Heiki Valk
University of Tartu, Institute of History and Archaeology, Department Member
- Born on 7 May 1959 in Tartu, Estonia. 1983 graduating the University of Tartu (Estonia), 1983-1990 work at Estonian ... moreBorn on 7 May 1959 in Tartu, Estonia. 1983 graduating the University of Tartu (Estonia), 1983-1990 work at Estonian Ministry of Culture, in the system of archaeological heritage protection. Since 1991 employed by the University of Tartu as a researcher. 1992 transition period MA and senior research fellow. Since 1993 Head of the unit for archaeological research and infrastructure (arheoloogia kabinet). 2001 PhD 'Rural cemeteries of southern Estonia 1225-1800'. Presently employed at the University of Tartu, Institute of History and Archaeology, since 2020 as lead research fellow.edit
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Research Interests: Demography, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Biogeochemistry, Stable Isotope Analysis, and 14 moreBioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Baltic Studies, Osteology, Breastfeeding, Bioarchaeology of Childhood, Population, Weaning, PLoS one, Infant weaning, Isotope analysis, Archaeology of children and childhood, Estonian, and Palaeo diet Reconstructions
This article presents a comparative analysis of palynological and archaeological data from Ala-Pika on the Otepaa Heights, southeastern Estonia. The archaeological data begin from the Early Iron Age, and pollen analysis gives information... more
This article presents a comparative analysis of palynological and archaeological data from Ala-Pika on the Otepaa Heights, southeastern Estonia. The archaeological data begin from the Early Iron Age, and pollen analysis gives information on the natural history of the area for about the last 4500 years. Some additional data on the early stages of Lake Ala-Pika are also presented.
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Differently from most of Estonia, in the south-easternmost peripheries of the country – in the western border areas of Setomaa, as well as in the eastern and southern borderlands of Võrumaa – it is possible to distinguish sacred sites of... more
Differently from most of Estonia, in the south-easternmost peripheries of the country – in the western border areas of Setomaa, as well as in the eastern and southern borderlands of Võrumaa – it is possible to distinguish sacred sites of regional meaning, i.e. those where popular religious assemblies related to offering took place on holidays. In the Orthodox Seto culture area where medieval way of life survived until the 1920s, such sites are represented by the sacral complex of Miikse (offering stone, healing stream, cemetery hill, formerly also sacred oak and spring), St Anne’s stone (Annekivi) in Pelsi and Päevapööramise mägi (‘The Hill Where the Sun Turns’) in Hinniala village. Two major Orthodox religious centres of Setomaa have been founded on pre-Christian sacred sites. The church of Saatse was preceded by a sacred pine tree. On the site of the famous monastery of Pechory (Petseri) there was probably a large sacral complex of a sacred hill with a grove and cave, as well as a...
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Research Interests: Ancient History, Geography, Classical Archaeology, Roman History, Celtic Studies, and 15 moreBricolage, Roman Religion, Linguistics, Celtic religion, Gallo-roman archaeology, Romano-Celtic Religion, Epigraphy, Acculturation and romanization, Etudes Celtiques, Sanctuaires Celtiques Et Gallo-Romains, Celtology, Roman Archaeology, ROMAN HISTORY, Religion Gallo-Romaine, and Creolage
Richard Hausmann – one-time Great Man of Archaeology in Estonia
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This paper reports a case study of 43 fetuses and perinates from four mass graves and two double burials from the cemetery of St. Jacob in Tartu (SE Estonia). The burials were dated to the 13th–15th centuries AD and located outside the... more
This paper reports a case study of 43 fetuses and perinates from four mass graves and two double burials from the cemetery of St. Jacob in Tartu (SE Estonia). The burials were dated to the 13th–15th centuries AD and located outside the cemetery walls, and likely can be linked to historically recorded episodes of famine and epidemic in medieval Livonia. All individuals belonged to the fetal and perinatal age categories, meaning they were either aborted or died around the time of birth. Ten perinates of these 43 individuals displayed skeletal evidence for systemic metabolic disease. The results of the bioarchaeological investigation provide insights into the effects upheavals of the time had on the weakest members of the society, especially the vulnerability of pregnant and lactating mothers to undernutrition and infections, and shed light on how the prematurely deceased were treated in this urban community. This may potentially explain the burial location. This work is the first detailed paleopathological study of non-adults in medieval Estonia and the Baltic region, opening the way for further research on similar material in this geographical area.
