''Mūsų senovė'' (literally: our past) was a

Lithuanian-language Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...

academic magazine published in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

in 1921–1922 (edited by

Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, universi ...

, published by the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

) and in 1937–1940 (edited by

Mykolas Biržiška Mykolas Biržiška (; 24 August 1882, in Viekšniai – 24 August 1962, in Los Angeles), a Lithuanian editor, historian, professor of literature, diplomat, and politician, was one of the twenty signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuan ...

, published by

Vytautas Magnus University Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) (, VDU) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was known as the University of Lithuania, but ...

). It was the first attempt to publish a periodical dedicated to the study of the history in Lithuanian. It was published irregularly and mostly dealt with the materials and topics related to the

Lithuanian National Revival The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism (), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century, when a major part of Lithuanian-inhabited areas belonged to the Russian ...

and the

Lithuanian press ban The Lithuanian press ban () was a ban on all Lithuanian language publications printed in the Latin alphabet, in force from 1865 to 1904, within the Russian Empire, which controlled Lithuania proper at the time. Lithuanian-language publications t ...

. In total, 10 issues appeared.

First magazine

On 16 January 1921, a gathering of a group of older Lithuanian intellectuals and activists – prof. , prof.

Adomas Jakštas-Dambrauskas Adomas is a Lithuanian language given name, the Lithuanized form of the name Adam. Notable people known under this name include: *Pranas Končius (code name Adomas; died 1965), last anti-Soviet Lithuanian partisan killed in action *Icikas Meskupas ...

, Dr.

Kazys Grinius Kazys Grinius (, 17 December 1866 – 4 June 1950) was the third President of Lithuania, holding the office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926. Previously, he had served as the fifth Prime Minister of Lithuania, from 19 June 1920 until his r ...

, prof.

Jonas Jablonskis Jonas Jablonskis (; 30 December 1860, in Kubilėliai, Šakiai district – 23 February 1930, in Kaunas) was a distinguished Lithuanian linguist and one of the founders of the standard Lithuanian language. He used the pseudonym ''Rygiškių Jonas'' ...

, prof.

Antanas Kriščiukaitis Antanas Kriščiukaitis, also known by the pen name Aišbė (24 July 1864 - 30 October 1933) was a Lithuanian writer and judge who served as the chairman of the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania from 1918 until his death in 1933. A Lithuanian Societ ...

, prof.

Petras Leonas Petras Leonas (1864–1938) was a Lithuanian attorney and politician, the first Minister of Justice of the newly independent Lithuania in 1918. After graduating from Moscow University in 1889, Leonas held a government job at various courts in S ...

, prelate prof.

Jonas Mačiulis-Maironis Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, ; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian National Reviv ...

, teacher

Pranas Mašiotas Pranas Mašiotas (1863–1940) was a Lithuanian activist and educator best known as children's writer and translator. Born in Suvalkija to a family of Lithuanian farmers, Mašiotas attended Marijampolė Gymnasium and studied mathematics at Mosc ...

, prof. , priest

, and prof.

Eduards Volters Eduards Volters (18 March 1856 – 14 December 1941) was a linguist, ethnographer, archaeologist who studied the Baltic languages and culture. He was a long-time professor at the Saint Petersburg University (1886–1918) and Vytautas Magnus Univ ...

– discussed the need for a publication where they could share their memoirs and publish other material related to the

and the

. The second meeting on 20 January was attended by more intellectuals, including

Kazimieras Būga Kazimieras Būga (; November 6, 1879 – December 2, 1924) was a Lithuanian linguist and philologist. He was a professor of linguistics, who mainly worked on the Lithuanian language. He was born at Pažiegė, near Dusetos, then part of the Russ ...

, Sofija Čiurlionienė,

Petras Klimas Petras Klimas (, 23 February 1891 - 16 January 1969) was a Lithuanian diplomat, author, historian, and one of the twenty signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuania. Klimas attended law school at the University of Moscow. After graduatin ...

