MOŠKĖNAI (LAUKUPĖNAI) HILLFORT

Moškėnai (Laukupėnai) Hillfort (Rokiški district) dates back to the 1st millennium BC - the 1st millennium. There is a foothill settlement on all the slopes of the hill, in an area of 5 ha. The hillfort is located on a separate massive hill on the left bank of Laukupė, the site is elongated, surrounded by an embankment, the slopes are steep up to 30 m high, and there are 2 ditches on the slopes - embankment rings. More than 400 “witnesses” of various types of history were found during the research of the settlement at the foothills: a clay spindle, scratched and rough ceramics, slag, and animal bones. The legend about Moškėnai Hill tells that a strong oak castle stood on a steep mountain in the Selonia region, among huge forests, on the bank of a watery stream. Her master, the noble Meškėnas, was a greedy, cruel tyrant. He had two children: the gold digger, the whimsical Laukupela and the calm son Tylutis. Gods were once worshipped where the town of Panemunis now stands, a green holy oak grove. However, troubling news about unknown foreign horsemen reached the land. Meškėnas joined them because he was ready to serve  and help defeat the sleuths opposing the newcomers. The greedy nobleman asked for one thing in return - to be allowed to remain the chief vizier in the tribe. The son Tylutis, on the other hand, remained on the side of the Selonians. The old “krivis“ (Lithuanian pagan priest) cursed Meškėnas for his betrayal, and he became a stranger and ugly to his beloved daughter Laukupėla. Merciless was the revenge of Perkūnas (God of thunder and lightning among Lithuanians) - he struck the bear’s oak castle with lightning bolts, and tongues of flame lit up the sky. No one saw nobleman Meškėnas and his daughter Laukupė again. Revenge of Perkūnas and fire destroyed the traitor along with the castle and all the wealth. After declaring 2017 as the Year of Hillforts, the “Top 10“ hillforts were presented by the archaeologist, archaeology historian, and Doctor of Humanities Gintautas Zabiela, who is often called the guru of hillforts. One of them is Moškėnai Hillfort.