Authors of the Monograph The Hillforts of Kernavė Honoured with the Vaclovas Sidzikauskas Award

The recipients of the Vaclovas Sidzikauskas Named Award were announced during the graduation ceremony of the Faculty of History at Vilnius University (VU). The authors of the monograph The Hillforts of Kernavė were recognised for their 2025 scholarly achievements.

The €2,000 Vaclovas Sidzikauskas Award was presented to the team of authors for their outstanding scholarly monograph The Hillforts of Kernavė (Vilnius University Press, 2025), a work that has made a significant contribution to Lithuanian archaeological and historical research. The monograph was authored by the project's principal investigator and team leader Gintautas Vėlius, together with Rokas Vengalis, Mindaugas Pilkauskas, Giedrė Piličiauskienė, and Karolis Minkevičius.

The monograph is the first comprehensive academic study to synthesise the results of decades of research on the Kernavė hillforts. It presents in detail both the archaeological excavations carried out throughout the 20th century and the extensive interdisciplinary investigations conducted in recent years using advanced methods such as magnetometry, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity tomography.

The research also employed minimally invasive coring techniques, resulting in the creation of digital terrain and stratigraphic models of the hillforts. The study incorporates an exceptionally large number of newly obtained radiocarbon and dendrochronological dates. Archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological evidence collected during the excavations was used to reconstruct and interpret the economic development and way of life of the communities that once inhabited the site.

"Hillforts are an inseparable part of the Lithuanian nation's historical consciousness. They are perceived not only as historical and archaeological sites but also as places of profound cultural and symbolic significance. As powerful symbols of national identity, they embody the resilience and strength of the Lithuanian people, their struggle for freedom and independence, and inspire pride in the nation's history," the authors write in the monograph's foreword.

Since 2017, the Vaclovas Sidzikauskas Named Award has been presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievements in historical research. Previous recipients include Professor Marija Drėmaitė, recipient of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts; Professor Arūnas Streikus, recipient of the Vilnius University Rector's Award; as well as distinguished historians Dr Norbertas Černiauskas, Dr Tomas Vaiseta, and others.

In May 2026, philanthropist Juozas Sidas Sidzikauskas, who lives in the United States, established the €100,000 Vaclovas Sidzikauskas (1893–1973) Sub-fund at the VU Foundation. Investment returns generated by the sub-fund will provide long-term funding for the Vaclovas Sidzikauskas Named Award and other initiatives at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University.