Naujoji Vilnia Barrow Cemetery

The Naujoji Vilnia barrow cemetery lies in Barsukynė forest, on the lands of the former Rokantiškės district. It dates from the second half of the 1st millennium, and four clearly visible barrows survive at the eastern edge of a ravine of the Vilnia valley. Not all the mounds are well preserved: the ones furthest to the south have holes dug by illegal treasure hunters. The larger mounds are 9–10 m across and up to 1.6 m high, the smaller ones 6 m across and up to 1 m high. In the 19th century these barrows were excavated by Adam Plater, who found 40 cremation burials, 32 inhumation burials of horses and grave goods from the 6th–12th centuries – weapons, harness fittings and jewellery. Two 10th–11th-century barrows were investigated later. One of them contained a fireplace surrounded by burnt bones, clay pots, broad-bladed iron axes, a double-edged sword, a sickle and other finds, which are now kept at the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw. The barrow on a hill near the Kučkuriškės dam in the Naujoji Vilnia district has been set up for visitors. There is a sign at the foot of the hill and steps lead up to the top; the barrows have been tidied up and put on display, and there is an unusual stone museum where ancient rock carvings found in Lithuania are reproduced on ordinary stones. On All Souls' Day candles are lit and hymns are sung here.