Stanislovas Goštautas

At the table

Fresh fish was a vital supplement

Ordinary people caught and ate a wide variety of fish from local lakes and rivers, including pike, perch, and occasionally sturgeon, as a vital supplement to their diet.

What people wore

Color as a Social Privilege

After the Christianization of Lithuania in 1387, ordinary people's clothing became simpler, with colors mostly limited to white, grey, and brown, as wearing colorful garments became an unwritten privilege of the nobility.

Getting around

Average travel speeds in the 16th century

Travelers in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania generally traveled at a speed of about 25 km per day on foot or in carts laden with goods. Skilled riders, however, could travel faster, and the postal service achieved speeds of about 62 km per day.

What it cost

Rising prices of livestock

During the 16th century, the price of common livestock such as cows tripled and pigs doubled due to a period of significant price increases.

Music

Instruments of common people

Ordinary people used simple percussion like tabalas (wooden boards) for signals and drums for gatherings, while shepherds played instruments like whistles, flutes, and goat horns. Musical instruments excavated in Vilnius include jaws harps, clay whistles, and sleigh bells.

Daily life

Modest wooden peasant homes

Peasant homesteads were modest, typically consisting of a wooden dwelling house, a granary, and a cattle-shed. Some peasants in Samogitia lived in a numas, a structure with a central fireplace rather than a stove.