Researchers have determined that some of the first Christians buried in Vilnius were most likely from Kievan Rus, which today belongs to Ukraine and southern Poland.
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These conclusions were made by scientists who studied the remains of people from the 13th–14th centuries found in the historical Vilnius Ruthenian quarter (Latin Civitas Ruthenica) cemetery on Bokšto Street. By analyzing carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium isotopes preserved in teeth and bones, researchers were able to determine not only dietary habits but also assess where these people might have originated.
The study provides new insights into early Vilnius history and shows that the city was multicultural and multi-confessional from its very formation – it was home to people from distant lands, through whom Christianity likely spread into Lithuania.
Migrant from the South
Of the 15 examined individuals, it is evident that the men were particularly mobile and likely not locals. One young man (grave 311) stood out from the others. Chemical traces in his teeth showed that he spent his childhood in a warmer southern region. His diet included sorghum – a plant common in the medieval eastern and southern regions but nearly extinct in Lithuania due to the onset of cooling.
In childhood, this man also consumed a lot of animal proteins, such as dairy products, meat, and fish. However, later his diet changed and became similar to that of local Vilnius residents, indicating that he moved to Vilnius during adolescence and integrated into the local Orthodox community. Additionally, the strontium and oxygen isotopes in the enamel of grave 311’s teeth, which reflect the food and water consumed during the formation of permanent teeth, differed significantly from the majority of enamel isotopes of people buried in the cemetery and matched signals typical of regions south of Lithuania.
The Vilnius community at the time was shaped by migration and mixed marriages.
A similar isotopic signal was recorded in enamel studies of people from the Ostriv 11th–12th century cemetery near Kyiv. Researchers believe that the man from grave 311 could have originated from former Kievan Rus territories – possibly present-day Ukraine or southern Poland.
One of the leaders of the Bokšto Street cemetery research, Dr. Rytis Jonaitis from the Lithuanian Institute of History, states that archaeologists had previously suspected the presence of migrants from Ruthenian lands in the city community. However, isotope data now confirms this – at least some of the people buried here definitely came from distant regions beyond Lithuania’s borders.
The study also revealed that most of the women buried in the cemetery were of local origin, from the Vilnius region. This suggests that the Vilnius community at the time was shaped by migration and mixed marriages. It is likely that Christianity came to the region together with men from Orthodox lands and was adopted by local women.
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The study reveals Vilnius’s diverse origins
The Bokšto Street cemetery is one of the largest known medieval Christian burial sites in pagan Lithuania. In the 13th–14th centuries, Lithuania was still officially pagan, but the people buried in this cemetery followed Orthodox Christian burial traditions.
Archaeological finds here – Byzantine-style jewelry, crosses, necklaces, and imported grave goods – have long indicated connections with Ruthenian and Byzantine worlds. New isotope studies now confirm this biologically, showing that migration contributed to the formation of the earliest Christian communities in Vilnius.
The lead author of this scientific study, Professor Giedrė Motuzaitė Matuzevičiūtė from Vilnius University’s Faculty of History, states that studying human remains allows for a much more precise understanding of migrations, diet, and social connections than archaeological finds alone. “By combining anthropology, archaeology, and isotope studies from different human tissues that form at various life stages, we can for the first time directly identify individuals who changed their diet and place of residence and migrated to medieval Vilnius during the city’s formation period. This study shows that Vilnius was very diverse from the very beginning of its history – fitting the criteria of an ethnically dynamic and growing cultural and economic center.”
Dr. Irma Kaplūnaitė, a researcher at the Lithuanian Institute of History and one of the leaders of the long-term archaeological research at the Bokšto Street cemetery, emphasizes that archaeology and chemistry complement each other very well. “Grave finds, burial customs, and isotope analysis together allow not only to determine people’s origins but also to understand how they integrated into medieval Vilnius society, who were locals and who were not, and how the processes of forming a multicultural and multi-confessional city took place.”
What motivated migration to Vilnius?
The study raises broader questions about migration in medieval Europe. According to scientists, people could have come to Vilnius for various reasons: political ties between Lithuania and Rus lands, trade opportunities, religious motives, or population movements possibly triggered by the Black Death pandemic that devastated much of Europe in the mid-14th century. Professor Rimantas Jankauskas from Vilnius University’s Faculty of Medicine emphasizes that “Northern European territories served as a kind of refuge for densely populated Southern European regions where pandemics spread especially rapidly.
Fleeing epidemic outbreaks and seeking better living conditions, people moved north, and Vilnius gradually became a center of attraction for various peoples. These findings are important for better understanding early Vilnius history. They once again confirm that medieval cities were dynamic and diverse spaces shaped by human mobility, interaction of different cultures, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
The study was conducted by researchers from Vilnius University and the Lithuanian Institute of History in collaboration with the Free University of Brussels.
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