this place for religious reasons, but also to protect themselves from enemy attacks. Coincidence, but there is a very clear trace of the sanctuary in Auksūdy. The ceremonial site was found right next to the defensive fortification.
“There are two places of residence called Auksūdis in all of Lithuania. One near Darbėnai, the other in Mažeikiai district, near Laižuva. Looking for the origin of this place name, linguist Marija Razmukaitė connected its root with the words “auka”, “to sacrifice”, and the second point salt- – with the Lithuanian word “sūduva”, which means a sticky bandage, an eye, a garmala.
It should be added that in Žemaitija, place names with the word “sacrifice” – “thing given to the gods” have survived only in the names of holy places. Old holy places are also known in Auksūdy, as well as in the neighboring villages of Maloniškii and Pelėkii. It is interesting that before the land reclamation, the entire rural village of Auksūdis was surrounded by swamps”, archaeologist and researcher of white shrines, prof. Dr. Vykintas Vaitkevičius.
According to him, in the new centuries, the residents of Auksūdis used to hide from their enemies in Kūliai Pilale.
“There is reason to believe that long after the introduction of Christianity, the celebrations of the Baltic religion were held in the same place,” said the scientist.
in 1998 in the book published by this researcher “Senior Lithuanian shrines. Žemaitija” it is written that “offerings to the gods were burned on Auksūdis Pilaitė mountain”, which were brought from the surrounding gardens. As a result, the village received the name “Sacrifice gardeners”. It was mentioned that I. Jablonskis also called the village Auksuodiži.
It is important that Dr. V. Vaitkevičius also found the supposed place of sacrifices, the alcove: it consists of a large stone with a smooth upper plane, along which two almost parallel strips-grooves are carved, and next to it is a funnel-shaped pit paved with small stones (possibly a ceremonial fire place).
Exploratory research in 1974 I. Jablonskis found a layer of burnt stones with soot and small coals in Kūlių Pilale.
Thus, the surroundings of Auksūdis are exceptional both for their archaeological and mythological heritage. “There was a manor mill on this site, called the Devil’s Mill. People were told to wash their clothes here, although it is said that some scarecrows, witches, and the Fairy also did the washing. People used to hear fairies wandering here at night,” says one of the innings.
