The habitation of Lithuania would seem to date back about 12,000 years – around the time of the end of the last ice age.  Some Upper Palaeolithic burials have been found from this time although the remains are scarce.  Some of the best archaeology from this time can be found by visiting the lost city Kernave which although mainly medieval in date has been the site of discoveries dating back to around 11,000 years.  Many of the artefacts which have been discovered there can be seen at Kernave’s Museum of Archaeology and History.

During the Mesolithic Period (7500 – 3500BC) the area around the Baltic was heavily forested and abundant with fauna making it an attractive place to live for hunter-gatherer societies.  Two separate cultures, the Nemunas and the Kunda inhabited the forests and lived by fishing, hunting and scavenging.  A number of decorated animal bone artefacts have survived from this time, depicting symbols representing the Sun.
 
By the early Neolithic (3000BC) two distinct cultures (the Nemunas and the Narva) were living in Lithuania.  This can be seen by the two different types of pottery which have been found.  Evidence for early farming dates from this period and a considerable number of objects made from amber, bone and wood have been recovered.    It is likely that these Neolithic peoples lived in matriarchal societies in common with other cultures of the surrounding area.

From around 2500BC a sudden change in pottery and axe designs is seen in the Balkan Area.  This is likely to be as a result of an influx of new occupants bringing with them their own technologies and culture. These incomers are likely to have been from the direction of the Russian Steppes.   Pottery from this new culture was decorated with imprinted cord ornaments and gives its name to what is known as the Corded Ware Culture.  It is now thought that these people are the direct ancestors of many of today’s inhabitants of Lithuania.
Later, the Roman writer Tacitus referred to the Lithuanians as excellent farmers in what is possibly the first written use of the name of the country.