The most complicated problem in crypt investigations is treatment of the finds (burial items, coffins, etc.) discovered during the investigations of burial crypts.
- The Law on the Protection of Immovable Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Lithuania defines archeological finds as “the items or remains thereof which have been created by man or bear signs of human existence, […] which possess a scientific value of the knowledge of history” and “bodies of the ancients or remains thereof” are also considered archaeological finds1“Lietuvos Respublikos nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo apsaugos įstatymas”, Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, 22.12.1994, No. I-733, Teisės aktų registras, article 2, [accessed 01.09.2018], [electronic], available at: www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.9BC8AEE9D9F8/rLJnTLpKyB..
- The Archaeological Heritage Maintenance Regulation also establishes that an archaeological find is “an archaeological find dating back to the 19th century providing essential information on the nature, chronology and cultural value of the object”, and “specifies that all finds that have archaeological value and osteological material should be collected during the investigation”2“Įsakymas “Dėl paveldo tvarkybos reglamento PTR 2.13.01:2011 “Archeologinio paveldo tvarkyba” patvirtininimo”, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, 16.08.2011, No. ĮV-538, Teisės aktų registras, article 19.11, [accessed 01.09.2018], [electronic], available at: https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.405666/PlahhdfryW..
- The Rules on Transfer of Archaeological Finds Discovered during Immovable Cultural Heritage Research to Museums specify that archaeological finds shall be transferred to museums, directorates of cultural reserves or specialized depositories, while anthropological material and ecofacts shall be transferred to the museums that house specialized collections or have specialized depositories3“Įsakymas dėl Lietuvos Respublikos kultūros ministro 2005 m. vasario 25 d. įsakymo NR. ĮV-66 “Dėl nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo tyrimų metu rastų archeologinių radinių perdavimo muziejams taisyklių patvirtinimo” pakeitimo”, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, 01.06.2016, No. ĮV-426, [accessed 01.09.2018], [electronic], available at: https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.251664/cKaiLVOswP..
In implementing these legal acts, the remains from crypts are taken to the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University for research, and then the burial items are handed over to the depositories of museums. However, the question arises how to deal with the wooden coffins discovered crypts:
- should they be treated as archeological finds and preserved as museum exhibits?
- or, following the example of sarcophagi, should they be protected as movable cultural properties or as valuable properties of immovable cultural heritage property?
Practice shows that it is not always possible to preserve these finds; therefore it is necessary to ensure the survival of at least scientific information about them (i.e. to ensure proper documentation).
Justina Poškienė
1. | ↑ | “Lietuvos Respublikos nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo apsaugos įstatymas”, Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, 22.12.1994, No. I-733, Teisės aktų registras, article 2, [accessed 01.09.2018], [electronic], available at: www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.9BC8AEE9D9F8/rLJnTLpKyB. |
2. | ↑ | “Įsakymas “Dėl paveldo tvarkybos reglamento PTR 2.13.01:2011 “Archeologinio paveldo tvarkyba” patvirtininimo”, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, 16.08.2011, No. ĮV-538, Teisės aktų registras, article 19.11, [accessed 01.09.2018], [electronic], available at: https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.405666/PlahhdfryW. |
3. | ↑ | “Įsakymas dėl Lietuvos Respublikos kultūros ministro 2005 m. vasario 25 d. įsakymo NR. ĮV-66 “Dėl nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo tyrimų metu rastų archeologinių radinių perdavimo muziejams taisyklių patvirtinimo” pakeitimo”, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, 01.06.2016, No. ĮV-426, [accessed 01.09.2018], [electronic], available at: https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.251664/cKaiLVOswP. |