Kuršiai ir jų kalbos reliktai Žemaičių žemėje

Abstract

In written sources the warlike tribe of Cursies is mentioned much earlier than the other Baltic tribes. The first acquaintance with Cursies which reveals their way of life could be considered the chronicle of Rimbert, the archbishop of Bremen-Hamburg, written in about 853 AD. This chronicle tells about Cursies and their struggles with Swedes and Danes. The investigators grew interested in the ethnic history of Cursies in between the 19th - 20th centuries, but only in the 3rd decade of the 20th century Cursies were numbered among the Balts. The most complicated until now appears the problem of the area of Cursies. Scientists have not agreed so far about its definite boundaries. At present it is thought that the Southern boundary could have reached the present environs of Palanga, Telšiai, Plungė, and the Eastern one was by the river Venta. In the North the boundary line between Cursies and Lybies had approximately to go through Venspils, Talsi, and Tukuma. [...]