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This article discusses the archaeological background of the Leivu and Lutsi Finnic language islands. In contrast to the earlier research tradition, a hidden Finnic presence is suggested by the distribution area of Roman Iron Age tarand... more
This article discusses the archaeological background of the Leivu and Lutsi Finnic language islands. In contrast to the earlier research tradition, a hidden Finnic presence is suggested by the distribution area of Roman Iron Age tarand graves up to and including the Medieval Period when the presence of a Finnic population in northeastern Latvia (“the Chud in Ochela”) is noted in 1179/80. The Leivu language island west of Alūksne may be the last descendants of this population, formed by the merging of a Finnic substrate and Latgalian superstrate and standing between the Estonians and Livonians. The borders of this Finnic area in northern and northeastern Latvia – a diverse network of communities, existing in parallel with Latgalian ones and based on various ethnic components – are difficult to determine, as archaeological traces of its cultural pattern in the 12th–14th centuries have much in common with the Latgalians despite definite peculiarities. The Finnic traces in the Lutsi ar...
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HEIKI VALK, EVE RANNAMÄE Tartu Ülikool, Ajaloo ja arheoloogia instituut, Arheoloogia osakond (University of Tartu, Institute of History and Archaeology, Department of Archaeology), Jakobi 2, 51014 Tartu, Estonia; heiki.valk@ut.ee... more
HEIKI VALK, EVE RANNAMÄE Tartu Ülikool, Ajaloo ja arheoloogia instituut, Arheoloogia osakond (University of Tartu, Institute of History and Archaeology, Department of Archaeology), Jakobi 2, 51014 Tartu, Estonia; heiki.valk@ut.ee ALEXANDER DOUGLAS BROWN and ALEKSANDER PLUSKOWSKI University of Reading, Department of Archaeology, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AB, United Kingdom MONIKA BADURA University of Gda sk, Department of Plant Ecology, ul. Wita Stwosza 59, PL 80-308 Gda sk, Poland LEMBI LÕUGAS Tallinna Ülikool, Ajaloo Instituut (Tallinn University, Institute of History), Rüütli 6, 10130 Tallinn, Estonia
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Cultural Heritage, Landscape Archaeology, and 9 moreMedieval Studies, Medieval Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Management, Archaeological Heritage Management, Geological Heritage, Landscapes, Medieval Landscapes, Micromorphology, and Castles and Fortifications
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SummarySexually transmitted (venereal) syphilis marked European history with a devastating epidemic at the end of the 15th century, and is currently re-emerging globally. Together with non-venereal treponemal diseases, like bejel and... more
SummarySexually transmitted (venereal) syphilis marked European history with a devastating epidemic at the end of the 15th century, and is currently re-emerging globally. Together with non-venereal treponemal diseases, like bejel and yaws, found in subtropical and tropical regions, it poses a prevailing health threat worldwide. The origins and spread of treponemal diseases remain unresolved, including syphilis’ potential introduction into Europe from the Americas. Here, we present the first genetic data from archaeological human remains reflecting a previously unknown diversity of Treponema pallidum in historical Europe. Our study demonstrates that a variety of strains related to both venereal syphilis and yaws were already present in Northern Europe in the early modern period. We also discovered a previously unknown T. pallidum lineage recovered as a sister group to yaws and bejel. These findings imply a more complex pattern of geographical prevalence and etiology of early treponem...
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Data about the earliest history of medieval churches of southernEstonia are fragmentary, being limited to the first mentions ofthe parish, priest or congregation, or to mostly scanty historicalinformation about the architecture. Some... more
Data about the earliest history of medieval churches of southernEstonia are fragmentary, being limited to the first mentions ofthe parish, priest or congregation, or to mostly scanty historicalinformation about the architecture. Some information can also beprovided by archaeological grave finds, which often date back furtherthan the first data about the churches.The article presents a brief survey of the finds from the churchyardsof southern Estonia, the area of medieval diocese of Tartu, frombefore ca. 1450 AD. The finds, mostly jewellery and fragments ofcremated bones, show that churches were often built on top of oldcemeteries from the Final Iron Age, whereby the pre-Christianjewellery items, mostly brooches, rings and bracelets, date mainlyfrom the 11th to the early 13th centuries. If the cases in which thearchaeological information is limited or non-existent are excluded,60% of the rural churches of southern Estonia (9 out of 15) were builton pre-Christian cemeteries. The perce...
