Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta / I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura, 2023
Etu-Sihvola, H., Moilanen, U. & Therus, J. (Eds). 2023. Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkin... more Etu-Sihvola, H., Moilanen, U. & Therus, J. (Eds). 2023. Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta / I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura. Turku: Sigillum.
Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Väre, T., Moilanen, U. & Tranberg, A. 2022. Unusual Death and Memor... more Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Väre, T., Moilanen, U. & Tranberg, A. 2022. Unusual Death and Memorialization - Burial, Space, and Memory in the Post-Medieval North. Berghahn Books, New York & Oxford.
This dissertation focuses on Early Medieval and Medieval (c. AD 900–1400) inhumation burial custo... more This dissertation focuses on Early Medieval and Medieval (c. AD 900–1400) inhumation burial customs in Upper Satakunta and Häme regions in Finland. The aim is to clarify the find contexts of Early Medieval inhumation burials in Finland, and to explore the research potential of studying the variations in burial customs. The methodology is based on archaeothanatological analysis which aims at distinguishing the human and natural taphonomic processes in burials. Although some of the burials have been considered atypical in previous research, the studies on the contexts of all the graves in the area reveal that there has been significant variation in Early Medieval inhumation burial customs. This variation is likely explained by individual choices at different stages of the burial ritual. These choices may have been influenced by different social motives, beliefs, and local events. Therefore, the variations in burial practices emphasize the impact of individual agency. In addition to general variation, a possible slight increase in double and multiple burials around AD 1200 was observed. This is also a period when “antique” spearheads were occasionally struck into the coffin structures – a habit previously considered dramatic and unusual. Based on environmental studies and recent molecular studies in the Baltic countries and Scandinavia, it is possible that crop failure and epidemic outbreaks caused a mortality crisis at the time, leading to an increase in double and multiple burials. However, the political instability of the period could also have also provoked local power struggles, which could have emphasized the ritual meaning of ancestors. This could explain the various usage of “antique” objects and older cremated bones in the inhumation burials. When the graves are studied in detail, it will become possible to raise new questions on gender roles and identities, local rituals, commemoration, and the meanings of objects and sites. In general, the contextualization of graves widens the possibilities to study and interpret Finnish archaeological material and help integrate this material in wider geographical, temporal, and theoretical discussion.
This paper presents the Archaeological Artefact Database of Finland (AADA) of prehistoric (coveri... more This paper presents the Archaeological Artefact Database of Finland (AADA) of prehistoric (covering period of almost 11,000 years) artefacts in Finland that are categorised by type and are accompanied with photos of the artefacts. The database is intended to contain all typologically classifiable prehistoric artefacts found in Finland and held in Finnish collections. This dataset provides spatio-temporal context for artefacts across different time periods and regions, as it includes approximately 38,000 single artefacts and approximately 10,000 pottery type identifications from the Early Mesolithic to the end of the Iron Age in Finland (c. 8900 calBC - 1300/1500 calAD). In addition, the artefacts are given period-based (subperiod) dating to allow their chronological affiliation. To facilitate data usage, we also offer an R-script to replicate the data visualisation provided in this paper and a Python script to merge the artefact information to the pictures. We further work towards an interactive user interface for data download and visualization.
Moilanen, U., & Sahramaa, J. 2024. Exploring materiality and sensory experience through Viking Ag... more Moilanen, U., & Sahramaa, J. 2024. Exploring materiality and sensory experience through Viking Age reenactment. Time and Mind, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1751696X.2024.2354831
Sensory archaeology explores how past individuals engaged with their world through all their senses. The use of senses is also a cornerstone in Viking Age reenactment. We argue that research on Viking Age material culture can benefit from the knowledge and experience of Viking Age reenactors, particularly when studying the sensory dimension of using and crafting objects. The traditional dichotomy between archaeologists and reenactors can also be challenged, as many individuals can be professional archaeologists but also reenactors. The application of reenactment in archaeological research is nevertheless situated on the boundary between subjective experiences and objective academic research. For this kind of research to work, methodological rigour and a theoretical framework is required to ensure the reliability and validity of interpretations. By applying a relevant theoretical framework, for example one that embraces the theories of sensory archaeology, while acknowledging the nuanced interplay of authenticity and subjectivity, Viking Age reenactment can provide a unique tool to study Viking Age material culture.
Kirkinen, T., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Peltosaari, T., Lähdekorpi, M. & Hemmann, K. 2024. The... more Kirkinen, T., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Peltosaari, T., Lähdekorpi, M. & Hemmann, K. 2024. The Archaeology of Human–Animal Relations in Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-Century Finland: Horse Burials and Cemeteries in Agrarian Landscapes. Historical Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-024-00487-7
Rohrlach, A.B., Rivollat, M., de-Miguel-Ibáñez, P., Moilanen, U., Liira, A.-M., Teixeira, J., Roc... more Rohrlach, A.B., Rivollat, M., de-Miguel-Ibáñez, P., Moilanen, U., Liira, A.-M., Teixeira, J., Roca-Rada, X., Armendáriz-Martija, J., Boyadzhiev, K., Boyadzhiev, Y., Llamas, B., Tiliakou, A., Mötsch, A., Tuke, J., Prevedorou, E.-A., Polychronakou-Sgouritsa, P., Buikstra, J., Onkamo, P., Stockhammer, P. W., Heyne, H. O., Lemke, J. R., Risch, R., Schiffels, S., Krause, J., Haak, W. & Prüfer, K. 2024. Cases of Trisomy 21 and Trisomy 18 among Historic and Prehistoric Individuals discovered from Ancient DNA. Nature Communications, 1294 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45438-1
Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Esihistoriallisten tartuntatautien ja epidemioiden tutkimusmah... more Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Esihistoriallisten tartuntatautien ja epidemioiden tutkimusmahdollisuudet Suomessa. Ennen ja nyt - Historian tietosanomat 2/2023. Kulkutautien historiaa: 5–18.
Moilanen, U. 2023. The Role of Experiences in Valuing Metal-Detecting Finds among Finnish Hobbyis... more Moilanen, U. 2023. The Role of Experiences in Valuing Metal-Detecting Finds among Finnish Hobbyists, Public Archaeology, DOI: 10.1080/14655187.2022.2158617
This article focuses on survey responses and Finnish metal-detector hobbyists’ thoughts on finds that are not taken into archaeological collections. Such finds are usually post-medieval artefacts that could potentially be relevant for historical and contemporary archaeology in the future. Analysis of the survey responses suggests that metal detectorists are actively creating stories around objects and the sites where they are found. Together with the discovery event, these stories shape the detectorists’ relationship with the objects and thus with the past. Understanding the detectorists’ emotional approach to finds and the hobby may help build a shared understanding and thus provide tools for successful collaboration. At the same time, it is essential to consider how different approaches to finds and find locations may affect archaeological contexts and data.
Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Source discrepancies in post-medieval archaeology – a case stu... more Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Source discrepancies in post-medieval archaeology – a case study of crypt burials at Seili church, Finland. Mortality, https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2174840
The island of Seili, in the south-western archipelago of Finland, is famous for its history as a leprosy colony and mental asylum. The island formed a small, hierarchical community run by priests and hospital officials. In this article, we examine the history of the burial crypt in Seili church by comparing information from historical documents and observations made during archaeological field-work. The material gathered from these two sources is conflicting, suggesting an interesting history in the use of the burial crypt. It seems that women’s coffins could easily be moved elsewhere from the crypt when new coffins belonging to males were interred. It is argued that identifying the buried individuals would be necessary for a taphonomic study of the mummification processes and ensur-ing that the information about the crypt is based on facts. However, the identification is difficult due to inconsistent historical records. This underlines the importance of Post-Medieval archaeology in studying sites connected to family histories.
Moilanen, U., Muhonen, T. Piha, M., Rantanen, J. & Tiilikkala, J. 2022. Historiallinen karhunpeij... more Moilanen, U., Muhonen, T. Piha, M., Rantanen, J. & Tiilikkala, J. 2022. Historiallinen karhunpeijaisrituaali ja karhunkallomännyt arkeologisina kohteina. SKAS 1/2022: 21–44.
Moilanen, U. & Raninen, S. 2022. Merovingiaikainen polttohauta Kihniön Pyhäniemessä. Muinaistutki... more Moilanen, U. & Raninen, S. 2022. Merovingiaikainen polttohauta Kihniön Pyhäniemessä. Muinaistutkija 2/2022: 24-30.
Moilanen, U., Juhola, T., Pätsi, S., Vanhanen, S. & Alenius, T. 2022. 'The Color of the Grave is ... more Moilanen, U., Juhola, T., Pätsi, S., Vanhanen, S. & Alenius, T. 2022. 'The Color of the Grave is Green' - Moss and Juniper in Early Medieval Graves at Toppolanmäki, Finland. Environmental Archaeology, doi:10.1080/14614103.2022.2083927
Two graves, initially discovered in the 1930s, were reopened and examined in 2017 and 2018 at the Early Medieval cemetery of Toppolanmäki, Finland. Soil samples taken from the graves were sampled for macrofossils, pollen and microfauna. Pollen and spore analysis provided possible evidence for the use of mosses and juniper branches in the graves. Also, mossindicating microfauna (Euglypha spp.) was detected. At Toppolanmäki, mosses were used in both coffins and earth burials. The clubmoss found in the latter could even indicate the presence of a woven carpet or mattress in the grave pit. The use of juniper, on the other hand, could indicate ritual continuation from the Iron Age as it is a common find in older cemeteries. It is also possible that the early medieval environment around the site was characterised by dry meadows and juniper bushes at the time of the burial, and even that one of the burials took place in early summer. The study highlights the research potential of graves that have been excavated decades ago and presents a new biological indicator of the use of moss in burials: the testate amoeba Euglypha.
Autere, K., Hemminki, N., Modarress, M., Moilanen, U. & Reinikainen, S. 2022. Aineellinen kulttuu... more Autere, K., Hemminki, N., Modarress, M., Moilanen, U. & Reinikainen, S. 2022. Aineellinen kulttuuriperintö konflikti- ja sotatilanteissa – Lyhyt katsaus Ukrainan tilanteeseen. Muinaistutkija 1/2022: 41-48.
Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N., Rohrlach, A., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2022). A Woman with a Sword? – Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of Archaeology, 25(1), 42-60. doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.30
Moilanen, U. 2021. Mitä tarkoittaa ihmisjäännösten kunnioittava kohtelu? Muinaistutkija 4/2021: 3... more Moilanen, U. 2021. Mitä tarkoittaa ihmisjäännösten kunnioittava kohtelu? Muinaistutkija 4/2021: 38-43.
Moilanen, U. 2021. Nykypäivän tasa-arvokysymysten ja arkeologisen tutkimuksen yhtymäkohdassa. (Pä... more Moilanen, U. 2021. Nykypäivän tasa-arvokysymysten ja arkeologisen tutkimuksen yhtymäkohdassa. (Pääkirjoitus.) Muinaistutkija 3/2021: 1.
Between 2018 and 2020 the Kipot ja kielet [Beakers and Speakers] project (KiKi) collected a typol... more Between 2018 and 2020 the Kipot ja kielet [Beakers and Speakers] project (KiKi) collected a typological database of archaeological artefacts in Finland and a typological linguistic database of Uralic languages. Both datasets will be accessible through a public online interface (URHIA) from 2021. The data will help integrate Finnish-and Uralic-speaking areas into global perspectives on human history.
Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta / I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura, 2023
Etu-Sihvola, H., Moilanen, U. & Therus, J. (Eds). 2023. Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkin... more Etu-Sihvola, H., Moilanen, U. & Therus, J. (Eds). 2023. Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta / I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura. Turku: Sigillum.
Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Väre, T., Moilanen, U. & Tranberg, A. 2022. Unusual Death and Memor... more Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Väre, T., Moilanen, U. & Tranberg, A. 2022. Unusual Death and Memorialization - Burial, Space, and Memory in the Post-Medieval North. Berghahn Books, New York & Oxford.
This dissertation focuses on Early Medieval and Medieval (c. AD 900–1400) inhumation burial custo... more This dissertation focuses on Early Medieval and Medieval (c. AD 900–1400) inhumation burial customs in Upper Satakunta and Häme regions in Finland. The aim is to clarify the find contexts of Early Medieval inhumation burials in Finland, and to explore the research potential of studying the variations in burial customs. The methodology is based on archaeothanatological analysis which aims at distinguishing the human and natural taphonomic processes in burials. Although some of the burials have been considered atypical in previous research, the studies on the contexts of all the graves in the area reveal that there has been significant variation in Early Medieval inhumation burial customs. This variation is likely explained by individual choices at different stages of the burial ritual. These choices may have been influenced by different social motives, beliefs, and local events. Therefore, the variations in burial practices emphasize the impact of individual agency. In addition to general variation, a possible slight increase in double and multiple burials around AD 1200 was observed. This is also a period when “antique” spearheads were occasionally struck into the coffin structures – a habit previously considered dramatic and unusual. Based on environmental studies and recent molecular studies in the Baltic countries and Scandinavia, it is possible that crop failure and epidemic outbreaks caused a mortality crisis at the time, leading to an increase in double and multiple burials. However, the political instability of the period could also have also provoked local power struggles, which could have emphasized the ritual meaning of ancestors. This could explain the various usage of “antique” objects and older cremated bones in the inhumation burials. When the graves are studied in detail, it will become possible to raise new questions on gender roles and identities, local rituals, commemoration, and the meanings of objects and sites. In general, the contextualization of graves widens the possibilities to study and interpret Finnish archaeological material and help integrate this material in wider geographical, temporal, and theoretical discussion.