. They decided to publish magazine ''Mūsų senovė'' irregularly – as material and funding became available. Tumas-Vaižgantas was selected as its chief editor with Būga, Klimas and

Augustinas Janulaitis Augustinas Janulaitis (1878–1950) was a Lithuanian attorney, judge, and university professor who specialized in the legal history of Lithuania. Janulatis studied law at the University of Moscow but was expelled for participating in the 1899 Ru ...

elected to the editorial board. With the help from

Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius Vincas Mickevičius (pl. ''Wincenty Mickiewicz'', October 19, 1882 – July 17, 1954), better known by his pen name Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius, was a Lithuanian writer, poet, novelist, playwright and philologist. He is also known as Vincas Krėv� ...

, ''Mūsų senovė'' was financed and published by the

. Contributors included

Paulius Galaunė Paulius Galaunė (January 25, 1890 in Pagelažiai near Ukmergė – October 18, 1988 in Kaunas) was a Lithuanian art historian, museum curator, and graphic artist. He was one of the first professional museum curators in Lithuania and was well-publ ...

Liudas Gira Liudas Gira (27 August 1884 in Vilnius – 1 July 1946 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian poet, writer, and literary critic. His is noted for his early poetry, which resembles traditional Lithuanian folk songs. Gira was active in cultural and political ...

Jurgis Šaulys Jurgis Šaulys (; 5 May 1879–18 October 1948) was a Lithuanian economist, diplomat, and politician, and one of the twenty signatories to the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania. Šaulys attended Palanga Progymnasium and Vilnius St. J ...

. Five volumes (a total of 865 pages) were published before it was discontinued due to financial difficulties and low quality of published material. It published articles on various topics (including a few on subjects such as archaeology or

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

) and primary material for future studies (such as correspondence, memoirs, diaries, documents). They mostly concerned the

history of Lithuania History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

from the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

of 1864 to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The magazine also published reviews of books. One such review by

Augustinas Voldemaras Augustinas Voldemaras (16 April 1883 – 16 May 1942) was a Lithuanian nationalist political figure. He briefly served as the country's first prime minister in 1918 and continued serving as the minister of foreign affairs until 1920, representing ...

of books by priest resulted in a

polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...

discussion that highlighted differences between more liberal

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...

and more conservative Christian clergy. Editor Tumas-Vaižgantas was not an academic and the publication was rather chaotic without a well-defined structure.

Second magazine

The discontinued ''Mūsų senovė'' was replaced by other historical magazines and journals, however they often published articles on archaeology and the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

with little attention given to the more recent history of Lithuania. Tumas-Vaižgantas established a rich archive at the

related to the

and the

. To encourage the study of this material and this historical period, the university agreed to revive ''Mūsų senovė'' in 1937. Edited by

Vaclovas Biržiška Vaclovas Biržiška (2 December 1884 – 3 January 1956) was a Lithuanian attorney, bibliographer, and educator. He was a member of a notable Lithuanian family; his great-grandfather Mykolas Biržiška was a representative in the Sejm of the Pol ...

, it had a well-defined structure that was similar to academic journals. The publication was discontinued after the

Soviet occupation of Lithuania The occupation of the Baltic states was a period of annexation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by the Soviet Union from 1940 until its dissolution in 1991. For a period of several years during World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Baltic st ...

in June 1940. The journal dedicated most of its content to the publication of memoirs, documents, correspondence, and other primary materials. Most of the material was published in over two or more volumes. For example, memoirs of priest , who was exiled to

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

for supporting the

, were published in sections in all five volumes. The published articles included a study of the satires published by members of the by , of the Lithuanian theater in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

by , of the Lithuanian exposition at the World's Fair in Paris in 1900 by , of ideological similarities and differences between

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

and

Andrius Domaševičius Andrius Domaševičius (30 November 1865 – 19 March 1935) was a Lithuanian politician and gynecologist. He was one of the founders and an active member of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, Social Democrat movement in Lithuania. Early ...

References

External links

Full-text archive of ''Mūsų senovė''
1921 establishments in Lithuania 1922 disestablishments in Lithuania 1937 establishments in Lithuania 1940 disestablishments in Lithuania Defunct magazines published in Lithuania History magazines Magazines established in 1921 Magazines disestablished in 1922 Magazines reestablished in 1937 Magazines disestablished in 1940 Lithuanian-language magazines Mass media in Kaunas Irregularly published magazines Magazines published in Lithuania {{Italic title