Fennoscandia Archaeologica

Two microparticle analyses of Stone Age quartz tools in Finland

Petro Pesonen — 2023-11-13

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The Urheilupuisto House and Other Corded Ware Houses from Finland

Teemu Mökkönen — 2023-05-03

Although numerous settlement sites of Corded Ware culture have been discovered in Finland, only a few houses have been identified. This is in stark contrast to the abundant number of pithouses of local hunter-gatherers. This paper takes a closer look at the houses associated with Corded Ware culture, first, by introducing a recently excavated Corded Ware house from southern Finland and other houses connected to Corded Ware culture from Finland and the Karelian Isthmus, Russia, and second, by outlining the various types of Corded Ware houses around the Baltic Sea. After that, the emerging picture suggesting interaction between the regional variants of Corded Ware culture as well as between Corded Ware cultures and local hunter-gatherers will be discussed. Even if the remains of Corded Ware houses are few and often quite ambiguous, it will be concluded that several types of houses have existed in the area north of the Gulf of Finland, and the contacts between cultural traditions affected settlement types and house structures in each party involved in the process.

Introducing Children to Archaeology

Mark Oldham — 2023-09-27

This paper introduces a case study from Oslo, Norway, where two outreach programmes aimed at local children have been carried out by the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) as part of development-led archaeological investigations relating to the construction of the new Medieval Park (Middelalderparken). The first programme involved inviting younger children from four local kindergartens to site, whereas the second programme involved archaeologists visiting fourth graders at school. Both programmes had a clear pedagogical element at their core. The programmes are discussed in relation to both previous work we have done with children, and to the broader literature on archaeology, history, and education.

Human-beaver Engagements Seen Through Multiperiod Settlement Sites at Rautalampi, Hämeenniemi and Kitee, Hiidenniemi, Finland

Emilia Jääskeläinen — 2023-09-30

The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between beavers and humans in the prehistoric times. This is studied through animal bone assemblages excavated from two multi-period settlement sites in Northern Savonia and North Karelia, Finland, and is supplemented with ethnographic and folklore material. The theoretical framework uses perspectives from social zooarchaeology, relational ontology and multispecies archaeology and the research questions are answered with zooarchaeological analysis, age estimates and beaver ethology. This study shows that the hunted beavers were adults who could have established their own colonies, modified the landscape to suit their needs and had their first litter. Beavers had different ways of being, engaging and being present in a world that sometimes led to direct and indirect encounters between humans and beavers. The hunters had knowledge that based on the behaviour of beavers, and they used it to find the animals to engage with them.

Combining Residue and Macroscopic Use-wear Analysis of Quartz Objects in Kraakanmäki 3 Late Neolithic Settlement Site, Western Finland

Tuija Kirkinen — 2023-10-19

Microscopic remains of plants, hairs, blood, bone, and sinew have been detected on Stone Age implements as evidence of the ways the tools were used. Together with use-wear analysis, microresidues enable us to obtain additional information of artefact biographies. However, the preservation of residues is not a straightforward issue. Although bones, plant matter, and wood have a tendency to decompose rapidly in acidic podzol soils, the acidity favours the preservation of keratinous tissues such as hairs and feathers. Because the analysis of microresidues has not been applied on Finnish quartz artefacts, this paper presents a preliminary testing of the method in a Late Stone Age settlement site in Kraakanmäki 3, western Finland. As a result, we found microscopic remains of hairs, feathers, and plants, which enable us to speak for the careful handling of quartz and stone tools at the excavations for further analyses.

Towards a Growing Interest in the Urban Archaeology of Early Modern Towns in Finland

Tia Niemelä — 2023-12-02

Research in historical periods has always had a strong tradition in Finnish archaeology. Past studies and archaeological fieldwork have mostly focused on medieval times; however, in the past 20 years, investigations
of early modern towns (1520–1721 AD) have taken place more often in Finland and have changed the tide.
Most archaeological excavations in Finland are currently carried out owing to infrastructure and construction
projects and can therefore be regarded as contract archaeology. First, this article aims to examine and provide
an overview of past research in Finnish urban archaeology focused on early modern towns. Second, current
research trends are discussed with an emphasis on the possibilities offered by multidisciplinary approaches.
Recent research conducted in Turku serves as a case study to illustrate these developments. The article concludes by touching upon the persistent challenges faced by research, primarily stemming from the contractual nature of most archaeological investigations.

Jonas M. Nordin: The Scandinavian Early Modern World, a Global Historical Archaeology. Routledge, London and New York 2020.

Risto Nurmi — 2023-11-11

Jonas M. Nordin: The Scandinavian Early Modern World, a Global Historical Archaeology. Routledge, London and New York 2020. ISBN 978-0-367-34807-6.

Anna-Elisabeth Jensen: Freunde und Feinde. Dania Slavica. Südseeland, Lolland-Falster und Møn in der Wikingerzeit und Hochmittelalter. Aarhus University Press 2023.

Anna Wessman — 2023-11-17

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