Although sheep (Ovis aries) have been one of the most exploited domestic animals in Estonia since the Late Bronze Age, relatively little is known about their genetic history. Here, we explore temporal changes in Estonian sheep populations... more
Although sheep (Ovis aries) have been one of the most exploited domestic animals in Estonia since the Late Bronze Age, relatively little is known about their genetic history. Here, we explore temporal changes in Estonian sheep populations and their mitochondrial genetic diversity over the last 3000 years. We target a 558 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial hypervariable region in 115 ancient sheep from 71 sites in Estonia (c. 1200 BC-AD 1900s), 19 ancient samples from Latvia, Russia, Poland and Greece (6800 BC-AD 1700), as well as 44 samples of modern Kihnu native sheep breed. Our analyses revealed: (1) 49 mitochondrial haplotypes, associated with sheep haplogroups A and B; (2) high haplotype diversity in Estonian ancient sheep; (3) continuity in mtDNA haplotypes through time; (4) possible population expansion during the first centuries of the Middle Ages (associated with the establishment of the new power regime related to 13th century crusades); (5) significant difference in g...
Research Interests: Archaeology, Breeding, Neolithic Archaeology, Mitochondria, Ancient DNA (Archaeology), and 13 moreAncient Greek History, Medieval Islamic History, Ancient DNA Research, Multidisciplinary, Genetic Diversity, Mitochondrial DNA, Sheep, Estonia, Haplotypes, Fossils, Animals, PLoS one, and Genetic variation
From January to September 2013, a marked increase in notifications of Salmonella Paratyphi A infections among travellers returning from Cambodia occurred in France. An investigation revealed 35 cases without a common source: 21 in France,... more
From January to September 2013, a marked increase in notifications of Salmonella Paratyphi A infections among travellers returning from Cambodia occurred in France. An investigation revealed 35 cases without a common source: 21 in France, five in Germany, three in the Netherlands, one in Norway, one in the United Kingdom, four in New-Zealand. Data suggest an ongoing event that should trigger further investigation. Travellers to Cambodia should observe preventive measures including good personal hygiene and food handling practices.
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The text (in Estonian) presents data on Seto (Orthodox SE Estonia) fertility god Peko collected during the fieldwork of 1993-2019. New information on the images of the pagan god, as well as the last worshipers of the deity are published.
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A survey of small fieldwork on 6th-early 7th cc. hill fort in SE Estonia.
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Survey of small fieldwork on 6th - early 7th c. Age hill fort of Värtemäe in SE Estonia
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Finds of Final Iron Age jewelry and cremated bones show that many medieval parish churches of southern Estonia were founded on Iron Age cemeteries. This shows the active participation of the natives in choosing places for churches during... more
Finds of Final Iron Age jewelry and cremated bones show that many medieval parish churches of southern Estonia were founded on Iron Age cemeteries. This shows the active participation of the natives in choosing places for churches during the period of Baltic crusades , as well as high evaluation of the new religion, at least in terms of its afterlife concepts.
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The text presents survey of metal detector investigations on medieval cemetery and chapel site at Loosi, SE Estonia. Large number of offered coins from the 13th-14th cc., incl. coins from the first decades after the conquest and... more
The text presents survey of metal detector investigations on medieval cemetery and chapel site at Loosi, SE Estonia. Large number of offered coins from the 13th-14th cc., incl. coins from the first decades after the conquest and Christianization refers to special status of the site which can be explained by its location at the big trading route from the important centres of Ugandi (Tartu and Otepää) to Pskov and Old Rus areas. Finds from Loosi give a foothold to localize the course of the road in the south-eastern corner of Estonia.
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The text discusses the time of disappearance of Finnic population in northern Latvia, noting that it may locally have retained its ethnocultural identity longer than suggested before - until the end of prehistory and also in medieval... more
The text discusses the time of disappearance of Finnic population in northern Latvia, noting that it may locally have retained its ethnocultural identity longer than suggested before - until the end of prehistory and also in medieval times. The lack of Finnic burial record since the 6th century is explained by transition to unfurnished or poorly furnished flat cremation graves. Similar lack of burials is characteristic since the end of the Roman Iron Age until the end of prehistory also in southern Estonia where the presence of Finnic population has never been questioned.