Fennoscandia Archaeologica

Spiral decorated shawls in Late Iron Age Finland

Jenni Sahramaa, Mervi Pasanen — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Spiral decorated shawls in Late Iron Age Finland (c. AD 800–1200) were elaborate and special garments with strong connections to identity. In prior research, richly decorated shawls from female graves have been reconstructed for ancient costumes. In this study, we trace the sensorial properties of shawls using microarchaeological methods, experimental archaeology and reconstructions. Examples from female graves, male graves and a child’s grave are included for examining the similarities and differences between spiral decoration techniques. In a broader context, we discuss the use and meanings of shawls in both life and death.

A.M. Tallgren and ethnic interpretation in archaeology

Timo Salminen — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The Finnish archaeologist Aarne Michaël Tallgren is remembered for his article on archaeological theory, which he published in Finnish in 1934 and in French for the international readership in 1936. There he denied the possibility of making ethnic conclusions on the basis of archaeological material. However, Tallgren’s relationship to ethnic questions has never before been analysed as a whole. This article examines how Tallgren’s conception of ethnicity developed. He inherited the ethnic paradigm of archaeology from his teachers but was initially rather cautious in his conclusions. Up to 1920, Tallgren’s own approach to ethnic questions gradually consolidated. In contrast to the view prevailing today, it is shown that ethnic conclusions were a central part of his reasoning in the 1920s but only in relation to the question of the roots of the Finnish people. Criticism against the ethnic paradigm of archaeology was voiced both in Finland and elsewhere in Europe in the 1910s and 1920s, and in the early 1930s, Tallgren also began to doubt this approach. Becoming acquainted with the new Soviet archaeology in the late 1920s sparked Tallgren’s interest in archaeology as social history, and the political use of the ethnic view of prehistory first in Germany and soon thereafter in the Soviet Union probably eventually led him to deny any ethnic conclusions.

Ten Years of Photogrammetry and LiDAR

Nikolai Paukkonen — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The realities of archaeological fieldwork have been revolutionized by new digital documentation methods. Among these are various new ways to produce photorealistic and/or accurate 3D measurements, namely photogrammetry and laser scanning. They have become well known technologies but the actual frequency of their use in day-today fieldwork has not been studied before. The ‘Quality instructions on archaeological fieldwork' (Arkeologisten kenttätöiden laatuohjeet) document, published by the Finnish Heritage Agency in 2013, states that all archaeological reports have to mention the technologies and methods used. Using a collection of some 3600 digitized reports from between 2013 and 2022 I show how widespread the use of these novel methods has actually been during the decade in Finland, and what are the implications of their use. What kind of actors are the most prevalent users? Have the methods been widely adopted, or are some more traditional methods still more popular?

Social and Seasonal Organisation of Red Deer Hunting from the Neolithic to the Late Iron Age (c. 2000 BC to AD 1000)

Marie Ødegaard, Kristoffer Hillesland — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0300

This is the first paper to examine social and seasonal organization of red deer hunting using stone-set hunting blinds in Norway. The paper examines seven hunting blinds discovered in Gjesdal, western Norway. Four of the hunting blinds are unique; it was possible to date them directly with radiocarbon dating. The sites exhibit multiple construction phases, with a usage period ranging from the Neolithic to the Mid Iron Age, and we would suggest likely extending into the Late Iron Age and Middle Ages. The datings and multiple phases make it possible to discuss temporal change in the construction of the hunting blinds, which is unprecedented in a Fennoscandian context. Hunting appears to align with social trends, becoming more prominent during periods of settlement decline and increased use of outfield resources for surplus production. While hunting in the lowlands of western Norway, particularly between 0 and 900 metres above sea level, appears to have been smaller in scale compared to mass-scale hunting in Norway’s high-altitude zones and eastern regions, the high population of red deer until about 500 years ago indicates profitable hunting opportunities during specific seasons. The cluster of hunting blinds suggests organized cooperation among neighbours and families, with surplus products potentially sold and exported to local and regional markets.

Saami language policies in Saami archaeological research – Saemien gïelekonvensjovnh saemien arkeologijen dotkemisnie

Minerva Piha — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0300

In this article, the goal is to determine what the use and non-use of Saami archaeological terms ‒ for example, for different types of burials, dwellings, sacred sites, artefacts ‒ reveal about language policies in Saami archaeological research published in Finland from 1970 to 2019. The data of the research are Saami archaeological works published in scientific publication forums such as archaeological and multidisciplinary journals and publication series. The data contains 138 Saami archaeological works. From the data, I have collected the used Saami terms by the method of content analysis. The analysis of the data reveals that 65 different Saami terms is used in 63 publications. 39 of the terms are used only in one work, and only five terms are used in more than ten works. According to analysis, there are no formal policies or norms on how Saami terms should be used in archaeological research.

Iktedimmie Daennie artihkelisnie goerehtem maam saemien termi pråvhkoe jïh ov-pråvhkoe arkeologijisnie gïelekonvensjovni bïjre soptseste. Saemien arkeologijen termh, v.g. ov-messie gaelmieh, årromesijjieh, bissiesijjieh jïh artefakth, daeverh mah arkeologijen dotkemisnie gååvnese. Manne daatam – dejtie saemien arkeologijen termide – arkeologijen jïh multidaajroen publikasjovnijste, goh aejkietjaalegijstie jïh dotkemeraajrojste, tjöönghkeme mah Soemesne bæjjoehtamme jaepeste 1970 jaapan 2019. Daatesne 138 saemien arkeologijen publikasjovnh, jïh manne sisvegen goerehtimmien vuekiem nuhtjeme gosse saemien termh tjöönghkeme jïh goerehtamme. Daatan goerehtimmie vuesehte 65 ov-messie saemien termh 63 publikasjovnine nuhtjesovveme. Golmeluhkieuktsie termh ajve akte publikasjovnesne, jïh ajve vïjhte termh jienebe goh luhkie publikasjovnine. Daate goerehtimmie vuesehte ij gååvnese naan byjjes gïele- jallh termenjoelkedassh guktie saemien termh arkeologijen dotkemisnie nuhtjedh.