This paper presents the Archaeological Artefact Database of Finland (AADA) of prehistoric (coveri... more This paper presents the Archaeological Artefact Database of Finland (AADA) of prehistoric (covering period of almost 11,000 years) artefacts in Finland that are categorised by type and are accompanied with photos of the artefacts. The database is intended to contain all typologically classifiable prehistoric artefacts found in Finland and held in Finnish collections. This dataset provides spatio-temporal context for artefacts across different time periods and regions, as it includes approximately 38,000 single artefacts and approximately 10,000 pottery type identifications from the Early Mesolithic to the end of the Iron Age in Finland (c. 8900 calBC - 1300/1500 calAD). In addition, the artefacts are given period-based (subperiod) dating to allow their chronological affiliation. To facilitate data usage, we also offer an R-script to replicate the data visualisation provided in this paper and a Python script to merge the artefact information to the pictures. We further work towards an interactive user interface for data download and visualization.
Moilanen, U., & Sahramaa, J. 2024. Exploring materiality and sensory experience through Viking Ag... more Moilanen, U., & Sahramaa, J. 2024. Exploring materiality and sensory experience through Viking Age reenactment. Time and Mind, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1751696X.2024.2354831
Sensory archaeology explores how past individuals engaged with their world through all their senses. The use of senses is also a cornerstone in Viking Age reenactment. We argue that research on Viking Age material culture can benefit from the knowledge and experience of Viking Age reenactors, particularly when studying the sensory dimension of using and crafting objects. The traditional dichotomy between archaeologists and reenactors can also be challenged, as many individuals can be professional archaeologists but also reenactors. The application of reenactment in archaeological research is nevertheless situated on the boundary between subjective experiences and objective academic research. For this kind of research to work, methodological rigour and a theoretical framework is required to ensure the reliability and validity of interpretations. By applying a relevant theoretical framework, for example one that embraces the theories of sensory archaeology, while acknowledging the nuanced interplay of authenticity and subjectivity, Viking Age reenactment can provide a unique tool to study Viking Age material culture.
Kirkinen, T., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Peltosaari, T., Lähdekorpi, M. & Hemmann, K. 2024. The... more Kirkinen, T., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Peltosaari, T., Lähdekorpi, M. & Hemmann, K. 2024. The Archaeology of Human–Animal Relations in Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-Century Finland: Horse Burials and Cemeteries in Agrarian Landscapes. Historical Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-024-00487-7
Rohrlach, A.B., Rivollat, M., de-Miguel-Ibáñez, P., Moilanen, U., Liira, A.-M., Teixeira, J., Roc... more Rohrlach, A.B., Rivollat, M., de-Miguel-Ibáñez, P., Moilanen, U., Liira, A.-M., Teixeira, J., Roca-Rada, X., Armendáriz-Martija, J., Boyadzhiev, K., Boyadzhiev, Y., Llamas, B., Tiliakou, A., Mötsch, A., Tuke, J., Prevedorou, E.-A., Polychronakou-Sgouritsa, P., Buikstra, J., Onkamo, P., Stockhammer, P. W., Heyne, H. O., Lemke, J. R., Risch, R., Schiffels, S., Krause, J., Haak, W. & Prüfer, K. 2024. Cases of Trisomy 21 and Trisomy 18 among Historic and Prehistoric Individuals discovered from Ancient DNA. Nature Communications, 1294 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45438-1
Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Esihistoriallisten tartuntatautien ja epidemioiden tutkimusmah... more Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Esihistoriallisten tartuntatautien ja epidemioiden tutkimusmahdollisuudet Suomessa. Ennen ja nyt - Historian tietosanomat 2/2023. Kulkutautien historiaa: 5–18.
Moilanen, U. 2023. The Role of Experiences in Valuing Metal-Detecting Finds among Finnish Hobbyis... more Moilanen, U. 2023. The Role of Experiences in Valuing Metal-Detecting Finds among Finnish Hobbyists, Public Archaeology, DOI: 10.1080/14655187.2022.2158617
This article focuses on survey responses and Finnish metal-detector hobbyists’ thoughts on finds that are not taken into archaeological collections. Such finds are usually post-medieval artefacts that could potentially be relevant for historical and contemporary archaeology in the future. Analysis of the survey responses suggests that metal detectorists are actively creating stories around objects and the sites where they are found. Together with the discovery event, these stories shape the detectorists’ relationship with the objects and thus with the past. Understanding the detectorists’ emotional approach to finds and the hobby may help build a shared understanding and thus provide tools for successful collaboration. At the same time, it is essential to consider how different approaches to finds and find locations may affect archaeological contexts and data.
Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Source discrepancies in post-medieval archaeology – a case stu... more Moilanen, U. & Paasikivi, S. 2023. Source discrepancies in post-medieval archaeology – a case study of crypt burials at Seili church, Finland. Mortality, https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2174840
The island of Seili, in the south-western archipelago of Finland, is famous for its history as a leprosy colony and mental asylum. The island formed a small, hierarchical community run by priests and hospital officials. In this article, we examine the history of the burial crypt in Seili church by comparing information from historical documents and observations made during archaeological field-work. The material gathered from these two sources is conflicting, suggesting an interesting history in the use of the burial crypt. It seems that women’s coffins could easily be moved elsewhere from the crypt when new coffins belonging to males were interred. It is argued that identifying the buried individuals would be necessary for a taphonomic study of the mummification processes and ensur-ing that the information about the crypt is based on facts. However, the identification is difficult due to inconsistent historical records. This underlines the importance of Post-Medieval archaeology in studying sites connected to family histories.
Moilanen, U., Muhonen, T. Piha, M., Rantanen, J. & Tiilikkala, J. 2022. Historiallinen karhunpeij... more Moilanen, U., Muhonen, T. Piha, M., Rantanen, J. & Tiilikkala, J. 2022. Historiallinen karhunpeijaisrituaali ja karhunkallomännyt arkeologisina kohteina. SKAS 1/2022: 21–44.
Moilanen, U. & Raninen, S. 2022. Merovingiaikainen polttohauta Kihniön Pyhäniemessä. Muinaistutki... more Moilanen, U. & Raninen, S. 2022. Merovingiaikainen polttohauta Kihniön Pyhäniemessä. Muinaistutkija 2/2022: 24-30.
Moilanen, U., Juhola, T., Pätsi, S., Vanhanen, S. & Alenius, T. 2022. 'The Color of the Grave is ... more Moilanen, U., Juhola, T., Pätsi, S., Vanhanen, S. & Alenius, T. 2022. 'The Color of the Grave is Green' - Moss and Juniper in Early Medieval Graves at Toppolanmäki, Finland. Environmental Archaeology, doi:10.1080/14614103.2022.2083927
Two graves, initially discovered in the 1930s, were reopened and examined in 2017 and 2018 at the Early Medieval cemetery of Toppolanmäki, Finland. Soil samples taken from the graves were sampled for macrofossils, pollen and microfauna. Pollen and spore analysis provided possible evidence for the use of mosses and juniper branches in the graves. Also, mossindicating microfauna (Euglypha spp.) was detected. At Toppolanmäki, mosses were used in both coffins and earth burials. The clubmoss found in the latter could even indicate the presence of a woven carpet or mattress in the grave pit. The use of juniper, on the other hand, could indicate ritual continuation from the Iron Age as it is a common find in older cemeteries. It is also possible that the early medieval environment around the site was characterised by dry meadows and juniper bushes at the time of the burial, and even that one of the burials took place in early summer. The study highlights the research potential of graves that have been excavated decades ago and presents a new biological indicator of the use of moss in burials: the testate amoeba Euglypha.
Autere, K., Hemminki, N., Modarress, M., Moilanen, U. & Reinikainen, S. 2022. Aineellinen kulttuu... more Autere, K., Hemminki, N., Modarress, M., Moilanen, U. & Reinikainen, S. 2022. Aineellinen kulttuuriperintö konflikti- ja sotatilanteissa – Lyhyt katsaus Ukrainan tilanteeseen. Muinaistutkija 1/2022: 41-48.
Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N., Rohrlach, A., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2022). A Woman with a Sword? – Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of Archaeology, 25(1), 42-60. doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.30
Moilanen, U. 2021. Mitä tarkoittaa ihmisjäännösten kunnioittava kohtelu? Muinaistutkija 4/2021: 3... more Moilanen, U. 2021. Mitä tarkoittaa ihmisjäännösten kunnioittava kohtelu? Muinaistutkija 4/2021: 38-43.
Moilanen, U. 2021. Nykypäivän tasa-arvokysymysten ja arkeologisen tutkimuksen yhtymäkohdassa. (Pä... more Moilanen, U. 2021. Nykypäivän tasa-arvokysymysten ja arkeologisen tutkimuksen yhtymäkohdassa. (Pääkirjoitus.) Muinaistutkija 3/2021: 1.
Between 2018 and 2020 the Kipot ja kielet [Beakers and Speakers] project (KiKi) collected a typol... more Between 2018 and 2020 the Kipot ja kielet [Beakers and Speakers] project (KiKi) collected a typological database of archaeological artefacts in Finland and a typological linguistic database of Uralic languages. Both datasets will be accessible through a public online interface (URHIA) from 2021. The data will help integrate Finnish-and Uralic-speaking areas into global perspectives on human history.
Moilanen, U. & Moilanen, M. 2020. An Early Medieval sword with unique inlays from Finland. Fennos... more Moilanen, U. & Moilanen, M. 2020. An Early Medieval sword with unique inlays from Finland. Fennoscandia archaeologica XXXVII (2020): 131-142.
An Early Medieval sword from Valkeakoski Haukila, Finland was spotted by metal detector hobbyists and lifted during a scientific excavation, which revealed a cremation cemetery dating to circa AD 1050–1150. Based on the unique inlays in the blade, the sword was possibly manufactured in a central European or West Scandinavian smithy. It probably arrived north as an item of trade, was re-forged, and finally ritually discarded in a cemetery. The damage in the blade may be considered use-wear and battle damage. It hints to a turbulent period in Early Medieval (11th-13th century) Finland, especially the Tavastia region, which may have escalated in violent confrontations.
Moilanen, Ulla 2020. Missä ovat Suomen rautakautiset kissat? Muinaistutkija 3/2020: 11-17.
(Text... more Moilanen, Ulla 2020. Missä ovat Suomen rautakautiset kissat? Muinaistutkija 3/2020: 11-17.
(Text in Finnish, abstract in Swedish. The abstract and its translation have two big mistakes that do not appear in the text. The abstract in Finnish claims that the oldest cat bones in Sweden and Åland are from the Early Iron Age (the translation says Sweden and Finland). In fact, the oldest cat bones from Sweden are from the Early Iron Age, in Åland cats are quite common in the Late Iron Age burial mounds, but in mainland Finland, only one Late Iron Age (in the text it's speculated that it could even be Early Medieval) cat bone has been found.
Kirkinen, Tuija & Moilanen, Ulla 2019. Karva- ja turkisjäänteitä Tampereen Vilusenharjun haudasta... more Kirkinen, Tuija & Moilanen, Ulla 2019. Karva- ja turkisjäänteitä Tampereen Vilusenharjun haudasta II. Pirkan maan alta 19: 38-44.
The cemetery of Vilusenharju (ca. 800–1200 AD) is one of the best-known Iron Age sites in the Pirkanmaa area. The cremation burials at the site date from the Viking period until the 11th and 12th centuries, when cremations co-existed with inhumations. This article studies the hair and fur fragments found from the inhumation grave II at Vilusenharju. The grave has possibly belonged to a female, who was buried in a tree-trunk coffin padded with a fur of wild forest reindeer. The preserved human hair from the grave possibly contains also hair fragments of another species. The hair fragments have not been preserved well enough for more detailed determination.
Raninen, S. & Moilanen, U. 2024. An equal-armed relief brooch from Sastamala, Finland – A glimpse... more Raninen, S. & Moilanen, U. 2024. An equal-armed relief brooch from Sastamala, Finland – A glimpse of Finnish Migration period in the shadow of Helgö. In: Change. The Shift from the Early to Late Scandinavian Iron Age in the First Millennium AD, edited by T. Zachrisson & S. Fischer. Neue Studien zur Sachsenforschung Band 13. Ödeshög: Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum, 197–208.
Moilanen, U. 2024. The inscribed silver disc brooch from the Tuukkala cemetery in Mikkeli. In: Wi... more Moilanen, U. 2024. The inscribed silver disc brooch from the Tuukkala cemetery in Mikkeli. In: Willson, K. (ed.) Runes in Finland: 30–44. Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland & Appell förlag, Stockholm.
Tuoreita näkökulmia Suomen keskiajan arkeologiaan, 2024
Moilanen, U. 2024. Näkökulmia keskiajan hautaustapojen variaatioon – Esimerkkinä Hämeenkosken Pyh... more Moilanen, U. 2024. Näkökulmia keskiajan hautaustapojen variaatioon – Esimerkkinä Hämeenkosken Pyhän Laurin kirkko, Pälkäneen Pyhän Mikaelin kirkko ja Kökarin fransiskaanikirkko. In: Heinonen, T. & Ehrnsten, F. (eds.) Tuoreita näkökulmia Suomen keskiajan arkeologiaan: 39–57. Archaeologia Medii Aevi Finlandiae XXX. Suomen keskiajan arkeologian seura.
Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura], 2023
Moilanen, U. & Therus, J. 2023. Tuokiokuvia rautakaudelta: menneisyyden elävöitys, ennallistukset... more Moilanen, U. & Therus, J. 2023. Tuokiokuvia rautakaudelta: menneisyyden elävöitys, ennallistukset ja autenttisuuden ongelmat [Ögonblicksbilder från järnåldern: Reenactment, rekonstruktioner och problemet med autencitet]. In: H. Etu-Sihvola, U. Moilanen & J. Therus (Eds.) Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura]: 381–398. Turku: Sigillum.
Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura], 2023
Moilanen, U. 2023. Sankasolki: Raudantyöstäjien symboli? - Ett bågformat järnspänne: en symbol f... more Moilanen, U. 2023. Sankasolki: Raudantyöstäjien symboli? - Ett bågformat järnspänne: en symbol för järnarbetare? In: Etu-Sihvola, H., Moilanen. U. & Therus, J. (Eds.) Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura]: 304. Turku: Sigillum.
Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura], 2023
Moilanen, U. 2023. Tulkinta vs. todistusaineisto: Rautakauden ruumishaudat Eurassa [Tolkning vs b... more Moilanen, U. 2023. Tulkinta vs. todistusaineisto: Rautakauden ruumishaudat Eurassa [Tolkning vs bevismaterial: Skelettgravar från järnåldern i Eura]. In: Etu-Sihvola, H., Moilanen. U. & Therus, J. (Eds.) Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura]: 127–141. Turku: Sigillum.
Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura], 2023
Moilanen, U., Etu-Sihvola, H. & Therus, J. 2023. Esipuhe: Menneisyys osana tutkimusta ja nykypäiv... more Moilanen, U., Etu-Sihvola, H. & Therus, J. 2023. Esipuhe: Menneisyys osana tutkimusta ja nykypäivän elämää [Förord: Det förflutna som en del av forskningen och livet i dag]. In: H. Etu-Sihvola, U. Moilanen & J. Therus (Eds.) Luihin ja ytimiin - Tutkimuksia ja tulkintoja Euran Luistarin kalmistosta [I märg och ben - Studier och tolkningar kring Luistari gravfält i Eura]: 9–23. Turku: Sigillum.
Broken Bodies, Places and Objects: New Perspectives on Fragmentation in Archaeology, 2024
Moilanen, U. 2023. Bonded by Pieces: Fragments as means of affirming kinship in Iron Age Finland.... more Moilanen, U. 2023. Bonded by Pieces: Fragments as means of affirming kinship in Iron Age Finland. In: Broken Bodies, Places and Objects: New Perspectives on Fragmentation in Archaeology, edited by Anna Sörman, Astrid A. Noterman & Markus Fjellström. pp. 55–68. London: Routledge.
In previous Finnish research, many features of funeral rituals have been linked to ancestor cults and honouring or remembering past generations. However, the topic has not been examined from the perspective of kinship. This chapter discusses how the concept of kinship may have been constructed in this period. Instead of blood ties, it likely formed around shared residences, livelihoods, and daily life – aspects that shaped the sense of belonging together. As daily activities tend to take place in specific places, kinship was understood not only as a close connection between certain humans but also between humans and places. Cemeteries were integral places where kinship ties could be created and maintained. This chapter suggests that these ties were made by breaking objects and human remains. The resulting fragments could then be shared between kin and handled in various ways in places that were considered relevant for creating connections.
Moving Northward. Professor Volker Heyd's Festschrift as he turns 60 (Momographs of the Archaeological Society of Finland 11), 2023
Moilanen, U., Salmela, E. & Honkola, T. 2023. Families on the Move? The Case of Iron Age Proto-Fi... more Moilanen, U., Salmela, E. & Honkola, T. 2023. Families on the Move? The Case of Iron Age Proto-Finnic speakers. In: Moving Northward. Professor Volker Heyd's Festschrift as he turns 60. A. Lahelma, M. Lavento, K. Mannermaa, M. Ahola, E. Holmqvist & K. Nordqvist (eds.) Monographs of the Archaeological Society of Finland 11: 311–329.
Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Tranberg, A., Väre, T. & Moilanen, U. 2022. introduction. In Search... more Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Tranberg, A., Väre, T. & Moilanen, U. 2022. introduction. In Search of the Unusual in Early Modern and Modern Burial Traditions. In: Unusual Death and Memorialization. Burial, Space, and Memory in the Post-Medieval North, edited by T. Kallio-Seppä, S. Lipkin, T. Väre, U. Moilanen & A. Tranberg. pp. 1-18. Berghahn Books. New York & Oxford.
Unusual Death and Memorialization. Burial, Space, and Memory in the Post-Medieval North, 2022
Moilanen, U., Liira, A.-M., Lehto, H., Salo, K., Helamaa, M. & Uotila, K. 2022. Sawed Skulls: Arc... more Moilanen, U., Liira, A.-M., Lehto, H., Salo, K., Helamaa, M. & Uotila, K. 2022. Sawed Skulls: Archaeological Evidence of Medicolegal Autopsies in Finland. In: Unusual Death and Memorialization. Burial, Space, and Memory in the Post-Medieval North, edited by T. Kallio-Seppä, S. Lipkin, T. Väre, U. Moilanen & A. Tranberg. pp. 215–232. Berghahn Books. New York & Oxford.
Oodeja Mikalle - Odes to Mika - Оды Мике. Festschrift for Professor Mika Lavento , 2022
Piha, M. & Moilanen, U. 2022. Nuoremman roomalaisajan kääntöjalkasoljet Suomen kielitilanteen näk... more Piha, M. & Moilanen, U. 2022. Nuoremman roomalaisajan kääntöjalkasoljet Suomen kielitilanteen näkökulmasta - Tapausesimerkkinä löytö Hirvensalmelta. In: Oodeja Mikalle - Odes to Mika - Оды Мике: Festschrift for Professor Mika Lavento on the occasion of his 60th birthday, edited by P. Halinen, V. Heyd & K. Mannermaa. MASF 10, pp. 221-230.
In this article, we take a look at a Roman Iron Age fibula found in Hirvensalmi from an archaeological and linguistic perspective. The value of a single object or object type is limited when examining the spread of languages. The fact is, however, that the users of objects have acquired the items by using a language or languages. From this perspective, even a single object can be associated with language – even though we do not know which languages the user spoke. Since the occurence of the fibula type coincides with the spread of Proto-Finnic in Finland, the fibulae may have served as a symbol of a certain kind of group identity in their core distribution area. It is possible that they were even produced and used by Proto-Finnic speaking groups. These groups may have called the brooch with words that are still being used in Finnish: nasta ‘thump pin’ (← Proto-Germanic / Proto-Scandinavian *nasta ‘fibulae’) or solki ‘fibulae’ (← unknown language). A possible name is also pankku ‘fibulae’ (← ? Proto Scandinavian *spangu ‘fibulae’) that has disappeared from the modern language.
Entangled beliefs and rituals: Religion in Finland and Sápmi from Stone Age to contemporary times. MASF 8., 2020
Moilanen, Ulla & Hiekkanen, Markus 2020. Atypical burials and variations in burial customs in the... more Moilanen, Ulla & Hiekkanen, Markus 2020. Atypical burials and variations in burial customs in the church of Renko, Finland. In: Entangled beliefs and rituals: Religion in Finland and Sápmi from Stone Age to contemporary times. T. Äikäs & S. Lipkin (Eds.) Monographs of the Archaeological Society of Finland 8: 35-53.
The stone church of Renko was built in the 16th century, abandoned and ruined in the mid-17th century, dismantled, and finally rebuilt in 1783. It was preceded by one or perhaps two consecutive wooden churches built at the same location since the beginning of the 15th century. Extensive archaeological excavations were conducted inside the church in 1984 when the wooden floor was replaced with a stone floor. Seventy-one graves dating from the 15th to the 18th century were found during the excavations. Grave sites under the church floor were expensive and usually reserved for individuals of high social status, such as priests, officials, and wealthy landowners. There is usually little variation in church burial customs, as they follow Christian traditions and contemporary legislation. However, the graves in the Renko church include a few distinctive burials in terms of burial position and treatment of the corpse. This chapter analyses these burials and explains them in the wider contexts of church burials and non-normative graves. The early 1980s can be described as a time of transition in church archaeology, which was officially acknowledged as a specific branch of archaeology in 1981 (Crabtree 2001: 336). Until then, excavations at churches in Finland were almost exclusively carried out by art historians and architects, while scholars with an archaeological background and experience in fieldwork techniques were absent. This was part of a wider European phenomenon, but in Finland, the situation had its roots also in the complex structure of antiquarian work and the indifferent attitude towards medieval and historical archaeology-apart from building archaeology in the strictest sense-since the early 20th century. 1 In the summer and early autumn of 1984, an archaeological excavation was carried out in the stone church of Renko in southwestern Häme (Tavastia) (Fig. 2.1) in connection with plans to replace the wooden floor with a stone floor. It was one of the first church excavations carried out by professional archaeologists in Finland, and because of the exceptional history of the church, it was also one of the first excavations to focus on the careful excavation of historical graves located inside a church.
Archaeobotanical studies of past plant cultivation in northern Europe. Advances in Archaeobotany, 2020
Lempiäinen, T., Helamaa, M., Lehto, H., Moilanen, U., Oinonen, M., Salomaa, S. & Uotila, K. 2020.... more Lempiäinen, T., Helamaa, M., Lehto, H., Moilanen, U., Oinonen, M., Salomaa, S. & Uotila, K. 2020. New cereal grain finds from southern Satakunta, Finland, dated from the Late Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. In: S. Vanhanen & P. Lagerås (eds.) Archaeobotanical studies of past plant cultivation in northern Europe. Advances in Archaeobotany 5: 145-154. Barkhuis Publishing, Groningen.
The Odd, the Unusual, and the Strange. Bioarchaeological Explorations of Atypical Burials, 2020
Moilanen, U., 2020. Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Non-Normative Burials in Finland... more Moilanen, U., 2020. Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Non-Normative Burials in Finland in the Eleventh-Thirteenth Centuries AD. In: The Odd, the Unusual, and the Strange. Bioarchaeological Explorations of Atypical Burials. Edited by Tracy K. Betsinger, Amy B. Scott & Anastasia Tsaliki. Pp. 225-245. University of Florida Press.
Koski, Kaarina & Moilanen, Ulla 2019. Kuolema ja tuonpuoleinen. Teoksessa Pajari, I., Jalonen, J.... more Koski, Kaarina & Moilanen, Ulla 2019. Kuolema ja tuonpuoleinen. Teoksessa Pajari, I., Jalonen, J., Miettinen, R. & Kanerva, K. (toim.) Suomalaisen kuoleman historia: 61-98. Gaudeamus.
A chapter "Death and otherworld" in the book "History of Finnish Death". Language: Finnish.
Harjula, Janne & Moilanen, Ulla 2018. Poikkeavia piirteitä hautauksissa ja hautarakenteissa. Teok... more Harjula, Janne & Moilanen, Ulla 2018. Poikkeavia piirteitä hautauksissa ja hautarakenteissa. Teoksessa Koroinen - Suomen ensimmäinen kirkollinen keskus. Harjula, Janne, Hukantaival, Sonja, Immonen, Visa, Ratilainen, Tanja & Salonen, Kirsi (toim.). Turun Historiallinen Arkisto 71. Turku: Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys, 154–168.
Harjula, J., Moilanen, U. & Ratilainen, T. 2018. Koroisten hautaukset sosiaalisen erottautumisen ... more Harjula, J., Moilanen, U. & Ratilainen, T. 2018. Koroisten hautaukset sosiaalisen erottautumisen ja erottamisen merkkeinä. Teoksessa Koroinen - Suomen ensimmäinen kirkollinen keskus. Harjula, Janne, Hukantaival, Sonja, Immonen, Visa, Ratilainen, Tanja & Salonen, Kirsi (toim.). Turun Historiallinen Arkisto 71. Turku: Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys, 149–154.
Moilanen, Ulla 2018. Koroisten hautojen kronologiaa ja demografiaa. Teoksessa Koroinen - Suomen e... more Moilanen, Ulla 2018. Koroisten hautojen kronologiaa ja demografiaa. Teoksessa Koroinen - Suomen ensimmäinen kirkollinen keskus. Harjula, Janne, Hukantaival, Sonja, Immonen, Visa, Ratilainen, Tanja & Salonen, Kirsi (toim.). Turun Historiallinen Arkisto 71. Turku: Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys, 146–149.
Moilanen, Ulla (2017). Kuinka kivikauden tutkija kaivoi rautakautta – Sakari Pälsin kalmistokaivauksista. Teoksessa: Sakari Pälsi – Elämä ja työt, Metsola, M. & Relas, J. (toim.), s. 167–174.
Kuinka kivikauden tutkija kaivoi rautakautta – Sakari Pälsin kalmistokaivauksista
Sakari Pälsin... more Kuinka kivikauden tutkija kaivoi rautakautta – Sakari Pälsin kalmistokaivauksista
Sakari Pälsin arkeologinen mielenkiinto kohdistui pääasiassa kivikauteen, mutta hän ehti uransa aikana tekemään kenttätöitä myös useilla rautakautisilla kalmistoilla. Tässä artikkelissa käydään läpi näiden kohteiden kaivauksia ja pohditaan niiden merkitystä myöhemmälle tutkimukselle. Pälsin rautakautisten kohteiden kaivaukset ovat tuottaneet aineistoa etenkin pukuhistorialliselle tutkimukselle ja esinetutkimukselle, mutta mahdollistaneet myös hautaustapojen tarkastelun. Pälsin kenttädokumentointi loi myös pohjaa myöhemmille kalmistokaivausten tutkimusmenetelmille, vaikka hänen uransa loppuvaiheessa raportit muuttuivat niin ylimalkaisiksi, että ne jopa haittaavat nykytutkimusta.
How a researcher of the Stone Age unearthed the Iron Age – On Sakari Pälsi’s cemetery excavations
Sakari Pälsi’s archaeological interest focused mainly in the Stone Age but during his long career, he also conducted fieldwork at several Late Iron Age/Early Medieval cemeteries. Tis article sums up the excavations of these sites and examines their potential for further studies. Pälsi’s Late Iron Age/Early Medieval studies have produced data and material especially for research of costume history and artefact analysis, but they also enable the investigations of burial and funerary customs. Pälsi’s field documentation laid the foundation for further research methods in mortuary studies, although his later reports were so undetailed and sketchy that they even hinder modern research.
Väisänen, T. & Moilanen, U. 2022. Maatutkaus Ylöjärven Mikkolan ja Valkeakosken Moijasen ruumiska... more Väisänen, T. & Moilanen, U. 2022. Maatutkaus Ylöjärven Mikkolan ja Valkeakosken Moijasen ruumiskalmistoilla. Pirkan maan alta 17: 38–43.
