Opening of the book "Latgale mounds and their folklore".

Archeologist Juris Urtāns, leading researcher of the Institute of Culture and Arts of the Latvian Academy of Culture (LKA), has prepared a new book "Latgale mounds and their folklore". The opening of the book will take place on September 7 at 16.00 at the foot of Dzirkali Pilskalns and Baznīckalns in Kūku Parish of Jēkabpils County as part of European Cultural Heritage Days.

"The book is an attempt to put together in one place the results of archaeological and folkloristic knowledge about all the mounds of one region of Latvia - Latgale," states the author Juris Urtāns in the introduction to the book. The book describes archaeologically a total of 180 known mounds in Latgale. The available folklore evidence - fables and stories - have been collected and published for each of the mounds. In general, about 400 folklore texts, which are quite different in terms of their volume, have been collected and summarized in the publication about Latgale mounds. At the beginning of the book, you can read a large, monographic introduction prepared by Juris Urtāns, which analyzes and describes topics such as the features and verification of mounds, the discovery and recognition of mounds in Latvia and Latgale, the folklore of mounds in Latgale. The data set of Latgale mound tales has been published respecting the uniqueness of the Latgale language and dialects. The publication will be binding both for the inhabitants of the historical land of Latgale and for fans of archaeology, folklore and cultural-historical heritage.

The 2024 European Cultural Heritage Days are dedicated to the accessibility and safety of cultural heritage. This year, the focus is on three main directions: public availability of cultural heritage, accessibility for people with functional disabilities and safety, which also includes public responsibility and knowledge about the preservation of cultural values. Juris Urtāns' new book about Latgale mounds and their folklore provides new, interdisciplinary knowledge about mounds, which are the most visually significant type of archaeological monuments in Latvia. "Mounds have not only a scientific key role as archaeological research objects, but also a role in the study of the cultural and historical landscape, in the creation, development and strengthening of local identity, belonging to a place and national self-awareness," says Juris Urtāns.

The opening of the book will include the opening of the European Cultural Heritage Days, with a ceremonial raising of the flag, as well as a tour of the Dzirkali castle hill and its surrounding area. Baltinava's amateur theater "Palādas" will also come to the village to perform a small skit on the motifs of the hillock folklore and the theme of the 2024 European Cultural Heritage Day.