Kas bija senie lietuvieši? Lietuvas un lietuviešu izcelsme

So far, this channel has mainly explored the ancient peoples who inhabited the territory of present-day Latvia – the Semigallians, Latgallians, Curonians, and Selonians. However, these tribes occupied only part of the Baltic lands in antiquity, primarily the northernmost regions inhabited by the Balts. Further to the south lived other Baltic peoples who laid the foundations for the second Baltic nation that has survived to the present day – the Lithuanians. The Lithuanian nation also emerged through the merging of parts of the Curonian, Semigallian, and Selonian lands. These ancient ethnic groups therefore form an important historical link between both Latvians and Lithuanians. Yet when discussing the origins of the Lithuanians, the main core of their ethnogenesis is usually considered to consist of the Aukštaitians, the Samogitians... and the Lithuanians themselves. In this episode of Laika doma, we will explore several fascinating questions. Can we really speak of the Lithuanians as a distinct tribe as early as the 13th century? How did the political core of Lithuania emerge, and how far back can we trace the first mention of the name Lithuania in historical sources? Were the Lithuanians a single tribe, a union of tribes, or perhaps a community united by closely related languages? And could there be any truth to the later medieval chronicles claiming that the Lithuanians were actually descended from the Romans?