Investigation with a ground penetrating radar of the burial sites of Mikkola in Ylöjärvi and Moijanen in Valkeakoski revealed evidence of human activity, which at least in the case of Mikkola could be graves. The assessment is based on the locations of previously excavated graves and the size and shape of the discovered features, which correspond to those of inhumation burials. However, certainty about the nature of the features can obly be obtained by invasive investigation, such as trial excavation.
Moilanen, U. Rautakautisia löytöjä Hämeen museon kokoelmissa. Pirkan maan alta 17: 28–36.
The ar... more Moilanen, U. Rautakautisia löytöjä Hämeen museon kokoelmissa. Pirkan maan alta 17: 28–36.
The article describes Iron Age artefacts examined as part the "Kipot ja kielet" ("Beakers and Speakers") project of the University of Turku. The artefacts belong to the collections of the former Häme Museum (collection ID HM) and are currently kept at the Vapriikki Museum Centre in Tampere. The article also answers questions about how the HM collection was formed, what artefacts are included in its Iron Age section, and what they tell us about the period under study.
Moilanen, U. 2023. Uusien analyysien ja kontekstualisoinnin merkitys rautakautisten lastenhautoje... more Moilanen, U. 2023. Uusien analyysien ja kontekstualisoinnin merkitys rautakautisten lastenhautojen tunnistamisessa. Arkeologia nyt 2023: 28–31.
Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo järjesti kesällä 2017 Valkeakosken Haukilan Koirankiven muinaisjäännökse... more Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo järjesti kesällä 2017 Valkeakosken Haukilan Koirankiven muinaisjäännöksellä tutkimuskaivauksen, jossa nostettiin maasta edellissyksynä metallinetsinnässä havaittu ja maahan jätetty miekka. Tutkimusalueelta löydettiin rautakauden loppuun ajoittuva polttokenttäkalmisto, joskin tutkittu alue sijaitsi ilmeisesti kalmiston reuna-alueella. Löytöinä saatiin miekan lisäksi talteen mm. kirves, sulanutta pronssia, kuparipellin pala, ihmisluita, karhun kynsiä, luuesineen fragmentti ja keramiikkaa vähintään kahdesta eri astiasta. Ilman tutkimusta miekka olisi helposti voitu tulkita kätköksi tai jopa irtolöydöksi, sillä maaperä paikalla oli tiivistä ja pääosin hiiletöntä, ja löydöt sijaitsivat harvassa. Signaalikartoituksen ja kairausten perusteella paikalla sijaitsee kuitenkin laaja ja runsaslöytöinen kalmisto. Paikan tarkempi käyttöhistoria sekä kalmiston laajuus, luonne ja käyttöaika voidaan parhaiten selvittää laajemmissa tutkimuksissa. Kohteen jatkotutkimukset voivat myös valottaa laajemmin Vanajaveden ympäristön merkitystä ja asemaa rautakauden ja keskiajan taitteessa. Kaivauksen maanäytteistä ja esineistä teetettiin erilaisia analyysejä. Raportissa esitetyt analyysitulokset ovat alustavaa, julkaisematonta tietoa. Analyysien lopulliset tulokset julkaistaan tieteellisissä artikkeleissa, jotka raportin valmistumisen hetkellä ovat vasta tekeillä. Tietoihin viitattaessa on käytettävä näitä, myöhemmin ilmestyviä julkaisuja.
Moilanen, Ulla (2018). Valkeakoski, Toppolanmäki. Haudan nro 3/1937 tutkimuskaivaus 17.–18.6.2017... more Moilanen, Ulla (2018). Valkeakoski, Toppolanmäki. Haudan nro 3/1937 tutkimuskaivaus 17.–18.6.2017. Kaivausraportti Museoviraston arkistossa.
Valkeakosken Toppolanmäen ruumiskalmistossa tutkittiin kesällä 2017 Sakari Pälsin vuonna 1937 avaama hauta nro 3, joka oli tuolloin peitetty sen jälkeen, kun hauta oli todettu esineettömäksi. Uudella kaivauksella haluttiin selvittää sitä, mitä luiden säilyneisyydelle oli viimeisten vuosikymmenten aikana tapahtunut ja mitä uusilla menetelmillä voidaan esineettömästä haudasta saada selville. Osa haudan luista oli melko hyvin säilyneitä (mm. lantion luita ja nikamia). Alaraajojen luut olivat säilyneet huonoiten, mutta niistä pystyttiin havainnoimaan, että vainajan nilkat oli hautauksen yhteydessä asetettu ristiin. Haudasta otettiin näytteitä kasvimakrofossiilitutkimusta, siitepölyanalyysiä, parasiittitutkimusta sekä karva- ja kuituanalyysiä varten. Lisäksi Sugrige-projektin yhteydessä luista tehtiin osteologinen analyysi, aDNA-analyysi ja ajoitus. Näytteistä tullaan tekemään jossakin vaiheessa myös stabiili-isotooppitutkimus. Raportissa kerrotut analyysitulokset ovat julkaisematonta tietoa. Tietoihin viitattaessa on ensisijaisesti käytettävä julkaisuja, joista valtaosa on raportin valmistumisen hetkellä vasta tekeillä. Kaivauksen jälkitöiden yhteydessä havaittiin myös, että Toppolanmäen varhaisissa kaivauksissa (1936, 1937) on saatettu jättää palamaton ihmisluuaineisto nostamatta haudoista, joten luuaineistoa saattaa vielä sijaita alueella, jota on pidetty kokonaan tutkittuna.
Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo teki Kangasalan Kuhmalahden rantaosayleiskaava-alueella, kirkonkylän sek... more Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo teki Kangasalan Kuhmalahden rantaosayleiskaava-alueella, kirkonkylän sekä Pohjan kyläyleiskaavojen alueella kulttuuriympäristöselvityksen. Inventointityön on arkeologian osalta tehnyt Ulla Moilanen ja rakennetun ympäristön osalta Miia Hinnerichsen. Selvityksen tuloksena on laadittu raportit alueiden muinaisjäännöksistä ja muista kulttuuriperintökohteista sekä rakennetun ympäristön piirteistä ja kulttuurihistoriallisista arvoista. Selvitys muodostuu kahdesta osasta: osa 1 arkeologinen inventointi ja osa 2 rakennetun ympäristön inventointi. Arkeologisessa inventoinnissa havaittiin yhteensä 23 uutta kohdetta, joista yksi on esihistoriallinen löytöpaikka, kaksi kulttuuriperintökohdetta ja muut kiinteitä muinaisjäännöksiä. Suurin osa kiinteistä muinaisjäännöksistä on historiallisia. Kolme kohteista sijoittuu hieman kaava-alueen ulkopuolelle. Poikkeuksellisia kohteita ovat alueella sijaitsevat historialliset kylänpaikat (kohteet 13, 24 ja 34), joiden menneisyys ulottuu asiakirjalähteiden perusteella ainakin 1500-luvulle. Useimmat kylänpaikoista ovat osittain rakentamattomia, joten niihin voi liittyä maan alla säilyneitä rakenteita. Erityismaininnan arvoinen on myös Joensuun esihistoriallinen asuinpaikka (kohde 39), joka sijoittuu lähelle Vehkajärven rantaviivaa. Tällä paikalla maisema on pysynyt lähes muuttumattomana esihistoriallisista ajoista saakka, joten kohdetta voi pitää sekä kulttuurikerrosten säilyneisyyden että maiseman puolesta merkittävänä kohteena. Maiseman ja rakenteiden puolesta arvokkaita kohteita ovat myös myllyjen paikat (kohteet 25 ja 29). Historiallisesti merkittävä on myös Kivisalmen rajamerkki (kohde 23), jonka sijainti Satakunnan ja Hämeen rajalla ulottunee keskiaikaan. Kaikki uudet kohteet on merkitty raportin otsikoissa tähdellä (*).
Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo teki metallinilmaisinkartoituksen Pirkkalan vanhan kirkon ympäristössä s... more Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo teki metallinilmaisinkartoituksen Pirkkalan vanhan kirkon ympäristössä sijaitsevilla pelloilla 24.10.2015 yhdessä noin 40 metallinetsijän kanssa. Tapahtuma liittyi Pirkkalan vanhojen kirkonpaikkojen tutkimusprojektiin, jonka Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo aloitti kesällä 2015. Kartoituksella haluttiin saada lisätietoa Pirkkalan vanhaa kirkkoa ympäröivistä peltoalueista sekä tarkastaa pelloilta tehtyjen esinelöytöjen löytöpaikkoja. Kaikki löydöt tehtiin muokatusta peltokerroksesta. Kartoituksen yhteydessä tehtiin myös pintapoimintaa kirkon länsipuolisella peltoalueella sekä kaivettiin peltokerroksen alle ulottuvia koekuoppia. Irtolöytönä saatiin talteen lähinnä historiallisen ajan rahoja, mutta KM-kokoelmiin luetteloitiin myös yhteensä 7 rautakautista/keskiaikaista löytöä. Mitään kiinteään muinaisjäännökseen viittaavaa ei havaittu, mutta löytöjen ja niiden jakauman perusteella on todennäköistä, että kirkon paikalla tai Virosmäen alueella on sijainnut kalmisto (polttohautauksia) tai rautakautinen asuinpaikka. Tulevia arkeologisia tutkimuksia voi mahdollisesti kohdentaa näiden alueiden reunoille tai Virosmäellä olevaan metsikköön.
Raikunseudun vesiosuuskunta suunnittelee vesi- ja viemärijohdon laajentamista Vehoniemenkylään. V... more Raikunseudun vesiosuuskunta suunnittelee vesi- ja viemärijohdon laajentamista Vehoniemenkylään. Vesihuoltolinja on suunniteltu sivuamaan ja risteämään tietä 13982 (Vanha Pälkäneentie), joka on historiallinen Tammerkosken ja Hämeenlinnan yhdistävä kulkuväylä. Kulkureitti mainitaan maantienä jo vuonna 1459. Lisäksi vesihuoltolinja seuraa Vehoniemenharjun ylittävää metsätietä, joka näkyy 1700-luvun kartoissa. Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo teki Vehoniemessä inventoinnin, jonka tarkoituksena oli selvittää maastossa kohdat, joissa on mahdollisesti voinut säilyä historialliseen tiehen liittyviä rakenteita. Rakenteita ei havaittu harjun yli kulkevalla tiellä, mutta Vanhan Pälkäneentien viereen suunnitellulla vesihuoltolinjauksella on mahdollisesti vaikutusta historialliseen tiehen liittyviin rakenteisiin kahdessa kohdassa.
Yli-Lemun kartano on kirjallisten lähteiden mukaan ollut asuttu 1400-luvulla, mutta alueen kasvil... more Yli-Lemun kartano on kirjallisten lähteiden mukaan ollut asuttu 1400-luvulla, mutta alueen kasvillisuus voi viitata vielä tätä vanhempaan (rautakautiseen) asutukseen. Alueella on myös käyty kaksipäiväinen Suomen sodan taistelu kesällä 1808. Metallinilmaisinkartoitus kuului Turun työväenopistossa järjestetyn metallinilmaisinharrastajille suunnatun Arkeologia ja metallinilmaisin –kurssin maastoharjoitukseen, jossa opeteltiin löytöjen asianmukaista talteenottoa, löytöpaikan dokumentointia ja löytökontekstin havainnointia. Samalla kartoituksen toivottiin tuovan lisätietoa Lemun taistelusta ja mahdollisesti kartanon alueen varhaisemmasta asutushistoriasta. Myös taistelussa kaatuneiden hautapaikan paikantamista yritettiin. Kartoitettava alue sijaitsi hevoslaitumena käytetyllä hakamaalla ja lehtometsässä. Kaikki esiin saadut löydöt olivat resenttejä ja koostuivat maatalousjätteestä, lukuun ottamatta yhtä sulaneen lyijyn kappaletta, joka saattaa liittyä taistelun aikaiseen ammusten valamiseen. Myöskään hautapaikkaan viittaavia merkkejä ei löydetty.
Kangasalan Sahalahti-Kuhmalahti –siirtoviemärihankkeen linjalta etsittiin ennestään tuntemattomia... more Kangasalan Sahalahti-Kuhmalahti –siirtoviemärihankkeen linjalta etsittiin ennestään tuntemattomia ja tarkastettiin ennestään tunnettuja muinaisjäännöskohteita. Myös historiallisten karttojen avulla paikannettuja keskiaikaisia/historiallisen ajan kylänpaikkoja käytiin läpi. Uusia kiinteitä muinaisjäännöksiä ei löytynyt, mutta inventoinnissa tehtiin useita havaintoja historiallisen ajan kivirakenteista (latomukset, aidat, muurit, peltorauniot) ja historiallisen ajan maarakenteista (kummut), jotka liittyvät todennäköisesti resenttiin ihmistoimintaan. Moltsian keskiaikaisen kylänpaikan lähistöltä tehtiin mm. 1600-luvun rahalöytöjä, jotka auttavat rajaamaan kohdetta. Moltsian kylätonttia ehdotetaan merkittäväksi muinaisjäännösrekisteriin. Kansallismuseon kokoelmiin luetteloitiin myös irtolöytönä talteen saadut kuolainten puolikkaat, joille on vastineita Helsingin Vanhankaupungin 1500-1600-luvun kontekstista. Typologisesti kuolaimet ovat noin 1500-luvun muotoa.
