The first find of its kind in Lithuania: the remains of a medieval soldier were found in Lake Asveja

Archaeologist Elena Pranckėnaitė reported that the remains of the ancient Dubingiai Bridge, at a depth of nine meters, on the side of the lake, had been discovered and captured underwater, covered by a layer of mud and sand, reported archaeologist Elena Pranckėnaitė.

According to her, the case in which human remains with personal belongings belonging to her as a single random object, rather than a burial, are found underwater is unique and the first in Lithuania.

A water pump, used in the practice of underwater archaeological research, mounted on a floating platform on the surface of the water, was used to discover the discovered object.

The find was cleaned in thin layers by removing layers of mud and sand and carefully recording it, as is customary in archaeological methodology.

According to preliminary data, the remains of a medieval warrior were found in the lake.

According to E. Pranckėnaitė, this is evidenced by the sword found nearby, well-preserved long leather boots, to which are attached pentines, two knives, one of them, with leather vaginas, the remains of thongs.

By analogy, these finds may be from the 16th century.

Researchers are amazed by perfectly preserved objects made of organic materials (leather): details of clothing, vaginas, thongs. According to the preliminary findings of anthropologists, these are the remains of a young man whose cause of death is not revealed by the osteological material, but the investigation will continue.

The osteological material is currently being investigated at the Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, and the archaeological finds have been transferred to the Lithuanian National Museum and are being preserved.

The bottom of Lake Asveja has been explored intermittently with underwater archaeological research methods since 1998. There the piles of the old bridge, its horizontal constructions and archaeological finds from the 16th-17th centuries were found: fragments of household utensils, parts of tiles , tiles, bricks, various metallic construction details.

The location of the old ferry was also found, as well as wooden bars dating from different periods, the most widely used water vehicles in Lithuania and neighboring countries since the Stone Age.