| Abstract [eng] |
The main goal of this thesis was to conduct a paleodemographic analysis of Lithuanian historical and prehistoric times using the contemporary Rostock Manifesto modelling method, and interpreting in the contexts of archaeological and historical data. The main source of data in the research presented here is the rich paleo-osteological material collected in the Laboratory of Anthropology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University (skeletal remains of adult individuals), found in archaeological sites in the territory of current Lithuania. The chronological period being analysed: from 1st millennium AD through the end of 18th c., as the majority of skeletal remains kept in Lithuania date to this period. In order to significantly contribute to the knowledge collected in the field of paleodemography, this thesis discussed three main issues: a) the reliability and limitations of the Rostock Manifesto methodology in paleodemographic research, b) compatibility of earlier Lithuanian paleodemographic research findings with the findings made using the RM methodology, and c) the interpretation of paleodemographic research findings within the framework of the population-resources model, at the same time employing archaeological and historical data. Some new, unexpected conclusions were made during the study, which at the same time also confirm some of the previously known paleodemographic knowledge. |