Sastamalan Kaukolan pelastuskaivauksessa tutkittiin kiinteitä rakenteita, jotka oli havaittu Illo... more Sastamalan Kaukolan pelastuskaivauksessa tutkittiin kiinteitä rakenteita, jotka oli havaittu Illon vesihuoltohankkeeseen liittyvän vesihuoltolinjauksen koekaivauksessa toukokuussa 2014. Tutkittavana olivat seuraavat rakenteet: rautakautinen röykkiö (R1), ajoittamaton röykkiö (R3), historiallinen kylätiehen liittyvä salaojaränni (R4A) sekä sekoittunut kivirakenne (R6A). Lisäksi laajennettiin koekaivauksessa havaitulla rautakautisella asuinpaikalla sijainnutta koekuoppaa 96, jossa oleva rakenne (R10) purettiin. Asuinpaikalla myös valvottiin aikaisemmin olemassa olleen putkilinjan avaamista, sillä uusi vesiputki asennettiin samaan kaivantoon. Rakenteen (R1) havaittiin olevan nuoremman rautakauden hauta- tai uhriröykkiö, ja se sisälsi monipuolisen keramiikka- aineiston. Rakenteen (R6A) todettiin olevan sekoittunut, mutta siitä saatiin myös ajoitus 1200-luvulle.
Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo suoritti 30.4.-3.6.2014 Illon vesihuolto-osuuskunnan tilauksesta arkeol... more Pirkanmaan maakuntamuseo suoritti 30.4.-3.6.2014 Illon vesihuolto-osuuskunnan tilauksesta arkeologisen koekaivauksen ja valvonnan Sastamalan Kaukolassa alueelle rakennettavalla vesihuoltolinjalla. Koekaivauksessa paikannettiin aikaisemmin tuntematon rautakautinen asuinpaikka, jossa on ohuen historiallisen asutuskerroksen alla säilyneenä paksu rautakautinen kulttuurikerros. Asuinpaikalla havaittiin myös mahdollisia rakenteita (R10 ja KK100). Koekaivauksessa havaittiin vesihuoltolinjaukselle osuvia, jatkotutkimuksia vaativia rakenteita neljässä kohteessa. Yksi kohteista on Juvelan röykkiöalueella sijaitseva rautakautinen kiveys (R1), yksi Juvelan talon puutarhassa täyttömaakerroksen alla oleva ajoittamaton röykkiö (R3), ja kaksi Kaukolan kylätontin liepeillä sijaitsevaa, todennäköisesti historiallista kivirakennetta (R4A ja R6A). Koekaivauksessa tutkittiin kokonaan 1500-luvulle ajoitettu paalunsija (R4B) sekä käytöstä jääneen kylätien alta paljastuneita mahdollisia auranjälkiä ja samassa kohdassa sijainnut pienikokoinen kivetty kuoppa (R2).
Pälkäneen Vanhankirkon Suojeluyhdistys ry suunnitteli sähköpisteen rakentamista Pälkäneen rauniok... more Pälkäneen Vanhankirkon Suojeluyhdistys ry suunnitteli sähköpisteen rakentamista Pälkäneen rauniokirkon sakaristoon kirkolla järjestettävien tapahtumien sähköturvallisuusriskien hallitsemiseksi. Kiinteän maakaapelin oli tarkoitus kulkea muinaisjäännösalueella kirkon pohjoispuolisen pihamaan läpi kohti kirkon sakaristoa ja sisään sakariston ikkuna‐aukosta.
Koekaivaus sijoittui kirkon pohjoispuoliselle piha‐alueelle suunnitellun maakaapelin linjaukselle. Kaivauksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää sijaitseeko suunnitellulla linjalla sellaista kiinteää muinaisjäännöstä, joka edellyttää koekaivauksen jälkeen jatkotutkimuksia kuten valvontaa tai pelastuskaivauksia. Tutkimussuunnitelmasta ja ‐lupapäätöksestä poiketen kenttätöitä tehtiin seitsemän arkipäivän sijasta neljänä arkipäivänä 17.‐20.6.2013 välisenä aikana tutkimuksen tilaajan vetäytyessä kaapelointihankkeesta. Samalla poistui tarve arkeologiselle koetutkimukselle. Näin ollen myös sakariston sisäpuolelle suunnitellun sähkökaapin paikka jäi tutkimatta.
Koekaivauksessa havaittiin suunnitellulla kaapelilinjalla kiinteää muinaisjäännöstä, hautoja, luukuoppa ja kiviaidan perustus. Sakariston viereen on kaivettu 1963 maaperätutkimuksissa koekuoppa, johon rajautuu usean yksilön sekundaarihaudatuista jäänteistä koostuva luukuoppa. Kuoppa saattaa olla peräisin 1800‐luvulla tai 1900‐luvun alusta.
Pihamaan keskiosassa havaittiin merkkejä useista eri‐ikäisistä hautauksista, mutta varmuudella rautakautisiksi ajoittuvia löytöjä ei tullut esiin. Myös kirkkomaan vanhan aidan perustusta paljastettiin ja sen viereltä löydettiin kokonsa perusteella pienten lasten ja/tai imeväisten hautoja, jotka suurella todennäköisyydellä ajoittuvat historialliseen aikaan.
Esinelöytöinä saatiin talteen nuppineula, joka on voinut kuulua vainajan käärinliinaan tai vaatetukseen, sekä pieni pala sulanutta pronssia. Luista luetteloitiin palaneen (todennäköisesti ihmisen) kallon pala ja palamaton luu, jossa on (mahdollisesti kyrillisiä) kirjainmerkkejä. Samalla talletettiin lahjoituksena saatu rautakautinen punnus, joka on löytynyt kirkkoa ympäröiviltä pelloilta muinaisjäännösalueen ulkopuolelta. Luukuopan pinnasta nostetusta materiaalista on tehty osteologinen analyysi.
Muuritutkimus ky teki kesällä 2013 Paimion Pyhän Mikaelin kirkon hautausmaa-alueella arkeologista... more Muuritutkimus ky teki kesällä 2013 Paimion Pyhän Mikaelin kirkon hautausmaa-alueella arkeologista valvontaa hautausmaan kohentamiseen liittyvien valaistus-, sähkö- ja maanrakennustöihin liittyen. Valvonnassa paljastui yhteensä kahdeksan hautaa kirkon länsipäädyn ja kellotapulin väliseltä
alueelta. Haudat tutkittiin pelastuskaivauksessa. Osa haudoista muodostaa mahdollisesti sukuhaudan, jonka lisäksi tutkittiin muista erillään sijainnut imeväisen hauta. Vanhin haudoista ajoittuu aikaisintaan 1690-luvulle, nuorin todennäköisesti 1860-luvulle. Luumateriaali on analysoitu ja palautettu Paimion seurakunnalle uudelleenhaudattavaksi.
Inventointi tehtiin Ruskon kunnan suunnitteleman kaavamuutoksen vuoksi kohteessa Rusko (Vahto) Se... more Inventointi tehtiin Ruskon kunnan suunnitteleman kaavamuutoksen vuoksi kohteessa Rusko (Vahto) Seurantalo (muinaisjäännösrekisterin tunnus 906010002). Paikalta on löydetty vuosina 1962 ja 1971 kivikauteen viittaavia löytöjä, mutta muinaisjäännöksen luonteesta tai laajuudesta ei ole ollut tarkempaa tietoa. Tutkimuksissa todennettiin paikalla sijaitseva kivikautinen asuinpaikka, jonka säilyneisyyttä ja rajoja pyrittiin määrittelemään. Asuinpaikka on osittain tuhoutunut hiekanotossa, hiekkakuoppaan liittyvässä eroosiossa, sekä todennäköisesti seurantalon rakentamisen yhteydessä ja pihapiirin kuluneimmalla alueella. Löytöinä alueelta saatiin iskoksia, varhaiskampakeramiikkaa, palanutta luuta ja kivikirveen katkelma. Asuinpaikkaa on säilyneenä suhteellisen laajalti ja koskemattomana piha-alueen pohjois- ja itäpuolisella mäntykankaalla ja metsässä rajautuen lännessä hiekkakuoppaan, idässä kallioihin ja etelässä piha-alueeseen ja maantiehen nro 2010. Löytömateriaalin ja korkeuskäyrille (43-46 m mpy) sijoittumisen perusteella kyseessä on pääosin varhaiskampakeraamiseen aikaan ajoittuva (n. 4500-5000 eKr) asuinpaikka. Lisäksi kohteen pohjoispuolelta löytyi Maanmittauslaitoksen laserkeilausaineistossakin näkyvä jyrkkäreunainen painanne, joka ei ulkomuotonsa puolesta vaikuta kivikautiselta, vaan voi liittyä hiekanottoon. Asian varmistaminen saattaa vaatia lisätutkimuksia, mikäli kohtaan suunnitellaan
maankäyttöä.
Over the last decades, forensic experts have participated in investigations of individual burial places and mass graves from recent armed conflicts around the world. These investigations have given rise to ethical principles and recommendations, which have been published e.g. as the Resolution of United Nations Human Rights Council on Human rights and forensic science (E/CN.4/RES/2005/26), as the resolution on Forensic genetics and human rights (A/HRC/RES/15/5), and UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions (also known as Minnesota protocol). These resolutions and recommendations address the dignified handling and management of human remains and restoring the identity of victims, among other things. In this paper, forensic investigations of mass graves and alleged human rights violations in former Yugoslavia are presented as an example to present the differences in the ethical principles applied in forensic science and archaeology. We also consider whether archaeology teams can learn from the ethical issues and recommendations of forensic science, and ask could these recommendations be incorporated in archaeological excavations and studies of sites with particularly sensitive aspects and issues, such as grave sites of the victims of recent civil wars and world wars?
Sanni Peltola, Petro Pesonen, Enrique Rayo, Satu Koivisto, Ulla Moilanen, Verena Schuenemann, Päi... more Sanni Peltola, Petro Pesonen, Enrique Rayo, Satu Koivisto, Ulla Moilanen, Verena Schuenemann, Päivi Onkamo.
ESEB 2019 (poster)
Abstract
In Finland, the recovery of ancient DNA is heavily constrained by the poor preservation of bones. Physical remains are quickly degraded by acidic soils, limiting the age of the DNA recovered from bones to less than 2,000 years. However, DNA can also survive bound on organic and inorganic soil particles. In this pilot study, we explored the potential of archaeological sediments as an alternative source of human DNA for Finnish ancient DNA studies. Ancient DNA from soils and sediments has previously been used to reconstruct paleoenvironments, to study ancient parasites and diet and to demonstrate the presence of a species at a given site. Ancient mitochondrial DNA from mammals, including hominins, has been shown to be retrievable from Pleistocene cave sediments, even when there are no visible fossils present. Our objective was to test if any ancient human DNA has been preserved in the sediments of Finnish prehistoric settlement sites by screening the samples for human mitochondrial DNA using targeted enrichment. The focus was on the Finnish Stone Age, since unburned human bones from that period are absent. Sediment samples from five Stone Age (6,000–4,000 ya) settlement sites, located on woodland, were collected for this study. In addition, we analyzed a lakebed sample from a submerged Mesolithic (1,0 000–7,000 ya) settlement site, and a soil sample from an Iron Age burial with also bones present to compare DNA yield between the two materials. We present here the preliminary results and describe ancient DNA preservation in Finnish archaeological sediments.
Enrique Rayo, Sanni Peltola, Judith Neukamm, Petro Pesonen, Satu Koivisto, Ulla Moilanen, Päivi O... more Enrique Rayo, Sanni Peltola, Judith Neukamm, Petro Pesonen, Satu Koivisto, Ulla Moilanen, Päivi Onkamo, Verena Schuenemann
The 2019 Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Turku, Finland. Poster.
Diagenesis caused by microbial bioerosion is the most common bone alteration observed within the archaeology record. The complex community of microorganisms inhabiting the host is the main contributor for the body decomposition, and the soil communities beneath decaying carcasses also participate in the process. This bidirectional interaction results in the formation of a new microbial community often referred to as the necrobiome. The taphonomical conditions can speed up or slow down the decaying process, such as the chemical composition of the soil. One example of very poor long-term bone preservation is the Finnish soil due to its high acidity. This represents a pitfall for the study of past populations and the application of biomolecular archaeology techniques such as ancient DNA. Recent advances in the field of palaeogenetics allowed the recovery of sedimentary DNA sequences from long-departed organisms, however, the association between preservation and soil metagenomic composition have not been yet explored in Finland. In this study, we present the metagenomic analysis of 40 soil samples from different time periods, ranging from the Mesolithic to the oldest church graveyard in Finland (12th century). We successfully recovered DNA from all the samples and reconstructed the bacterial communities present. Our results provide for the first time insights on the environmental DNA associated with archaeological sites in Finland, as well as show the applicability of strategies for DNA retrieval also for Finish soil.
Salmela, E., Majander, K., Lamnidis, T.C., Salo, K., Översti, S., Arppe, L., Belskiy, S., Etu-Sih... more Salmela, E., Majander, K., Lamnidis, T.C., Salo, K., Översti, S., Arppe, L., Belskiy, S., Etu-Sihvola, H., Laakso, V., Mikkola, E., Oinonen, M., Moilanen, U., Taavitsainen, J.-P., Vuoristo, K., Wessman, A., Schiffels, S., Krause, J. & Onkamo, P. 2019. A major genetic turnover in the Finnish population since the Iron Age. EMBO/EMBL Symposia: Reconstructing the Human Past - Using Ancient and Modern Genomics. Poster.
Ulla Moilanen, Anne-Mari Liira, Maija Helamaa, Heli Lehto, Kari Uotila & Kati Salo
Society for H... more Ulla Moilanen, Anne-Mari Liira, Maija Helamaa, Heli Lehto, Kari Uotila & Kati Salo
Society for Historical Archaeology 2019, Missouri, USA
The 18-19th century laws and regulations in Sweden and Finland stated that an autopsy should be carried out in suspected criminal cases to determine cause of death. According to contemporary sources, non-anatomical autopsies were quite rare, and only performed to a distinct group of people: those who had committed suicide, died in hospital or prison, were homeless beggars, or suspected murder victims. All these were usually also considered socially marginal people, whose burial customs may have differed from the norm. According to folklore, murder victims and people who had committed suicide were also social outcasts, who were not allowed to be buried in the consecrated cemetery. The paper presents archaeological evidence of autopsies and craniotomies in historical Finland, and seeks to study who were the people that received post-mortem examinations and how they were actually treated in death.
