Island settlement of Lake Bėlis: New insights into Late Bronze and Pre-Roman Iron Age living spaces in eastern Lithuania

In 2021, during underwater archaeological surveys in the lake district of eastern Lithuania, a new settlement was discovered on an island in Lake Bėlis (Švenčionys district). According to 14C AMS data, it dates to the 8th–4th centuries BC. The newly discovered Lake Bėlis island settlement stands out due to its size — it is a very small area of land — and because of its well-preserved structures and functional zones. A distinctive feature of this settlement is the wooden structures — piles — found on the underwater slopes around the island, extending along its entire perimeter. Additionally, the research was conducted in an archaeological layer situated in a wetland environment rich in preserved organic material. This article discusses the research on the island of Lake Bėlis, conducted from 2021 to 2023. In recent years, research in Lithuania has produced a significant amount of original material (new sites or reanalysis of known data) from the Late Bronze Age to the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The evidence analysed in this article suggests that in this period, besides common settlement types — hillforts, unenclosed settlements and lake dwellings — there were also settlements located on natural lake islands.