The hilltop at Šikšnių piliakalnis, hidden for centuries under a dense forest, was only discovered in the 1st century AD. Its existence was unknown, shrouded in mystery. The hillfort was not discovered until the forest, hidden with it, was cut down. Today, the hill stands sentinel-like, its 55-meter diameter elevated platform a testament to centuries gone by. The hillfort is settled in a separate hill, its 7-meter terrace 12 meters below the top, surrounded by the remains of the forest that once hid it away.
The site was constructed by cutting down a forest, a fact revealed during the first archaeological excavations. It was registered under the Lithuanian Cultural Heritage Registry on February 19, 2005, and the area of the cultural heritage site is 5 hectares. The Hillforts.eu project has open data resources for the site, and the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture issued a decree for the preservation of cultural heritage in 2005-04-29; Nr. ĮV-190.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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