A new equal-armed relief brooch find from Finland
Ulla Moilanen, Sami Raninen and Vadim Adel
In... more A new equal-armed relief brooch find from Finland
Ulla Moilanen, Sami Raninen and Vadim Adel
In summer 2017, a metal detecting hobbyist found a gilded equal-armed relief brooch (variante 1 mit zungenförmigen Armen) ornamented with Salin Style I in southwestern Finland. Comparable brooches are rare finds in Finland, as only four similar objects have been found from the country so far. The Sastamala brooch is in fairly good condition, although it bears signs of fire, and the gilding is not visible anymore. The decoration is unique and a special feature are the signs of use and repairment. The brooch was found in the southwestern extremity of the Lakeland in South Finnish interior, where the agricultural settlement infensified during the 4th-6th centuries AD, a process probably connected with the introduction of Proto-Finnic language within the area. Mortuary record suggests development of local elites in the period, and more or less intense participation in trans-regional exchange systems, both with the Baltics (especially NE Estonia) and Mälardalen. Some of the contacts maintained by these interior elites must have been mediated by the settlements in SW coast and Southern Ostrobothnia, but there are some indications of direct overseas connections as well. The impact of prestigious artefacts and increasing presence of weapons in furnished burials within the area was connected with a strong decrease of the "archaeological signal" in most parts of Finland, phenomena not necessarily connected to a population decrease (and predating the event of 536), but certainly suggesting of changes among the forager groups in the woodland regions.
Muistojen ja tarinoiden Kangasniemi -projekti tutkii monitieteisesti eteläsavolaisen paikkakunnan... more Muistojen ja tarinoiden Kangasniemi -projekti tutkii monitieteisesti eteläsavolaisen paikkakunnan tarinaperinnettä ja mikrohistoriaa. Tavoitteena on löytää tutkimuskohteita, joita voidaan lähestyä virallisen historiankirjoituksen, kollektiivisen muistamisen tai yksilön muistojen kautta ja joilla on arkeologista tutkimuspotentiaalia. Esittelemme kolme erilaista paikkaan sidottujen muistojen kohdetta: Elämänlähteen, joka on unohdettu ja uudelleen löydetty matkailukohde 1700-1800-lukujen taitteesta; Pyhän kiven, joka on mahdollinen vuosisataisen perimätiedon paikka, mutta nykyisin kadotettu; sekä Kangasniemen sissikahakan tapahtumapaikan, johon liittyy viralliseen historiankirjoitukseen yhdistettävissä oleva paikallinen kertomus.
Etu-Sihvola, H., Bocherens, H., Karme, A., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Naito, Y.I., Oinonen, M.,... more Etu-Sihvola, H., Bocherens, H., Karme, A., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Naito, Y.I., Oinonen, M., Salo, K., Suhonen, H., Taavitsainen, J-P., Arppe, L.
The Luistari cemetery in Eura is the most extensively researched Late Iron Age / Early Medieval cemetery in Finland, with over 1300 inhumation graves. The furnished burials date from c. 6th century to 12th century AD and unfurnished presumably even later. Our project called Life Histories in Teeth was launched in 2015 with the aim to develop isotope sampling methods and to produce new multidisciplinary information on the cemetery and the buried individuals. The best preserved human and animal dental and bone remains from 89 graves were selected and were sampled for this study. The human samples will undergo bulk stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S) and a smaller sample set is further selected for compound specific isotope analysis, and later on, aDNA studies and new AMS-datings will be performed in a related project. In addition to this, µCT scanning, age at death modeling and paleopathological analysis will allow us to have a better understanding of the Luistari people and their diets, origins and life histories in the Late Iron Age Finland. Revised typologies and comparisons of the acquired data to contemporary populations around the Baltic Sea will also contribute to a comprehensive understanding on the contacts between different areas during this time. Archaeothanatological analysis based on the excavation documents and preserved find material will shed light to the burial customs, which include double and multiple burials, and even some deviant cases.
Pirkanmaa Municipal Museum has conducted excavations on a very unique Late Iron Age /Early Mediev... more Pirkanmaa Municipal Museum has conducted excavations on a very unique Late Iron Age /Early Medieval dwelling place during the past years. The first discoveries were made by the local people, who have been familiar with the place for decades. The site has attracted an extraordinary amount of interest from various operators: a large museum centre and a small local museum seeking to enhance its activities; a university and independent researches with personal interest in the site and its material; local authorities wishing to develop tourism. Pirkanmaa Municipal Museum has made research material and information freely available to all, and established contacts with many different operators and experts. With a little effort from everybody, the enthusiasm is clearly spreading. But how well do the different players cooperate? Will the outcome be a large-scale exhibition, a new tourist attraction, and a new multidisciplinary research project, as planned? The paper deals with archaeological excavation project as a societal concept, which creates working interfaces between different operators and sectors of society. The current and potential role of the museum as an enabler of new kinds of activities and projects will be discussed. It is noted that transparency, publicity, contacts, and efficiency are the most important basis for cooperation, and required in managing a research project with lower level of resources than normally.
During the late 17th century, European upper classes became interested in maintaining their healt... more During the late 17th century, European upper classes became interested in maintaining their health with hydrotherapy. A popular activity was to visit natural mineral springs with high iron concentration, and consume regulated amounts of spring water which was believed to have positive effect on health. By the early 18th century, the practice had reached Finland, and local physicians were actively seeking suitable springs both from urban and rural areas. Mineral springs all over Europe became popular tourist attractions, and some of the places had notable infrastructure built around them. In Scandinavia, the peak in the health tourism was in the 18th and in the early 19th century. Finland had approximately 20 official mineral springs that were used until 1860's. Health tourism was seen fashionable and modern, and it reached even remote rural areas - a conclusion which our study of Hokka mineral spring in Kangasniemi, Southern Savo, endorse. In this paper we address health tourism as a wide-spread European phenomenon in the 1800’s and present results from archaeological excavations that have been conducted at mineral springs in Finland. The research of mineral springs may yield new information on early tourism, the forms of free time activities in the 19th century, how health was maintained, and what is the impact of historical tourism to nature.
Kangasniemi is a rural municipality in the province of Eastern Finland, in Southern Savonia regio... more Kangasniemi is a rural municipality in the province of Eastern Finland, in Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of ca. 5700, but since the region has several summer houses, the number of inhabitants is considerably larger during the summer months. A project called “Muistojen ja tarinoiden Kangasniemi” (Kangasniemi of Memories and Stories) was launched in 2015 to study and collect oral histories and archaeological evidence connected to the natural sights in the area. The project offers both locals and summer residents an opportunity to participate in the creation of historical data. The project also studies the changing attitudes and interactions with natural heritage in long perspective, and pursues a growing appreciation of the past. The histories of the natural sights are approached through modern memories, oral and written histories, archived folklore, and archaeological evidence of human activities at the sites. The locals are being interviewed, encouraged to correspond with researchers, share their memories on social media, and participate in a community archaeology project. In this paper, we are sharing the experiences of collaboration with the local community and presenting examples of the studied sites and research methods. We concentrate on the archaeological excavation of the health spring of Hokka, which took place in summer 2015. The excavation aimed to study human impact on the spring and its surroundings, and to consider the importance of a rural site in medical tourism in 18th-19th centuries.
Presented in EAA Glasgow 2015:
In Finland, the Late Iron Age/Early Medieval (c. 800-1300 AD) inh... more Presented in EAA Glasgow 2015:
In Finland, the Late Iron Age/Early Medieval (c. 800-1300 AD) inhumation cemeteries sometimes contain “empty graves” without any sign of bones but a set of commingled artefacts. Such finds have usually been explained as indication of grave robbery. More thorough examination of the phenomenon reveals that the practice of secondary opening of graves and even reburial was quite common in the period. The various types of secondary treatment of the inhumed cadavers might include disarticulation, complete exhumation, reburial, and possibly decapitation. In the presentation I am discussing the examples of such finds in the cultural context of the burials. The beliefs surrounding such treatment might be diverse, but some of the graves might be explained as a manifestation of “bad death”, a culturally unacceptable way of passing, and include an anti-revenant message. The affect of taphonomic processes and the possibility of skull-collecting is also taken into consideration.
Pirkanmaa Provincial Museum conducted archaeological excavations at St. Michael’s Church in Pälkä... more Pirkanmaa Provincial Museum conducted archaeological excavations at St. Michael’s Church in Pälkäne, Finland in 2013. The excavation revealed a deliberately carved fragment of a human femur with marks that resemble Cyrillic letters, and a skull with a healed trauma. The finds date to 16th and 19th centuries, which is a period when both folk medicine and developing medical science were in use. The carved femur might be a tangible evidence of death-related magic, which has been described in Finnish folklore, oral tradition and legal history. The magical rituals were often conducted at graveyards and occasionally involved manipulation of human bones. The rituals could have been connected to wishes of recovery or maintaining good health. The skull trauma on the other hand might be an example of successful medical procedures that were put into practice when dealing with ailments and disorders. The presentation considers the archaeological finds in relation to cultural history and folklore. In this paper I suggest that the finds enhance information on the beliefs, approaches and applications concerning treatment of medical conditions in rural Finland between 1500-1800 AD.
Literary and ethnographic accounts of “bad deaths” have significant implications in burial archae... more Literary and ethnographic accounts of “bad deaths” have significant implications in burial archaeology in the Nordic context. The manner of death, the qualities of the deceased, or the abnormal events and circumstances prior to death (violence, crimes, punishments and magic) might motivate survivors to regard the death as “bad” and afford different burial practices and locations. Previous research has often failed to take into account concepts of “bad death” when interpreting the multiple factors affecting the form and location of inhumation burials of Iron Age/Early Medieval Finland. It should be recognised that identifying archaeological manifestations of “bad deaths” should be context-specific and case-sensitive. The precise treatment of bodies, as well as the choice of funerary practises and burial customs are inseparably linked to beliefs of afterlife and otherworldly myths, which might have been diverse and dependent on various events and incidents. When taking the notion of bad/good death into account, the variations in burial customs might be understood in a wider context, sensitive to both social and religious factors.
The presentation takes a look at inhumation burials of Iron Age/Medieval Finland, starting from t... more The presentation takes a look at inhumation burials of Iron Age/Medieval Finland, starting from the 9th century AD. Most of the cases are previously unpublished, and haven't been thoroughly studied. I am presenting examples of cases that could be described as atypical, including double burials, peculiar grave-goods or positioning of artefacts. Some of the presented graves are unique in their appearance, but in several cases, comparable counterparts can be found. This raises a question of the definition of deviant or atypical burial, which needs further discussion. The challenges and potential of further studies on the graves are also presented.
Population encounters - migrations, dispersal and admixtures - have brought about changes in cult... more Population encounters - migrations, dispersal and admixtures - have brought about changes in cultures, languages, genes, and landscape through history. Recently, ancient DNA studies pointing to considerable temporal changes in the European gene pool have resurged migration as an explanatory model for cultural change in prehistoric societies. These scientific findings, however, have rarely been discussed in a more theoretical framework to demonstrate the complex relation between material and immaterial cultures, and genes. Instead, the biochemical and -molecular data produced under the umbrella of the 3rd Scientific Revolution in archaeology have been suited to old models in explaining cultural changes in the past. We have far less acknowledged the conceptual discussions from the beginning of the 21st on the matter of social identities (see Furholt 2019). In this session we discuss the theoretical challenges in bringing together humanities and natural sciences. We invite case studies and wider theoretical contributions to discuss the interplay between archaeological/anthropological theories and archaeological sciences in the context of piles of data obtained with a variety of laboratory methods during the last decade. We welcome researchers combining archaeology, and linguistics with genetics and other biomolecular analysis, and archaeological/anthropological theories to study changes caused by (pre)historic population contacts. The presentations could focus either on i) the state-of-the-art methodologies in any of these fields or in interdisciplinary studies of human past, ii) challenges of bringing together archaeology, genetics, linguistics and other disciplines in the study of cultural change in (pre)historic societies and/or iii) to the challenges and threats in communicating the novel results to the wider non-academic audiences.
Burial archaeology usually approaches graves as expressions of different traditions, cultures or ... more Burial archaeology usually approaches graves as expressions of different traditions, cultures or religions. Graves and burials may be classified as types within chronological sequences, and the phenomena which do not fit in these types are often regarded as deviant or disregarded completely. Today, there is an increasing interest in previously overlooked phenomena and a questioning of the older models regarding what burials are supposed to be. The burial customs of the Viking World are often described as homogenous, but at the same time they are considered to be influenced by local practices. Mortuary customs are complex, incorporating a wide range of practices representing commemoration, necromancy, divination, and sociogenic rituals.
In this session the focus will be on the complexity of burial practices in the Viking World and the new ways to find, analyze, and interpret them, as new approaches and methods may shatter old pre-conceptions of what a grave should be like in a certain context. How can the deviant or previously disregarded phenomena be explained, why can we not find all the burials or bones in the graves we find, and what other factors affected the burial than religion or belief systems? The emphasis is on how burial customs change, and are used to facilitate change, in the meeting between religions, between cultures and in new environments. We welcome papers dealing with Scandinavian material as well as research on contemporaneous burials in the geographical areas influenced by the Nordic cultures: Finland, Baltic countries, Russia, and the British Isles.
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period could also have also provoked local power struggles, which could have emphasized the ritual meaning of ancestors. This could explain the various usage of “antique” objects and older cremated bones in the inhumation burials. When the graves are studied in detail, it will become possible to raise new questions on gender roles and identities, local rituals, commemoration, and the meanings of objects and sites. In general, the contextualization of graves widens the possibilities to study and interpret Finnish archaeological material and help integrate this material in wider geographical, temporal, and theoretical discussion.
Articles by Ulla Nordfors
Sensory archaeology explores how past individuals engaged with their world through all their senses. The use of senses is also a cornerstone in Viking Age reenactment. We argue that research on Viking Age material culture can benefit from the knowledge and experience of Viking Age reenactors, particularly when studying the sensory dimension of using and crafting objects. The traditional dichotomy between archaeologists and reenactors can also be challenged, as many individuals can be professional archaeologists but also reenactors. The application of reenactment in archaeological research is nevertheless situated on the boundary between subjective experiences and objective academic research. For this kind of research to work, methodological rigour and a theoretical framework is required to ensure the reliability and validity of interpretations. By applying a relevant theoretical framework, for example one that embraces the theories of sensory archaeology, while acknowledging the nuanced interplay of authenticity and subjectivity, Viking Age reenactment can provide a unique tool to study Viking Age material culture.
This article focuses on survey responses and Finnish metal-detector hobbyists’ thoughts on finds that are not taken into archaeological collections. Such finds are usually post-medieval artefacts that could potentially be relevant for historical and contemporary archaeology in the future. Analysis of the survey responses suggests that metal detectorists are actively creating stories around objects and the sites where they are found. Together with the discovery event, these stories shape the detectorists’ relationship with the objects and thus with the past. Understanding the detectorists’ emotional approach to finds and the hobby may help build a shared understanding and thus provide tools for successful collaboration. At the same time, it is essential to consider how different approaches to finds and find locations may affect archaeological contexts and data.
The island of Seili, in the south-western archipelago of Finland, is famous for its history as a leprosy colony and mental asylum. The island formed a small, hierarchical community run by priests and hospital officials. In this article, we examine the history of the burial crypt in Seili church by comparing information from historical documents and observations made during archaeological field-work. The material gathered from these two sources is conflicting, suggesting an interesting history in the use of the burial crypt. It seems that women’s coffins could easily be moved elsewhere from the crypt when new coffins belonging to males were interred. It is argued that identifying the buried individuals would be necessary for a taphonomic study of the mummification processes and ensur-ing that the information about the crypt is based on facts. However, the identification is difficult due to inconsistent historical records. This underlines the importance of Post-Medieval archaeology in studying sites connected to family histories.
Two graves, initially discovered in the 1930s, were reopened and examined in 2017 and 2018 at the Early Medieval cemetery of Toppolanmäki, Finland. Soil samples taken from the graves were sampled for macrofossils, pollen and microfauna. Pollen and spore analysis provided possible evidence for the use of mosses and juniper branches in the graves. Also, mossindicating microfauna (Euglypha spp.) was detected. At Toppolanmäki, mosses were used in both coffins and earth burials. The clubmoss found in the latter could even indicate the presence of a woven carpet or mattress in the grave pit. The use of juniper, on the other hand, could indicate ritual continuation from the Iron Age as it is a common find in older cemeteries. It is also possible that the early medieval environment around the site was characterised by dry meadows and juniper bushes at the time of the burial, and even that one of the burials took place in early summer. The study highlights the research potential of graves that have been excavated decades ago and presents a new biological indicator of the use of moss in burials: the testate amoeba Euglypha.
Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N., Rohrlach, A., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2022). A Woman with a Sword? – Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of Archaeology, 25(1), 42-60. doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.30
period could also have also provoked local power struggles, which could have emphasized the ritual meaning of ancestors. This could explain the various usage of “antique” objects and older cremated bones in the inhumation burials. When the graves are studied in detail, it will become possible to raise new questions on gender roles and identities, local rituals, commemoration, and the meanings of objects and sites. In general, the contextualization of graves widens the possibilities to study and interpret Finnish archaeological material and help integrate this material in wider geographical, temporal, and theoretical discussion.
Sensory archaeology explores how past individuals engaged with their world through all their senses. The use of senses is also a cornerstone in Viking Age reenactment. We argue that research on Viking Age material culture can benefit from the knowledge and experience of Viking Age reenactors, particularly when studying the sensory dimension of using and crafting objects. The traditional dichotomy between archaeologists and reenactors can also be challenged, as many individuals can be professional archaeologists but also reenactors. The application of reenactment in archaeological research is nevertheless situated on the boundary between subjective experiences and objective academic research. For this kind of research to work, methodological rigour and a theoretical framework is required to ensure the reliability and validity of interpretations. By applying a relevant theoretical framework, for example one that embraces the theories of sensory archaeology, while acknowledging the nuanced interplay of authenticity and subjectivity, Viking Age reenactment can provide a unique tool to study Viking Age material culture.
This article focuses on survey responses and Finnish metal-detector hobbyists’ thoughts on finds that are not taken into archaeological collections. Such finds are usually post-medieval artefacts that could potentially be relevant for historical and contemporary archaeology in the future. Analysis of the survey responses suggests that metal detectorists are actively creating stories around objects and the sites where they are found. Together with the discovery event, these stories shape the detectorists’ relationship with the objects and thus with the past. Understanding the detectorists’ emotional approach to finds and the hobby may help build a shared understanding and thus provide tools for successful collaboration. At the same time, it is essential to consider how different approaches to finds and find locations may affect archaeological contexts and data.
The island of Seili, in the south-western archipelago of Finland, is famous for its history as a leprosy colony and mental asylum. The island formed a small, hierarchical community run by priests and hospital officials. In this article, we examine the history of the burial crypt in Seili church by comparing information from historical documents and observations made during archaeological field-work. The material gathered from these two sources is conflicting, suggesting an interesting history in the use of the burial crypt. It seems that women’s coffins could easily be moved elsewhere from the crypt when new coffins belonging to males were interred. It is argued that identifying the buried individuals would be necessary for a taphonomic study of the mummification processes and ensur-ing that the information about the crypt is based on facts. However, the identification is difficult due to inconsistent historical records. This underlines the importance of Post-Medieval archaeology in studying sites connected to family histories.
Two graves, initially discovered in the 1930s, were reopened and examined in 2017 and 2018 at the Early Medieval cemetery of Toppolanmäki, Finland. Soil samples taken from the graves were sampled for macrofossils, pollen and microfauna. Pollen and spore analysis provided possible evidence for the use of mosses and juniper branches in the graves. Also, mossindicating microfauna (Euglypha spp.) was detected. At Toppolanmäki, mosses were used in both coffins and earth burials. The clubmoss found in the latter could even indicate the presence of a woven carpet or mattress in the grave pit. The use of juniper, on the other hand, could indicate ritual continuation from the Iron Age as it is a common find in older cemeteries. It is also possible that the early medieval environment around the site was characterised by dry meadows and juniper bushes at the time of the burial, and even that one of the burials took place in early summer. The study highlights the research potential of graves that have been excavated decades ago and presents a new biological indicator of the use of moss in burials: the testate amoeba Euglypha.
Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N., Rohrlach, A., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2022). A Woman with a Sword? – Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of Archaeology, 25(1), 42-60. doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.30
An Early Medieval sword from Valkeakoski Haukila, Finland was spotted by metal detector hobbyists and lifted during a scientific excavation, which revealed a cremation cemetery dating to circa AD 1050–1150. Based on the unique inlays in the blade, the sword was possibly manufactured in a central European or West Scandinavian smithy. It probably arrived north as an item of trade, was re-forged, and finally ritually discarded in a cemetery. The damage in the blade may be considered use-wear and battle damage. It hints to a turbulent period in Early Medieval (11th-13th century) Finland, especially the Tavastia region, which may have escalated in violent confrontations.
(Text in Finnish, abstract in Swedish. The abstract and its translation have two big mistakes that do not appear in the text. The abstract in Finnish claims that the oldest cat bones in Sweden and Åland are from the Early Iron Age (the translation says Sweden and Finland). In fact, the oldest cat bones from Sweden are from the Early Iron Age, in Åland cats are quite common in the Late Iron Age burial mounds, but in mainland Finland, only one Late Iron Age (in the text it's speculated that it could even be Early Medieval) cat bone has been found.
The cemetery of Vilusenharju (ca. 800–1200 AD) is one of the best-known Iron Age sites in the Pirkanmaa area. The cremation burials at the site date from the Viking period until the 11th and 12th centuries, when cremations co-existed with inhumations. This article studies the hair and fur fragments found from the inhumation grave II at Vilusenharju. The grave has possibly belonged to a female, who was buried in a tree-trunk coffin padded with a fur of wild forest reindeer. The preserved human hair from the grave possibly contains also hair fragments of another species. The hair fragments have not been preserved well enough for more detailed determination.
In previous Finnish research, many features of funeral rituals have been linked to ancestor cults and honouring or remembering past generations. However, the topic has not been examined from the perspective of kinship. This chapter discusses how the concept of kinship may have been constructed in this period. Instead of blood ties, it likely formed around shared residences, livelihoods, and daily life – aspects that shaped the sense of belonging together. As daily activities tend to take place in specific places, kinship was understood not only as a close connection between certain humans but also between humans and places. Cemeteries were integral places where kinship ties could be created and maintained. This chapter suggests that these ties were made by breaking objects and human remains. The resulting fragments could then be shared between kin and handled in various ways in places that were considered relevant for creating connections.
In this article, we take a look at a Roman Iron Age fibula found in Hirvensalmi from an archaeological and linguistic perspective. The value of a single object or object type is limited when examining the spread of languages. The fact is, however, that the users of objects have acquired the items by using a language or languages. From this perspective, even a single object can be associated with language – even though we do not know which languages the user spoke. Since the occurence of the fibula type coincides with the spread of Proto-Finnic in Finland, the fibulae may have served as a symbol of a certain kind of group identity in their core distribution area. It is possible that they were even produced and used by Proto-Finnic speaking groups. These groups may have called the brooch with words that are still being used in Finnish: nasta ‘thump pin’ (← Proto-Germanic / Proto-Scandinavian *nasta ‘fibulae’) or solki ‘fibulae’ (← unknown language). A possible name is also pankku ‘fibulae’ (← ? Proto Scandinavian *spangu ‘fibulae’) that has disappeared from the modern language.
The stone church of Renko was built in the 16th century, abandoned and ruined in the mid-17th century, dismantled, and finally rebuilt in 1783. It was preceded by one or perhaps two consecutive wooden churches built at the same location since the beginning of the 15th century. Extensive archaeological excavations were conducted inside the church in 1984 when the wooden floor was replaced with a stone floor. Seventy-one graves dating from the 15th to the 18th century were found during the excavations. Grave sites under the church floor were expensive and usually reserved for individuals of high social status, such as priests, officials, and wealthy landowners. There is usually little variation in church burial customs, as they follow Christian traditions and contemporary legislation. However, the graves in the Renko church include a few distinctive burials in terms of burial position and treatment of the corpse. This chapter analyses these burials and explains them in the wider contexts of church burials and non-normative graves. The early 1980s can be described as a time of transition in church archaeology, which was officially acknowledged as a specific branch of archaeology in 1981 (Crabtree 2001: 336). Until then, excavations at churches in Finland were almost exclusively carried out by art historians and architects, while scholars with an archaeological background and experience in fieldwork techniques were absent. This was part of a wider European phenomenon, but in Finland, the situation had its roots also in the complex structure of antiquarian work and the indifferent attitude towards medieval and historical archaeology-apart from building archaeology in the strictest sense-since the early 20th century. 1 In the summer and early autumn of 1984, an archaeological excavation was carried out in the stone church of Renko in southwestern Häme (Tavastia) (Fig. 2.1) in connection with plans to replace the wooden floor with a stone floor. It was one of the first church excavations carried out by professional archaeologists in Finland, and because of the exceptional history of the church, it was also one of the first excavations to focus on the careful excavation of historical graves located inside a church.
A chapter "Death and otherworld" in the book "History of Finnish Death". Language: Finnish.
Sakari Pälsin arkeologinen mielenkiinto kohdistui pääasiassa kivikauteen, mutta hän ehti uransa aikana tekemään kenttätöitä myös useilla rautakautisilla kalmistoilla. Tässä artikkelissa käydään läpi näiden kohteiden kaivauksia ja pohditaan niiden merkitystä myöhemmälle tutkimukselle. Pälsin rautakautisten kohteiden kaivaukset ovat tuottaneet aineistoa etenkin pukuhistorialliselle tutkimukselle ja esinetutkimukselle, mutta mahdollistaneet myös hautaustapojen tarkastelun. Pälsin kenttädokumentointi loi myös pohjaa myöhemmille kalmistokaivausten tutkimusmenetelmille, vaikka hänen uransa loppuvaiheessa raportit muuttuivat niin ylimalkaisiksi, että ne jopa haittaavat nykytutkimusta.
How a researcher of the Stone Age unearthed the Iron Age – On Sakari Pälsi’s cemetery excavations
Sakari Pälsi’s archaeological interest focused mainly in the Stone Age but during his long career, he also conducted fieldwork at several Late Iron Age/Early Medieval cemeteries. Tis article sums up the excavations of these sites and examines their potential for further studies. Pälsi’s Late Iron Age/Early Medieval studies have produced data and material especially for research of costume history and artefact analysis, but they also enable the investigations of burial and funerary customs. Pälsi’s field documentation laid the foundation for further research methods in mortuary studies, although his later reports were so undetailed and sketchy that they even hinder modern research.
Investigation with a ground penetrating radar of the burial sites of Mikkola in Ylöjärvi and Moijanen in Valkeakoski revealed evidence of human activity, which at least in the case of Mikkola could be graves. The assessment is based on the locations of previously excavated graves and the size and shape of the discovered features, which correspond to those of inhumation burials. However, certainty about the nature of the features can obly be obtained by invasive investigation, such as trial excavation.
The article describes Iron Age artefacts examined as part the "Kipot ja kielet" ("Beakers and Speakers") project of the University of Turku. The artefacts belong to the collections of the former Häme Museum (collection ID HM) and are currently kept at the Vapriikki Museum Centre in Tampere. The article also answers questions about how the HM collection was formed, what artefacts are included in its Iron Age section, and what they tell us about the period under study.
Valkeakosken Toppolanmäen ruumiskalmistossa tutkittiin kesällä 2017 Sakari Pälsin vuonna 1937 avaama hauta nro 3, joka oli tuolloin peitetty sen jälkeen, kun hauta oli todettu esineettömäksi. Uudella kaivauksella haluttiin selvittää sitä, mitä luiden säilyneisyydelle oli viimeisten vuosikymmenten aikana tapahtunut ja mitä uusilla menetelmillä voidaan esineettömästä haudasta saada selville. Osa haudan luista oli melko hyvin säilyneitä (mm. lantion luita ja nikamia). Alaraajojen luut olivat säilyneet huonoiten, mutta niistä pystyttiin havainnoimaan, että vainajan nilkat oli hautauksen yhteydessä asetettu ristiin. Haudasta otettiin näytteitä kasvimakrofossiilitutkimusta, siitepölyanalyysiä, parasiittitutkimusta sekä karva- ja kuituanalyysiä varten. Lisäksi Sugrige-projektin yhteydessä luista tehtiin osteologinen analyysi, aDNA-analyysi ja ajoitus. Näytteistä tullaan tekemään jossakin vaiheessa myös stabiili-isotooppitutkimus. Raportissa kerrotut analyysitulokset ovat julkaisematonta tietoa. Tietoihin viitattaessa on ensisijaisesti käytettävä julkaisuja, joista valtaosa on raportin valmistumisen hetkellä vasta tekeillä. Kaivauksen jälkitöiden yhteydessä havaittiin myös, että Toppolanmäen varhaisissa kaivauksissa (1936, 1937) on saatettu jättää palamaton ihmisluuaineisto nostamatta haudoista, joten luuaineistoa saattaa vielä sijaita alueella, jota on pidetty kokonaan tutkittuna.
muinaisjäännöksiä. Suurin osa kiinteistä muinaisjäännöksistä on historiallisia. Kolme kohteista sijoittuu hieman kaava-alueen ulkopuolelle. Poikkeuksellisia kohteita ovat alueella sijaitsevat historialliset kylänpaikat (kohteet 13, 24 ja 34), joiden menneisyys ulottuu asiakirjalähteiden perusteella ainakin 1500-luvulle.
Useimmat kylänpaikoista ovat osittain rakentamattomia, joten niihin voi liittyä maan alla säilyneitä rakenteita. Erityismaininnan arvoinen on myös Joensuun esihistoriallinen asuinpaikka (kohde 39), joka sijoittuu lähelle Vehkajärven rantaviivaa. Tällä paikalla maisema on pysynyt lähes muuttumattomana esihistoriallisista ajoista saakka, joten kohdetta voi pitää sekä kulttuurikerrosten säilyneisyyden että maiseman puolesta merkittävänä kohteena. Maiseman ja rakenteiden puolesta arvokkaita kohteita ovat myös myllyjen paikat (kohteet 25 ja 29). Historiallisesti merkittävä on myös Kivisalmen rajamerkki (kohde 23), jonka sijainti Satakunnan ja Hämeen rajalla ulottunee keskiaikaan. Kaikki uudet kohteet on merkitty raportin otsikoissa tähdellä (*).
Koekaivaus sijoittui kirkon pohjoispuoliselle piha‐alueelle suunnitellun maakaapelin linjaukselle. Kaivauksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää sijaitseeko suunnitellulla linjalla sellaista kiinteää muinaisjäännöstä, joka edellyttää koekaivauksen jälkeen jatkotutkimuksia kuten valvontaa tai pelastuskaivauksia. Tutkimussuunnitelmasta ja ‐lupapäätöksestä poiketen kenttätöitä tehtiin seitsemän arkipäivän sijasta neljänä arkipäivänä 17.‐20.6.2013 välisenä aikana tutkimuksen tilaajan vetäytyessä kaapelointihankkeesta. Samalla poistui tarve arkeologiselle koetutkimukselle. Näin ollen myös sakariston sisäpuolelle suunnitellun sähkökaapin paikka jäi tutkimatta.
Koekaivauksessa havaittiin suunnitellulla kaapelilinjalla kiinteää muinaisjäännöstä, hautoja, luukuoppa ja kiviaidan perustus. Sakariston viereen on kaivettu 1963 maaperätutkimuksissa koekuoppa, johon rajautuu usean yksilön sekundaarihaudatuista jäänteistä koostuva luukuoppa. Kuoppa saattaa olla peräisin 1800‐luvulla tai 1900‐luvun alusta.
Pihamaan keskiosassa havaittiin merkkejä useista eri‐ikäisistä hautauksista, mutta varmuudella rautakautisiksi ajoittuvia löytöjä ei tullut esiin. Myös kirkkomaan vanhan aidan perustusta paljastettiin ja sen viereltä löydettiin kokonsa perusteella pienten lasten ja/tai imeväisten hautoja, jotka suurella todennäköisyydellä ajoittuvat historialliseen aikaan.
Esinelöytöinä saatiin talteen nuppineula, joka on voinut kuulua vainajan käärinliinaan tai vaatetukseen, sekä pieni pala sulanutta pronssia. Luista luetteloitiin palaneen (todennäköisesti ihmisen) kallon pala ja palamaton luu, jossa on (mahdollisesti kyrillisiä) kirjainmerkkejä. Samalla talletettiin lahjoituksena saatu rautakautinen punnus, joka on löytynyt kirkkoa ympäröiviltä pelloilta muinaisjäännösalueen ulkopuolelta. Luukuopan pinnasta nostetusta materiaalista on tehty osteologinen analyysi.
alueelta. Haudat tutkittiin pelastuskaivauksessa. Osa haudoista muodostaa mahdollisesti sukuhaudan, jonka lisäksi tutkittiin muista erillään sijainnut imeväisen hauta. Vanhin haudoista ajoittuu aikaisintaan 1690-luvulle, nuorin todennäköisesti 1860-luvulle. Luumateriaali on analysoitu ja palautettu Paimion seurakunnalle uudelleenhaudattavaksi.
maankäyttöä.
EAA 2019, Bern 4-7 Sept. 2019
Over the last decades, forensic experts have participated in investigations of individual burial places and mass graves from recent armed conflicts around the world. These investigations have given rise to ethical principles and recommendations, which have been published e.g. as the Resolution of United Nations Human Rights Council on Human rights and forensic science (E/CN.4/RES/2005/26), as the resolution on Forensic genetics and human rights (A/HRC/RES/15/5), and UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions (also known as Minnesota protocol). These resolutions and recommendations address the dignified handling and management of human remains and restoring the identity of victims, among other things. In this paper, forensic investigations of mass graves and alleged human rights violations in former Yugoslavia are presented as an example to present the differences in the ethical principles applied in forensic science and archaeology. We also consider whether archaeology teams can learn from the ethical issues and recommendations of forensic science, and ask could these recommendations be incorporated in archaeological excavations and studies of sites with particularly sensitive aspects and issues, such as grave sites of the victims of recent civil wars and world wars?
ESEB 2019 (poster)
Abstract
In Finland, the recovery of ancient DNA is heavily constrained by the poor preservation of bones. Physical remains are quickly degraded by acidic soils, limiting the age of the DNA recovered from bones to less than 2,000 years. However, DNA can also survive bound on organic and inorganic soil particles. In this pilot study, we explored the potential of archaeological sediments as an alternative source of human DNA for Finnish ancient DNA studies. Ancient DNA from soils and sediments has previously been used to reconstruct paleoenvironments, to study ancient parasites and diet and to demonstrate the presence of a species at a given site. Ancient mitochondrial DNA from mammals, including hominins, has been shown to be retrievable from Pleistocene cave sediments, even when there are no visible fossils present. Our objective was to test if any ancient human DNA has been preserved in the sediments of Finnish prehistoric settlement sites by screening the samples for human mitochondrial DNA using targeted enrichment. The focus was on the Finnish Stone Age, since unburned human bones from that period are absent. Sediment samples from five Stone Age (6,000–4,000 ya) settlement sites, located on woodland, were collected for this study. In addition, we analyzed a lakebed sample from a submerged Mesolithic (1,0 000–7,000 ya) settlement site, and a soil sample from an Iron Age burial with also bones present to compare DNA yield between the two materials. We present here the preliminary results and describe ancient DNA preservation in Finnish archaeological sediments.
The 2019 Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Turku, Finland. Poster.
Diagenesis caused by microbial bioerosion is the most common bone alteration observed within the archaeology record. The complex community of microorganisms inhabiting the host is the main contributor for the body decomposition, and the soil communities beneath decaying carcasses also participate in the process. This bidirectional interaction results in the formation of a new microbial community often referred to as the necrobiome. The taphonomical conditions can speed up or slow down the decaying process, such as the chemical composition of the soil. One example of very poor long-term bone preservation is the Finnish soil due to its high acidity. This represents a pitfall for the study of past populations and the application of biomolecular archaeology techniques such as ancient DNA. Recent advances in the field of palaeogenetics allowed the recovery of sedimentary DNA sequences from long-departed organisms, however, the association between preservation and soil metagenomic composition have not been yet explored in Finland. In this study, we present the metagenomic analysis of 40 soil samples from different time periods, ranging from the Mesolithic to the oldest church graveyard in Finland (12th century). We successfully recovered DNA from all the samples and reconstructed the bacterial communities present. Our results provide for the first time insights on the environmental DNA associated with archaeological sites in Finland, as well as show the applicability of strategies for DNA retrieval also for Finish soil.
Society for Historical Archaeology 2019, Missouri, USA
The 18-19th century laws and regulations in Sweden and Finland stated that an autopsy should be carried out in suspected criminal cases to determine cause of death. According to contemporary sources, non-anatomical autopsies were quite rare, and only performed to a distinct group of people: those who had committed suicide, died in hospital or prison, were homeless beggars, or suspected murder victims. All these were usually also considered socially marginal people, whose burial customs may have differed from the norm. According to folklore, murder victims and people who had committed suicide were also social outcasts, who were not allowed to be buried in the consecrated cemetery. The paper presents archaeological evidence of autopsies and craniotomies in historical Finland, and seeks to study who were the people that received post-mortem examinations and how they were actually treated in death.
Ulla Moilanen, Sami Raninen and Vadim Adel
In summer 2017, a metal detecting hobbyist found a gilded equal-armed relief brooch (variante 1 mit zungenförmigen Armen) ornamented with Salin Style I in southwestern Finland. Comparable brooches are rare finds in Finland, as only four similar objects have been found from the country so far. The Sastamala brooch is in fairly good condition, although it bears signs of fire, and the gilding is not visible anymore. The decoration is unique and a special feature are the signs of use and repairment. The brooch was found in the southwestern extremity of the Lakeland in South Finnish interior, where the agricultural settlement infensified during the 4th-6th centuries AD, a process probably connected with the introduction of Proto-Finnic language within the area. Mortuary record suggests development of local elites in the period, and more or less intense participation in trans-regional exchange systems, both with the Baltics (especially NE Estonia) and Mälardalen. Some of the contacts maintained by these interior elites must have been mediated by the settlements in SW coast and Southern Ostrobothnia, but there are some indications of direct overseas connections as well. The impact of prestigious artefacts and increasing presence of weapons in furnished burials within the area was connected with a strong decrease of the "archaeological signal" in most parts of Finland, phenomena not necessarily connected to a population decrease (and predating the event of 536), but certainly suggesting of changes among the forager groups in the woodland regions.
The Luistari cemetery in Eura is the most extensively researched Late Iron Age / Early Medieval cemetery in Finland, with over 1300 inhumation graves. The furnished burials date from c. 6th century to 12th century AD and unfurnished presumably even later. Our project called Life Histories in Teeth was launched in 2015 with the aim to develop isotope sampling methods and to produce new multidisciplinary information on the cemetery and the buried individuals. The best preserved human and animal dental and bone remains from 89 graves were selected and were sampled for this study. The human samples will undergo bulk stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S) and a smaller sample set is further selected for compound specific isotope analysis, and later on, aDNA studies and new AMS-datings will be performed in a related project. In addition to this, µCT scanning, age at death modeling and paleopathological analysis will allow us to have a better understanding of the Luistari people and their diets, origins and life histories in the Late Iron Age Finland. Revised typologies and comparisons of the acquired data to contemporary populations around the Baltic Sea will also contribute to a comprehensive understanding on the contacts between different areas during this time. Archaeothanatological analysis based on the excavation documents and preserved find material will shed light to the burial customs, which include double and multiple burials, and even some deviant cases.
In Finland, the Late Iron Age/Early Medieval (c. 800-1300 AD) inhumation cemeteries sometimes contain “empty graves” without any sign of bones but a set of commingled artefacts. Such finds have usually been explained as indication of grave robbery. More thorough examination of the phenomenon reveals that the practice of secondary opening of graves and even reburial was quite common in the period. The various types of secondary treatment of the inhumed cadavers might include disarticulation, complete exhumation, reburial, and possibly decapitation. In the presentation I am discussing the examples of such finds in the cultural context of the burials. The beliefs surrounding such treatment might be diverse, but some of the
graves might be explained as a manifestation of “bad death”, a culturally unacceptable way of passing, and include an anti-revenant message. The affect of taphonomic processes and the possibility of skull-collecting is also taken into consideration.
In this session the focus will be on the complexity of burial practices in the Viking World and the new ways to find, analyze, and interpret them, as new approaches and methods may shatter old pre-conceptions of what a grave should be like in a certain context. How can the deviant or previously disregarded phenomena be explained, why can we not find all the burials or bones in the graves we find, and what other factors affected the burial than religion or belief systems? The emphasis is on how burial customs change, and are used to facilitate change, in the meeting between religions, between cultures and in new environments. We welcome papers dealing with Scandinavian material as well as research on contemporaneous burials in the geographical areas influenced by the Nordic cultures: Finland, Baltic countries, Russia, and the British Isles.