Jonas Puzinas

Jonas Puzinas (October 1, 1905 – April 14, 1978) was Lithuanian archaeologist and specialist on the prehistory of Lithuania. He belonged to the first generation of Lithuanian scholars who matured in independent Lithuania (1918–40). He was the first scientifically trained archaeologist of Lithuania and he laid the foundations, including some of the basic terminology and periodization, for future archaeological studies. His work in Lithuania was cut short by World War II. In 1944, he retreated to Germany and then to the United States. There he continued his academic work, notably editing Lithuanian encyclopedias.

Puzinas was born on October 1 [O.S. September 18] 1905 in Svaronys near Deltuva to a family of well-to-do peasants. After graduating from Ukmergė Gymnasium, with the help of Steponas Kairys, he was accepted to the University of Lithuania. There he studied Lithuanian language and literature, comparative linguistics, and pedagogy in 1925–29. Even as a gymnasium student, Puzinas showed interest in Lithuanian culture: he collected local Lithuanian songs and myths (sent to Jurgis Dovydaitis) and local vocabulary (sent to editors of the Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian). As a university student, Puzinas became a secretary of Antanas Smetona, President of Lithuania, and helped him edit and organize his correspondence and other paperwork. With Smetona's help, he received a scholarship of 20,000 litas from the Ministry of Education that enabled him to continue his studies in a Western university. He was the first to receive such scholarship; as a condition of the scholarship, he had to repay 10% of his post-graduation wages to the ministry.

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