Guardians of Krikštonys: The Oval Hillfort and its Burial Mound

The Pad Ox Hillfort, locally known as Krikštonių kaimo, is located approximately 1.2 kilometers west of Krikštonys. With an oval shape, measuring 10x12 meters, and standing 14–15 meters high, it is surrounded by a ditch on the west side. The site, including the settlement, covers an area of 1.83 hectares. Archaeological research, conducted by the Lithuanian History Institute in 1954 and 1962, suggests that the site and settlement date back to the 1st millennium BC to the 13th century.

The Pad Ox Hillfort got its name from the distinctive burial mound at its center, but it houses two fortifications.

The first fortification features a stone rampart with an undisturbed burial chamber from the 5th–6th century: a silver cauldron, iron spearheads, iron knives, bronze buckles, and stone pots. A second fortification was found to the north of the first. The finds are housed at the Lithuanian National Museum.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons